The Map Thief

Mara Coyne #2

by Heather Terrell

Beijing, China, 1421: It is a momentous time for the Ming Dynasty. Honoring the completion of the Forbidden City, a fleet of unprecedented size sets sail under Admiral Zheng He. Zheng€™s mission is to chart the globe, trading for riches and bringing glory to China€™s emperor. Among the crew is the talented cartographer and navigator Ma Zhi, whose work will lead to the first true map of the world€“but whose accomplishment will vanish when the fleet returns to a very different China than the one it left.Lisbon, Portugal, 1496: At the height of Portugal€™s maritime domination during the Age of Discovery, the legendary explorer Vasco da Gama embarks on a quest to find a sea route to India. On board is navigator Antonio Coehlo, who guards Portugal€™s most secret a map that already shows the way.New York, present Mara Coyne€™s new client has left her uneasy. Republican kingmaker Richard Tobias has hired her, he says, because of her skill

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Historical, Suspense, Asia

272 pages, Hardcover

First published July 29, 2008

About the author

Heather Terrell is a lawyer with more than ten years' experience as a litigator at two of the country's premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in History and Art History, and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.
Heather is the author of The Chrysalis and The Map Thief, which will appear in more than ten countries, as well as Brigid of Kildare. She turned her hand to young adult fiction with the Fallen Angel series, and continues it with the upcoming series The Books of Eva. The first book in the series -- Relic -- releases in October 2013.

Reviews

[Noor Jahangir · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an interesting novel, blending historical settings with a modern day thriller. This is a well researched novel, but often it seems the author is trying too hard to show-off the research, providing details that don't directly or indirectly impact the plot or character development. Its a very short novel and could have perhaps done with more twists and drama. Perhaps the author is overly protective of her main character because there never really comes a point where I felt anxious for her, or felt that her life was at risk, somehow managing to pass through the criminal underworld with only a bruised ego.
What this story does offer is an insight into one of the Western worlds dirty secrets, cultural theft and a denial of Eastern influence in the foundations of western development.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery in the "hunt for the map" kept me reading it, but in the end just ok. Couldn't get into the characters and the "adventure" side of it was anti-climatic. Interesting idea behind the book though--that the Chinese discovered the world before the Europeans.

[Tiago Vinagre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retomar os hábitos de leitura roubados pelos exames nacionais com este livro foi uma boa opção. Apesar de não ser brilhante, de não ter um daqueles enredos ou tipo de escrita que nunca mais saem da tua cabeça, foi uma leitura agradável e que apreciei. Um bom livro, fácil de ler, ideal para relaxar.

[Camellia Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book; otherwise I would not have been able to finish it during just a recent two day trip.

I think the author knows a lot about the imperial court life in old China – or maybe it is all well known? I would not expect a foreigner to know those details of daily life, e.g. the ranks of the people in the imperial court, their desires, their fears, even how they eat, sleep and rest. So I saw a grand picture of the Emperor meeting with Admiral Zheng and his crew. It was so detailed and so grand that makes the Portugal part very plain. Maybe things in China were just much more grand than any of those European countries at that time – at least I'd like to think so. Isn't it true that the Forbidden City is the largest imperial court – I still remember how disappointed I was when I saw Buckingham palace.

The story went well, especially in the Chinese section. The present day story is also all right. But the Portugal part is a bit weak. The way that the author combined these three sections together is clever; readers can raise questions which later get answered. I know you think it is unbelievable that the Admiral Zheng asked Zhi to take a such a great risk in order to pass the map to later generations. But there is a critical difference between Chinese culture (or Asian – because it applies to the Japanese as well) and western culture. When a great cause is the reason (in this case, the discovery of another continent), the value of human life can be diminished and a life can be sacrificed. Even now, when we believe that the benefit of the country is above our own benefit, we are supposed to give in our own benefit. Well, at least, this is what we are taught in our generation.

It is interesting that these two mapmakers from China and Portugal both had a woman in their minds and they were trying to work it out for that beloved one. I think the author can do better in this part. I don't like the endings for either of them. It seems that the author just wanted to rush to the end of the story. That Portuguese guy's behavior did not show a good flow – maybe I misunderstand it. Why should people think that de Gama would have less credit if he was barely following somebody's map? I think either way he was a brave guy and he deserves credit because he did bring Portugal into success as well as achieve his goal – spreading worship of Christ. But of course I hate the way he treated the local people – maybe he did not die in a good way anyway. So a group of fundamentalist were behind it in the present life story – sounds like another DaVinci Code.

If this story is true – I would only feel ashamed that the Chinese emperor at that time decided to close the door. Meanwhile I am proud that at least some Chinese like Zheng he and Ma Zhi were willing to sacrifice their lives to pass this knowledge to those who deserved it. I would be happy to see that Portugal was smart enough to grasp the opportunity that history gave to them. So Portugal in those years were the real winners, while the poor Chinese were such losers – and probably since then they have never been able to be really strong again.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I like Heather's writing and she really appears to do a lot of research for her books. I always enjoy a story that is loosely based on historical fact. It makes it so much more interesting to me. I also enjoyed her first book, The Chrysalis, and was looking forward to her second. I was not disappointed. She also gets extra points for living in Pittsburgh!

I only had one tiny complaint while reading. I was really wanting there to be something more between Mara and Ben. Not because I'm big on romance - oh, lordy, No! I just feel like it's time for Mara to have a little bit of fun in her personal life. She works too much. Perhaps the ending of this book is going to set the tone for this. Maybe I'm (wishful) thinking like the author and that's where she's heading. I hope so. All work and no play will make Mara -- well, you know.

[Stephanie Heath Nash · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the previous effort of this author had a bit of potential, even though I found Mara so annoying and ridiculous that I was basically rooting for the “bad guy”. This second effort not only starts with many, many events, including her new job and team being formed, told in retrospect as if there was a book between 1 and 2. This book is basically a parade of information interspersed with encounters with the main characters—who you really don’t care about because they are so two-dimensional. There There was some potential with this idea, but it was so badly executed that I thought it was self-published. Proudly DNF.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was a little confusing, but once I got to the middle pages (119 on), I could not put it down. A little too easy to figure out but interesting. The side stories needed some more development. They just didn't seem rounded enough, especially the one about De Gama. Zhi was well developed. Though, I felt like I needed to read another book before this one...? It was okay. I wouldn't read it again, but intriguing premise.

[Sassbot5000 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and enjoyable mystery. I liked the characters even though they didn't really have any growth or development. But then, this story was more about the search for the map then it was about great character development.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did the Chinese discover America?

Mara Coyne is a non-practicing lawyer who specializes in recovering stolen art. Her firm consists of her business partner, a former director of the FBI Art Crime Unit we know only as Joe, and a handful of art historians and technical support staff. But their reputation is global. So it’s no surprise when Richard Tobias, an American billionaire art collector and Republican kingmaker. turns to her to recover an ancient map lost from an archaeological dig in China.

The assignment leads Mara to team up on a global quest to find the map. The archaeologist who discovered it outside Xian insists on going with her. But their frantic, intercontinental travels form just one of three timelines in a complex story that weaves together the 15th-century Chinese and Portuguese voyages of discovery with Mara’s quest. Heather Terrell’s historical page-turner, The Map Thief, is a triumph of the storyteller’s art.

The historical background to the novel

At the dawn of the 21st century, a British writer named Gavin Menzies published a book entitled 1421: The Year China Discovered America. It caused a furor but historians almost universally rejected the thesis. There was no existing physical or documentary evidence to support the claim. But Menzies’s book did bring to a wider audience the facts about a series of massive expeditions undertaken early in the 15th century by a Chinese admiral named Zheng He (1371-1433). Zheng was a Muslim and a eunuch who served in the court of the Ming Emperor known as Yongle.

In the first of his expeditions in 1405, Zheng led an armada of 62 ships and 27,800 men. It was a massive force an order of magnitude larger than anything Europeans sent across the ocean a few years later. But the six succeeding Chinese fleets from 1408 to 1433 were much larger still. And they roamed throughout the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean as far as the east coast of Africa. However, their success in establishing trade relations with nations throughout the region came to naught when Emperor Yongle was deposed. His successor ordered the ships burned and all contact with the outside world ceased upon pain of death. China remained closed to outsiders for centuries to come.

China’s voyages of discovery overlapped with Portugal’s

Zheng He’s first voyage began in 1405. Nearly 20 years later, Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460) dispatched the first of numerous expeditions down the west coast of Africa in search of a new trade route to India. But it was not until 1498, nearly 40 years after Prince Henry’s death, that Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) reached Calicut on the southwest coast of India. Meanwhile, China’s gargantuan fleets had long since been disbanded.

In The Map Thief, we follow a Muslim eunuch mapmaker named Zhi on Admiral Zheng’s expeditions. The young man rises to the post of chief mapmaker for the fleet and is the author of the map stolen centuries later in China. Interspersed with passages about his and Mara Coyne’s travels, we also follow the story of a Portuguese mapmaker who accompanies Vasco da Gama on his fateful first voyage around the Cape of Good Hope.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that public disclosure of the stolen map will alter the way world history is written. The stakes are geopolitical in scope.

Of course, all three threads of Terrell’s historical page-turner converge in an explosive climax. And there are many surprises along the way.

About the author

Attorney and author Heather Terrell has written some of her 19 historical novels under the pen name Marie Benedict. She studied art history at Boston College and earned a law degree from Boston University’s School of Law. She worked as a litigator for 10 years in New York City.

Terrell was born in 1968 and attended high school in Pittsburgh. She lives there now with her husband and their two children.

[Riq Hoelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In terms of the mystery category, this one is more in the thriller neighborhood. It owes an unacknowledged debt to Gavin Menzies whose book 1421: The Year the Chinese Discovered America theorized that Chinese ships sailed to the Americas (and Europe and Australia and Antarctica) before the West did. I have chatted with Gavin, heard his lecture and read his book. His best evidence are the maps that seem to show these parts of the world and which pre-date Columbus' first voyage. Unfortunately, however, there is yet to appear any solid archaeological artifact that confirms it. If the Chinese did travel to all of these places, shouldn't there be some sign of it?

How to resolve such a contradiction? My feeling is that we need to question the maps. A date on a map is nothing like a modern computer timestamp, after all. When you make a map you can put any date you want on it. But post-date a map? Whatever for?

Well, it may not be obvious, but there could be several reasons. One could be that having the earliest date would tend to make the map more valuable than its competitors. Another could be that it would help create the illusion that the map was the original work of the cartographer, when the truth might well have been otherwise. And there might be other reasons. Understanding historical artifacts is best left to historians who have the advantage of sustained study of a period, a background that amateur historian Menzies and attorney Terrell do not share.

In any case, acceptance of this theory is requisite to appreciation of this book. In an endnote the author admits to certain additional distortions of reality. Reading the book has revealed more, to be discussed later.

This is a story told in three parts. The first is Ming era China during the expeditions of the famous Chinese admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho). The second, smaller section, takes place in age of discovery Portugal a few generations later. The third and most significant portion is set in 2008. What's unusual is that the three stories are not told sequentially, but interleaved, jumping back and forth between time periods. I have hated this method of storytelling ever since first encountering it in Ishmael. Not only does it seem a cheap trick, the constant disruption of a story is very offputting. So I resolved to undo it. I noted all of the chapter dates, sorted them on the computer and proceeded to read the novel in strict chronological order. I present this information below so that if you want to you can too. (My friend who is to read this book next says she likes the "out of order" idea so we will see what she thinks of reading it this way – see below.)

For all I know I am the only person ever to have read it this way. Maybe that's why I turned up an error. Chapters 1 and 40 are in fact out of order. A Chinese emperor is already dead in one year and then is shown alive in the next year. One of the hazards of this form of storytelling I suppose.

The stories themselves have considerable propulsive power. Characters are always trying to get somewhere, to deliver something or to escape. There is a sense of the frantic and of danger to most of their activities. Perhaps that's why in retrospect the mostly calm days of the Chinese sea voyage are among the most memorable.

Here the main character is the map's maker, a man like Zheng He himself, a Central Asian Muslim eunuch, thus a fish out of water in at least three ways. It's too bad that this character's story wasn't longer so as to be able to explore his unique situation, perforce hard for us to understand. In general though, because of the thriller nature of the story, and the fact that each character only gets a relatively small number of pages, there isn't time to make the characters very three dimensional. Perhaps Mara Coyne, the attorney protagonist of the present story comes closest.

This story seems more interested in name dropping, of both exotic locations and famous artworks. There are also some suggestions about modern international politics, especially with respect to China. It also discusses the theory of Western influence on ancient China. Did inventions such as the wheel and writing have to be imported from Iranians or Tocharians by the ancient Chinese? This theory, popular at the University of Pennsylvania, has also been picked up the Pittsburgh-based author. Then there is the Map Thief of the title. Who is the real thief? Just thinking about the answer raises significant questions about ownership, cultural heritage, even the rights of artists for hire.

There isn't much humor here. Thrillers after all are meant to be breathless and it would probably get in the way. Not all of the stories turn out happily either. But at least the book has done a great job in its choice of topic, bringing to the general public some historical questions of great fascination. In addition, it has the page-turning quality that a thriller must have, though with some of the mysteries (particularly in Portugal) the reader is unfortunately way ahead of the characters.

Now a few comments on possible errors:

- On the map of the title, Yunnan is mentioned as being found in the lower right. This is hard to buy. If the map has north at the top, Yunnan should be at the lower left. If the top is south, Yunnan would be upper right. Only if the top is the Pacific Ocean would Yunnan be at the lower right, something hard to believe the land-centric Chinese would draw.

- Without giving anything away, the reason given for transporting a map to the West is also dubious, especially considering the danger engendered. More imagination might have been applied here to arrive at a more realistic reason.

- The Ming-era Chinese are shown as fully conversant with the name Marco Polo. It's probably doubtful that most had ever heard of them. I wonder if the author realizes that despite his fame in the West, Polo is never mentioned in any Chinese chronicle or history. (For more see Did Marco Polo Go to China?)

- Having traveled on the Silk Road and studied it carefully for the past fifteen years, I can say that this book is a little naive about the ability of foreigners to sponsor archaeology in China. China is not like other nations in this respect. Archaeology is tightly controlled and fully under only its own auspices. Moreover, I would add that the character in chapter 59 thinks he is on the Silk Road though really that's quite a stretch.

- The book has one character stating that the ancient Tocharians (wikipedia) were Celtic. This is misleading, or at least too brief a description of current thinking.

- Finally, in our post-9/11 world, is it likely that anyone would wear knee-high boots to board a plane when the likelihood is that security will force removal of shoes?

[Elli (Kindig Blog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mara Coyne begins a case to find a map thief which takes her on a rollercoaster journey to China and Portugal - but who can she trust?

This book has all the makings of a great story - there's flashbacks to both China and Lisbon in the 1400s to expand the tale, there's secret riddles, love interests and globe-trotting. However, it's all just left feeling a little flat. I didn't realise (and there is no reference to it on the book's amazon page) that this is actually the second book in the series of Mara Coyne. The previous book (The Chrysalis) is referenced heavily in the first half of the book which confused me at first - I thought it might just be hidden exposition that I would find out more about as I kept reading. I'm not too sure if Mara is better rounded and introduced in that story but in this one she is very two dimensional and not particulary relatable. The love interest angle is predictable and boring. I actually much preferred the flashback character of mapmaker Ma Zhi and found his story and character a lot more padded out and interesting, and the setting of China in that time was very well researched. The Portugese flashback character also didn't seem very well rounded or well written and didn't really add much to the story - I found myself skimming those flashbacks.

Overall it's an ok tale but it seems to try too hard to throw all of the elements of an archaeological thriller together and the plot gets a bit muddled at times with a dull lead character. I would recommend perhaps reading the other one first so you understand the references although I wont be giving it a go after this one I'm afraid.

[Jerry Edward Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather Terrell knows a good story that should be told. And, she's able to tell just as good a story in her fiction writing. It may be that her significant legal experience as a litigator with a prominent New York City law firm has provided real resource material to work with. It may be just this writer has real historical fascination and curiosity. In any event, this is a work of historical fiction that should appeal to many readers. The historical elements underlying the novel are notable in themselves. In this novel you readily find Zheng He, one of China's most prominent naval commanders and diplomat; the often overlooked naval expeditions led by Zheng in the first half of the 15th century; the cartographic and mapmaking contributions of true Chinese artisans; the loss, rediscovery, and later theft of a map many believe to have been among the very best of that same 15th century; political intrigue in modern day China; and the dogged efforts by a attorney who very much looks like the author in discovering and uncovering the real truth about the existence of this cartographic treasure. The conclusion is both obvious and unnerving at the same time. The strength in this novel is the very story encompassing all those historical elements. The novel is advanced by the telling of the story. The dialogue among the characters is often a little stilted. But, I'm going yo hold that against what is otherwise a very good novel. It is certainly one that you might read especially if you like the author's more recent hit, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN written under the pen name of Marie Benedict.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good novel that incorporates the incredible and enigmatic Tarim Basin mummies (which I had heard about before) as well as the Tomar palace complex and Order of Christ (which I had not). The Tarim mummies, found in China, are amazingly preserved, up to 4,000 years old, and seemed to be a mix of Asian and Europeans. They were tall, with some well over 6 foot, and many were blonde and fair skinned. Their presence makes the western conservatives and white supremacists want to claim that it was Europeans that brought the wheel and bronze metallurgy to Asia (though there is no proof of that.)

On the flip side, there was an early 15th century Chinese eunuch, Admiral Zheng He, who led 7 naval expeditions that pretty much mapped out India and the coast of Africa -- before da Gama. There were maps being produced in Europe that seemed to show parts of the world that no European explorer would have know about yet. The novel posits that somehow one of Zheng He's maps made it to Europe, and the European explorers were relying on Chinese knowledge (which the conservatives don't want being revealed).

Re the Tomar complex in Portugal: I looked up photos of it and the Charola champel. Amazingly beautiful! The Order of Christ was the successor organization to the Templars. The novel alternates chapters between the time of Zheng He, the time of da Gama's explorations, and a present day organization hired to find a map stolen from an archaeological dig in China.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three narratives taking place in this archeological mystery. The first: 1420’s China during an age before the country shut itself off from the outside world. The second: Portugal at the end of the 15th century during the Age of Discovery. Present day: New York attorney Mara Coyne is asked to help recover a map stolen from an archeological dig in China.

The idea here is that China succeeded in exploring much more of the globe before the Europeans ever had, but that this knowledge was somehow suppressed. Hence the map and its implications. Mara is joined by Ben, the archeologist who unearthed the map along with a murdered corpse. Together, Mara and Ben race around Europe to try to identify the title character and they eventually uncover a centuries old secret. It was a fast, entertaining read, and I really liked the historical aspects of it, especially the Chinese narrative of the eunuch/cartographer/navigator Ma Zhi. Vasco da Gama’s journeys were equally intriguing, but didn’t have as much substance or heart as Ma Zhi’s. I enjoyed the ideas presented and how the map’s discovery would rewrite history.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Brown goes on the Silk Road.

This book was too much like Dan Brown's mysteries, where someone is chasing after the good guys who are trying to solve a mystery, and there's a secret religious society that lays claim to the knowledge.

However, I did enjoy the two interwoven flashback stories, of the eunuch who went on Zheng He's voyage as a mapmaker, and the Portuguese navigator who was desperately trying to do his country proud.

Why don't more people know about Zheng He? In my Euro-centric history study of global exploration all we read about was Magellan (1519-1522! Those dates got drilled into me.) and Da Gama, and maybe a little Lief Erikson on the side. Yet a massive expedition from China previously visited multiple continents (though maybe not North America, as this book imagines). And it was led by a giant of a man who was also a eunuch. So many fascinating details!

The mystery itself is well-resolved, despite the irritating Dan Brown echoes. I also liked how the main character was renowned for her advocacy of returning artifacts to their native lands and peoples.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is truly mediocre. If you like Dan Brown, you’d probably like this. I disliked it for similar reasons that I dislike the Dan Brown novels. It was hard for me to lose myself in the book as I kept noticing things that annoyed me, or made me think about the author’s process (clearly the author went to Lisbon and went on the same tour of Tomar that I did). I did enjoy the chapters with Ma Zhi, the Chinese navigator/eunuch, more than the modern-day chapters - which were the absolute worst in terms of immersion. The romance was so forced. I gave it three stars because I was able to finish it and in some sense, I enjoyed parts of the story. I appreciate what the author was going for - I just don’t think it was executed very well.

[Lynne Tull · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about China and Portugal in the 1400's. Vasco De Gama played a part in this saga. Ancient Map collecting was a new subject for me. Especially interesting was the idea of the 'New World' was discovered in that time period by the Chinese seemingly before Columbus in 1492. However, the format was disconcerting to me. I am not fond of changing time periods every chapter or so. I lose track of the characters and their story. Recommend.
Note: On 'Jeopardy' last night one of the contestants and their family are planning to write a book/series about the discovery of the 'world' in the 1400's.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather Terrel is an excellent storyteller and historian. In this intriguing novel she interweaves and connects three different time periods and characters that all mesh together quite seamlessly. An early 15th century Chinese navigator /Cartographer, A mid 15th century Portuguese explorer/cartographer and a contemporary lawyer who deals in international theft and retrieval of precious artifacts. I enjoyed all aspects of this well written novel. Recommended for those who enjoy interpretive history, action and the challenge of continuous switching back from one story line to the other.

[Steve Alink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically the book took me by surprise. I didn’t have the idea that this book would give me that ultimate book feeling: you just want to read and not stop. Although easily written, I had to skip quite some words as I just didn’t understand them. In my opinion the plot is spread out over the entire book and not as one might expect only a build up and then the completion of the puzzle in the end. I’m looking forward to the other books of Heather Terrell.

[Inês · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐
Gostei muito da história e das personagens. O meu maior problema foi a tradução. Não sei como é a escrita original da autora mas a tradução não está fantástica. A diferença de escrita entre capítulos é demasiado abrupta e os capítulos "históricos" tornam a leitura bem complicada e pouco fluída. No entanto penso que é um problema de tradução.

[Megan Fritz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and suspenseful historical novel based around the idea that the Chinese discovered the "new world" in thebearly 1400s. The historical aspect was great but her characters are rather one dimensional. For a 250 pg book to go back and forth between 3 time periods... it didn't leave much time got the development of her main character.

[weaverannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Het begin boeide meteen. De hoofdstukken waren kort, de plaats van handeling wisselde iedere keer.
Juist dat laatste maakte, dat ik het verhaal niet meer goed kon volgen. Het duurde allemaal te lang en de personages waren niet goed uit elkaar te houden. Er werd veel historische verondersteld, niet altijd terecht.
Interessant, maar ingewikkeld.

[barbara french · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating historical fiction

The true facts richly lead us along this journey embellished with believable fiction that cause us to actually wonder if history got it wrong. This novel is fast moving and hard to put down. Ms. Terrell should consider writing as a full time occupation. She could end up with a Pulitzer .
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[Kym Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the way Terrell uses this to examine how the stories of history unfold and I particularly enjoyed moving between the modern day and the two different periods in the 1400's. Clever plotting, engaging writing and an insight into the old agage 'history is written by the victors'. 4-stars

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t read the first Mara story but the Map Thief stood on it’s own. I liked the historical nautical history of China discovering North America. Interesting combination of Chinese mapmaker, Portuguese navigator and US litigator. Worldwide travel but I liked the Portugal sites.

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like old maps, archeology, world history, adventure: this book is for you. A fast pace search for stolen map. Lots of research went into this 3 cultures, 1400's China, and Portugal. Good page turner.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

She plays a lot with historical facts, but I enjoyed this idea about China discovering the world and the three storylines woven together.

[Sherry Heathman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, short chapters that kept you going. Great start, kept you intrigued. Ending was a little weaker than expected, but it was a good historical fiction story that was fun to read.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the alternating chapters between the present and the early and later 1400s, as well as the three different stories that interlocked to eventually unravel this mystery.

[Chax Donitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping