While Pandora Ryan does research for an academic paper she discovers the diary of a seventeenth century nun at the provincial archives in Avignon. What are the connections with this diary of the the saving of Jewish children during World War 2 and a head-shaped reliquary. ( )

Poorly written. Details unexplained for the reader take away from the enjoyment. The reader is left to make guesses and assumptions. Needs professional editing. Interesting plot, but unrealistic in places - why did Antoinette fear for her life rather than just punishment? Just poor writing. ( )

Good writing, an engaging heroine, and an intriguing tale that reaches from bygone centuries to impact the present. It's so refreshing that the author does not overwhelm with the story from the past, but lets it unfold as our heroine historian discovers it. The diary she finds is laden with the right amount of information to feed the plot, but with the limited view of that individual. I appreciated that rather than fill in all the blanks (as many novice writers tend to do), the author kept us firmly within her central character's point of view as a historian, theorizing as to how seemingly disparate bits of information fit in the puzzle. I can definitely see this heroine showing up in additional tales.

So why did I not give it 5 stars? The final bit was less polished than the rest. Although it doesn't detract too much from overall enjoyment of the book, there's a sense that a deadline popped up too soon or that the author just got tired of writing. There are still a few copy errors and some awkward transitions. It was also a bit of a stretch that the second part of the diary is found so easily. Much better, perhaps, to have been satisfied with clues garnered from the original find (or have someone from the present steal pivotal pages that could then be retrieved/confessed). As far as taking a dog from the US to France (and returning), it would help to tick off a few of the conditions and at least muse on the hazard (pets sometimes suffer or die in transit).

Still, a highly enjoyable read that I recommend. ( )