The Amber Maze should definitely be classified as an entertaining mystery in my opinion. A fairly short book which seemed to include a lot of information and several characters that confused me at some points until I got things and events a little straighter in my head, and by that point I was gripped by this book and my enjoyment continued.
Hugh is the guy that holds this whole story together, he finds a key down the side of a chair in a cottage he is renting, and from that moment seems almost obsessed on finding what the key belonged to and what might lie within if it should be a box, desk or similar. It seemed an almost impossible task so I did find the thought processes behind the search intriguing.
Hugh is married with twins, the family do appear throughout to give a stability to Hugh’s life. He certainly goes beyond the call of duty or some would say pure nosiness to solve this mystery, I’m surprised his wife put up with him.
As the book unfolds he begins to piece things together, with the help of various people who are possibly linked to the past. The actual maze part of the story I found fascinating, the sense of claustrophobia while in it was extreme but so real, I could feel my mouth drying and my heart pumping. I have always had a fear of becoming lost so would never embark on entering a maze for anything or anybody!
If you enjoy puzzle solving, tracing people, linking the present to the past this is a nice little story. You will end up helping Hugh simply to put him out of his misery, how long can he spend time dealing with one mystery?!
I know there are other books of mysterious colour by this author so I will keep an eye open for those.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel from Random Resources for my copy. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
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I could feel my mouth drying and my heart pumping.
The Amber Maze should definitely be classified as an entertaining mystery in my opinion. A fairly short book which seemed to include a lot of information and several characters that confused me at some points until I got things and events a little straighter in my head, and by that point I was gripped by this book and my enjoyment continued. Hugh is the guy that holds this whole story together, he finds a key down the side of a chair in a cottage he is renting, and from that moment seems almost obsessed on finding what the key belonged to and what might lie within if it should be a box, desk or similar. It seemed an almost impossible task so I did find the thought processes behind the search intriguing. Hugh is married with twins, the family do appear throughout to give a stability to Hugh’s life. He certainly goes beyond the call of duty or some would say pure nosiness to solve this mystery, I’m surprised his wife put up with him. As the book unfolds he begins to piece things together, with the help of various people who are possibly linked to the past. The actual maze part of the story I found fascinating, the sense of claustrophobia while in it was extreme but so real, I could feel my mouth drying and my heart pumping. I have always had a fear of becoming lost so would never embark on entering a maze for anything or anybody! If you enjoy puzzle solving, tracing people, linking the present to the past this is a nice little story. You will end up helping Hugh simply to put him out of his misery, how long can he spend time dealing with one mystery?! I know there are other books of mysterious colour by this author so I will keep an eye open for those. Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel from Random Resources for my copy. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2018Format: Kindle Edition
The Amber Maze should definitely be classified as an entertaining mystery in my opinion. A fairly short book which seemed to include a lot of information and several characters that confused me at some points until I got things and events a little straighter in my head, and by that point I was gripped by this book and my enjoyment continued.
I could feel my mouth drying and my heart pumping.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 September 2018
Hugh is the guy that holds this whole story together, he finds a key down the side of a chair in a cottage he is renting, and from that moment seems almost obsessed on finding what the key belonged to and what might lie within if it should be a box, desk or similar. It seemed an almost impossible task so I did find the thought processes behind the search intriguing.
Hugh is married with twins, the family do appear throughout to give a stability to Hugh’s life. He certainly goes beyond the call of duty or some would say pure nosiness to solve this mystery, I’m surprised his wife put up with him.
As the book unfolds he begins to piece things together, with the help of various people who are possibly linked to the past. The actual maze part of the story I found fascinating, the sense of claustrophobia while in it was extreme but so real, I could feel my mouth drying and my heart pumping. I have always had a fear of becoming lost so would never embark on entering a maze for anything or anybody!
If you enjoy puzzle solving, tracing people, linking the present to the past this is a nice little story. You will end up helping Hugh simply to put him out of his misery, how long can he spend time dealing with one mystery?!
I know there are other books of mysterious colour by this author so I will keep an eye open for those.
Thanks to the author, publisher and Rachel from Random Resources for my copy. I read and reviewed voluntarily.
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2021Format: Paperback
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 September 2018Format: Kindle Edition
Hugh Mullion and his family are holidaying in a charming Dorset cottage in the grounds of a large house known as The Hall. Returning from an evening at the local pub, Hugh is dismayed to see a large winged armchair, that obviously doesn’t belong, squeezed into the living room. Trying it out, however, he did find it quite comfortable. Jumping up to search for his ringing mobile, several coins fell out of his pocket. Feeling for his lost coins down the side of the cushion after finishing the call he found none, only a small key attached to half a luggage label. Intrigued, he went to see if Mrs Butterfield, the owner of The Hall, knew anything about it.
[“Can’t help, I’m afraid. I’ve not had the chair long. That’s why I was trying it out. It’ll need reupholstering, wherever it ends up.” She poured the coffee and pushed a jug of milk towards him. “I bought it in the sale at Nigel Gosling’s antiques shop in Okeminster. You could try him if you want to find out more. Obviously, he’d have had no idea the key was there when he sold the chair to me but he should at least know where it came from.”]
Nigel Gosling is out when Hugh visits the shop, but he learns two wing chairs and a painting were delivered to Mrs Butterfield. Hugh finds the other chair, along with the painting, in an outbuilding belonging to The Hall. His wife is instrumental in finding the other half of the label. So now they have a name. On their return home to London Hugh continues his search which leads him to Rachel Broadbent who had given the painting to her mother, Hester Badingham.
The Amber Maze is a short book but packs a lot into the 160 or so pages. A good number of characters are introduced as Hugh continues to follow the trail of clues, which was a little confusing initially, but they all have information to offer. Hugh’s search centres around Lionel Pybus, a troubled artist whose work wasn’t appreciated during his lifetime, and the sinister Amber Maze that cast its shadow across the rest his life. We’re given a fascinating insight into Lionel’s life, via recollections from people who knew him and information gathered, and the results of the choices he made, particularly with reference to the Amber Maze.
Hugh’s seeming obsession with the mystery is alleviated somewhat by his wife and children but the lure of following the clues and his drive to find answers keeps his momentum going, taking him on an intriguing journey into the past.
With a well thought through plot, the pace is moderate and the narrative interesting, unravelling slowly and peppered with several colourful, if not always pleasant, characters.
I chose to read and review The Amber Maze based on a copy of the book supplied by Rachel’s Random Resources and the author/publisher.
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2018Format: Paperback
