I should have loved this book! It has everything - antique maps, lost jewels, larcenous mystery, interesting characters, secrets within secrets, and lots of history, but it simply could not hold my interest. I really can't point to specific reasons why I haven't been able to finish this book. It was one of the first five books I bought when I bought my first Kindle years ago, and I have never been able to finish this book. Maybe I should give it another try. ( )

Loved it! They always say you write what you know. It was obvious to me that Stephen knows gems & maps (& I’m pretty sure he dabbles in magic tricks, too). The book had my attention from the 1st sentence: “There’s a dead guy out there.” I love when books have to solve puzzles and break codes to get to the “treasure” at the end. In this case, the treasure was, well…really a treasure. The Tavernier Stones. The book takes you through a few sets of people, all very colorful characters. searching for them and ties it in wonderfully at the end.

I can only say, if you are at all interested in gems, maps, codes, or just a bloody good read – read this book! ( )

Former Amish young man John Graf is a cartographer and fascinated when he hears that the body of the famous 17th century fellow mapmaker, Johannes Cellarius has been found in a bog in Germany. Cellarius was clenching a 57-carat ruby. This sends John along with others all around the world on a modern day treasure hunt.
Though John has left the Amish, he still maintains a simple life that soon overtaken by his obsession to solve the riddles that Cellarius left on the last map he created. As he tries to solve this he encounters David and Sarah a couple who pull jewelry hoists. David is a magician who uses his sleight of hand along with Sarah’s sexy clothing to distract the sales clerks. They are an unlikely threesome but they realize they need each other to find the Tavernier Stones.
Tension builds for John as he is not doing his job and starts to skip work. He is also attracted to Sarah though she and David are a couple. John is given a leave of absence from work that looks like the first step to his being dismissed. He also misses his family and visits them to talk with his sister. He is being shunned and he wonders if he did the right thing in leaving to go to high school and college. However, for now the most important thing to him is solving the mystery of the Tavernier Stones.
Along with John, David and Sarah, there are others across the world who are also trying to figure out the clues that Cellarius has left on his map. Once one of the puzzles is solved, the answer hits the newspapers, which adds more to the excitement. The threesome decides to go to Germany with the clues they have already solved. Can they get there first and once there can they figure out the remaining clues before anyone else?
Parrish does move from one treasure hunter to another and you see how each is solving bits of the puzzle. The characters he has created are interesting and you are definitely pulling for John. The Tavernier Stones is a page-turning thriller full of adventure, history and even some humor that you are sure to enjoy. ( )

There is some detail and background on gems but not much else to recommend this book.

The story, the characters and the writing are just one cliche after another . . . ( )

Got about 1/3 of the way through before quitting. Premise was good, just didn't get going quick enough for me. Far too much detail on gemstones than I care to know via a novel. Again, this is what I get for $.99. ( )