rosetta

Damaged, enigmatic and beautiful, Rosetta could prove to be the key to unlocking a three thousand year old mystery that would shake modern science to its roots.

With the unexpected death of his old university professor, Graham Chandlers travels to Exeter for the funeral. He is surprised to learn the professor had a daughter, Rosetta. He is even more surprised when she performs a strange ritual at the funeral service. A ritual delivered in an ancient language that only a handful of paleolinguists, Graham included, would have a hope of understanding.

Already intrigued by Rosetta, Graham is drawn in further when he is left the professor’s journals. Journals that hint at a cover up concerning the professor’s last dig and a mystery for which Rosetta holds the key. But the more he learns, the more fascinated he becomes with her.

A highly readable novella woven from the thread of both romance and mystery.

Thanks to the author for gifting me this review copy!

I thoroughly enjoyed being immersed in the archaeological atmosphere of this novella. Right away you enter the world of Graham, an Exeter university professor who has received bad news: his mentor has passed away and Graham has been tapped to give the eulogy. His interest is piqued by the deceased’s daughter, who is known as a bit of a looney amongst the community. As he learns more about her personal life, he uncovers things that could either make him a pariah or a visionary.

Delightfully British and quite intriguing, ROSETTA is easy to grasp with comfortable characters and a plausible plot. What makes it crackle with tension is the discovery Graham makes; just off kilter enough to seem possible yet crazy enough to cause doubt. Both believer and non believer opinion is portrayed equally well; Cornish has done his research and envelops the reader by the usage of small but significant details, such as the potsherds and the ancient language.  His graceful story telling packs a large amount of plot into a few words, in a truly satisfying way. There is just enough going on to keep you hooked, plus there is a sprinkle of romance to add yet another dimension to the tale.

ROSETTA was a fantastic departure from my usual fare and I loved it. Want your own copy? You can pick it up [easyazon_link identifier=”B00THOCEXG” locale=”US” nw=”y” tag=”gimmethatbook-20″]here[/easyazon_link].