Orpheus Trail, The

By Maureen Duffy

Book Description

When ancient symbols and modern crimes collide, a museum curator finds himself drawn into a haunting investigation that bridges millennia of human mystery. After a child's body is discovered amid the ashes of a pier fire, surrounded by ritualistic objects linked to the Greek god Dionysus, Detective Inspector Hildreth seeks the expertise of Alex Kish, a local museum curator with deep knowledge of historical symbolism.

What begins as consultation on mysterious artifacts quickly evolves into something far more complex and dangerous. When an ancient Saxon amulet vanishes from the museum and more young victims appear, each death arranged with disturbing artistic precision and fragments of the stolen treasure, Kish realizes he has entered a world where past and present intersect in terrifying ways.

The investigation reveals layers of meaning that stretch back through centuries of human ritual and belief. As the curator delves deeper into the symbolism surrounding each crime, he must navigate between his scholarly understanding of ancient practices and the harsh realities of contemporary evil. The detective's enigmatic methods draw Kish into a web of secrets that challenges everything he thought he knew about the artifacts in his care.

This gripping exploration of how ancient wisdom and modern darkness intertwine offers readers a unique perspective on the enduring power of symbols and the shadows they can cast across human experience.