Bøger af Stephen Gilbert

Architect by day; thief by night. Matthew Quinn is not what he seems. He owns a successful architectural firm in San Francisco, and deals with clients throughout the United States. One of those clients is Victor deVoleur, a wealthy industrialist who just happens to own a company that insures valuable pieces of art. When those are stolen, if they can not be recovered through normal means, he turns to Matthew Quinn, whose specialty is replacing the valuable artwork with carefully crafted replicas. deVoleur and Quinn start this adventure with the theft of The Ruby Crown, a priceless antique necklace weighing sixty-two carats, including the world's largest red diamond. It sounds like a straightforward job. Quinn was actually there to witness the theft when it was ripped from the neck of the model who was displaying it at Jonathan's Auction House. deVoleur knows who has it and has a good guess as to where it is. The trouble comes when Quinn discovers that the necklace is in the possession of Nino Caroli, San Francisco's notorious crime boss. Along the way to steal back the necklace, Quinn experiences ups and downs, and falls in love with the beautiful young woman he first saw modeling the necklace. Even Quinn will be surprised by the ending.

I've always wondered, who was the first? Some things are intuitive. For example, at some point, someone decided that if they wanted to kill an antelope for meat, it might be easier if they made something to throw, and there came the spear. Eventually, someone else decided that spears might be more effective if they put stone heads on them. But other things must have been more difficult. Who was the first to determine that cinchona bark could be an effective treatment for malaria? Does it seen likely that someone tasted it, and said "Wow, this stuff is so bitter I'll bet it will help with the fevers!" That doesn't seem possible. That discovery would probably have resulted from much trial and error, and not a little bit of accidental luck. Or could it have been something else? Was someone helping? Evan is a prompter. It is his job to travel back in time to help with cultural advances. He's given the training that he needs, dialed into a time and a place, and sent with a mission. As he says early in the story, he's the ideal candidate for this type of work, because he's able to fade into the background, do his job, avoid any kinds of interpersonal relationships, and then, having completed his assignment, pop back to the present. He never expected to fall in love.

Eight year old James knows how difficult life can be. The child of a single mother, he's had to move frequently, always the new kid in the class, and in the town. Finally, he and his mother are able to leave apartment living behind and move into an old house in central California. The first day, while sweeping out the barn, he meets the girl next door. They become fast friends, and she introduces him to his school and to other boys and girls. His life changes though, when she takes him walking down the creek and stops by a shack built under a bridge. "That's Tom's house," she says. "Let's go see if he's home."

The first book of the Ruby Ring series, Casting The Die, tells the story of Robert, a sixteen year old boy from the village of Masden, who learns that the life he has been living has been a disguise. He wakes one night, to find that his home has been invaded by soldiers, sent by Duke Henry to capture him and his father. During the ensuing battle, Robert's father is killed and his twin sister kidnapped. Robert and his mother escape and go into hiding in a cave beneath an old hill fort. Several days later, his friend Johnny Tuppence, along with his family, also escape to the cave, bringing food and other supplies. They talk, and Robert discovers that his father was far more than the stable master of Masden, and that his legacy for his son is a large ruby ring that glows mysteriously whenever Robert slips it onto his finger. Johnny's father, Albert, refuses to say more, instead sending him with Johnny to hike across country to the port of Waterton, where they meet with one of his father's old friends, Andrew Jameson. After a harrowing escape from Waterton, Jameson tells Robert that his father was actually Prince Gerald, son of the murdered king. When Robert refuses to believe him, Jameson has him put on the ring, which lights the room in a ruby glow. "It's the ring of kingship. It only glows when worn by the rightful King of Bonterra." Later, during one of his conversations with Johnny, Robert learns that Johnny's family has always been a part of the king's court, as wizards. Robert scoffs at the idea until Johnny provides examples of his strange 'voice.' The book ends with Robert forming a small group of followers, determined to restore his family to the throne. This book, Seizing The Crown, continues where the first leaves of. The book follows Robert and Johnny, as they work on enlisting allies in their cause. It also tells the story of his sister Marie, imprisoned in the duke's dungeon, and of the people she meets in her struggles to escape and join her brother. The first book introduces Frederick, Duke Henry's son, and the heir to his throne. Frederick becomes a major, and malevolent character in this book, and ultimately, he, Robert, and Marie battle for the throne of Bonterra. This is a story of adventure, swordplay, magic, intrigue, and betrayal. In the end, all of the characters are tarnished, and only one will claim the throne.

In most ways, Robert is a typical sixteen year old boy growing up in the small village medieval village of Masden. He attends school, goes fishing with friends, and increasingly, has been learning his father's trade as stable master. As the story begins though, he's frustrated because his father seems to demand so much more from him than his friends' fathers want from their sons. He studies longer and reads more than anyone else. Strangest of all, his father has been teaching him to read, write, and speak in the old tongue, the forbidden language spoken by the nobility. Late one night, his life is turned upside down. He's awakened by loud pounding on the door and is stunned when he pokes his head over the railing of the loft, to see armed soldiers in chain mail pouring into the living room. Suddenly, his father leaps out with his own sword, turning the house into a battle zone. After his father is killed, Robert and his mother flee for their lives. Later, she takes out an old wooden box, opens it, and hands him a heavy ruby ring. "This belonged to your father. Now, I suppose it's yours." Mixing magic, swordplay, and adventure, The Ruby Ring - Casting The Die is the first in a series that follows Robert's search for his true identity.