Golden Relic was originally released in 1997 as an online serialised novel. At Clan Destine Press (disclaimer - I'm the person who did the "techy" stuff in turning the manuscript into an ebook), we decided a while ago that this book deserved another Internet outing.
In the words of the author "Well, what I did in 1997 makes me a pioneer of the World Wide Web.
Yep, me, Lindy Cameron, Australian crime writer – an Internet Pioneer. And I deserve those capital letters, because I really did boldly go where none had gone before."
(Read more about the background to the book(link is external) on Clan Destine - the blog posting about how this book came to be is worth reading in it's own right!)
One of the things I discovered when you're turning a manuscript into an ebook is that it's not always possible to read all of it at the same time, and I was particularly interested to sit down with this book - as I read the original when it was released in paperback. Always interesting to see if a book holds up over a period of time.
From the Blurb:
When Professor Lloyd Marsden is found murdered in the Museum of Victoria, Special Detective Sam Diamond is assigned to catch the killer. Thrown into a world of obsessive collectors, strange poisons, funerary rites and ancient artefacts, Sam’s photographic memory and cryptic crossword skills are invaluable tools in her investigation.
But when archaeologist Dr Maggie Tremaine whisks her halfway round the world in pursuit of the truth, Sam finds way more questions than answers. From Australia to Egypt to Peru Sam and Maggie hunt down the clues to a strange pact and a legendary relic.
Opening Lines:
The hands tore at Lloyd Marsden's flesh with a surprising savagery. It was hardly fair, he thought, that in his last moments of life he was also being tormented by a gathering of avenging gods.
In this electronic age (the cliches just roll off the tongue), it's interesting watching how publishing is changing. Golden Relic was commission by the Museum of Victoria as a lead up to the International Council of Museums triennial conference in Melbourne. The brief was to write a thriller, one chapter at a time, on the Internet.
Titled Stolen Property on the Web (www. mov.vic.gov/icom/icom/hpge.html), this intelligent crime tale incorporates Indiana Jones style adventure with mystery and suspense, taking the reader on a wild ride around the world. When Professor Lloyd Marsden is found murdered in the Museum of Victoria, Detective Sam Diamond is thrown into a world of strange artefacts, deadly poisons and rapacious collectors. Good fun, and better on real paper.