The Elephant’s Sapphire

⭐⭐.5

“The Elephant's Sapphire” by SJT Riley is a late Autumn, 1950 crime novel that follows the journey of Robert Lynnford, a renowned crime-reporter for The London Herald. The story begins when Lynnford is informed about the theft of the Elephant's Sapphire, an incredibly valuable exhibit from the Queen's Fine Art Museum in London. This historic heirloom from Nepal has been under the museum's possession since the 1880s.

A desperate curator pleads with Lynnford to recover the stolen jewel before news of its disappearance becomes public and harms the museum's international reputation. Complicating matters further, there is a constitutional crisis in Nepal and the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit London for urgent talks with the British government, adding a diplomatic urgency to Lynnford's task.

The search for the missing sapphire takes Lynnford through a web of murder, deception, and betrayal in London's Docklands and within the world of fine art. With rival gangs also vying for control over the jewel, this becomes a dangerous race against time that forces Lynnford to travel across Britain and even across the Channel. Armed only with his reporter's instincts and aided by his loyal friends, he must outwit his adversaries to solve this mystery.

While “The Elephant's Sapphire” had all the elements I usually love in a book, I found myself struggling with it. It wasn't an awful book per se; however, there was something about the author's writing style that didn't resonate with me. The pacing felt slow, causing moments of dullness throughout the story. Additionally, I found the characters to be somewhat one-dimensional. As much as it pains me to say it, not every book can be a hit, right?

ARC Via NetGalley