Lyn Hamilton (1944–2009)
Author of The Xibalba Murders
About the Author
Lyn Hamilton was born on August 6, 1944. She attended the University of Toronto. She worked in communications in both the public and private sectors before publishing her first novel at the age of 50. She was director of the Cultural Programs Branch for the province of Ontario and director of show more public affairs for the Canadian Opera Company. She taught mystery writing for the School for Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto. Her first novel, The Xibalba Murders, was published in 1997. She wrote the Archaeological Mysteries series. The Celtic Riddle became a made-for-TV movie starring Angela Lansbury. She died of cancer on September 10, 2009 at the age of 65. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Lyn Hamilton
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Hamilton, Lyn
- Legal name
- Hamilton, Lyn Elizabeth
- Birthdate
- 1944-08-06
- Date of death
- 2009-09-10
- Gender
- female
- Education
- University of Toronto
- Occupations
- former director of the Cultural Programs Branch, Ontario government
public relations - Awards and honors
- Ellis Award nominee
- Short biography
- Lyn Hamilton is the author of a successful series of archaeological mysteries published by Berkley Prime Crime in New York. The series features Toronto antique dealer Lara McClintoch, who travels the world in search of the rare and beautiful for her shop, finding more than a little murder and mayhem along the way. Each book in the series is set in a different and exotic location and calls upon the past in an unusual way. Courses in both cultural and physical anthropology in her student days at the University of Toronto inspired a life-long interest in ancient cultures. Lyn was for six years the Director of the Ontario Cultural Programs Branch, the branch responsible for the licensing of all archaeology in the province as well as for museum and heritage conservation support programs.
Lyn visits each of the locales she writes about, and has led tours to come of the sites in her books. Her books have been translated in Chinese, German, Spanish,Italian, Hebrew and turkish and will soon be available in Croatian, Greek, Hungarian and Thai.
She was writer-in-residence at the North York Central Library in 2003, and held the same position at the Kitchener Public Library in 2004. She lives in Toronto, and like her sleuth Lara is something of an antiques addict. - Nationality
- Canada
- Places of residence
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Associated Place (for map)
- Ontario, Canada
Members
Reviews
This was a great read and Hamilton did amazing work in integrating the archeological/Mayan aspects. I learned a lot, but without the sometimes agonizing attempts to educate the reader through pages of explanatory dialogue that plagues historical fiction. Lara McClintoch is a great character--both relatable in her life challenges (divorce, losing her business, etc) but also a bit of an armchair superhero sleuth, who isn't afraid to put her neck on the line in search of writing rabbits (read show more the book and that makes sense). Most of the story takes place in Mérida, Mexico, and Hamilton really makes the city come alive. Each chapter is named for a day of the Mayan calendar, but it isn't frivolous--McClintoch knows her stuff (and so does Hamilton). Portents and symbology abound, as do some good old-fashioned murders. While I am no expert in Mayan culture, I did fact check some of what Hamilton offered and it seems legit.
The author died of cancer in 2009, but she managed 11 in the series, and I can't wait to read them. show less
The author died of cancer in 2009, but she managed 11 in the series, and I can't wait to read them. show less
Hamilton's details of Mayan history, archaeology, and artifacts are interesting and beautifully woven into the fabric of the mystery, but that said, they rather overshadow everything else (and this is coming from someone who truly has an interest in those details!). In comparison, there was just too little attention to characterization but in the opening pages, and actual action (as opposed to thought or discussion) was so rare and quick that it might be slipped into the space of a show more paragraph, until the very end...and even then it was rushed.
All told, anyone coming to this for the discovery of a new mystery writer or a bit of suspense will likely be disappointed. The focus is on the interwoven details, and I'm afraid I wasn't pulled in enough by the character to try the next book in the series. show less
All told, anyone coming to this for the discovery of a new mystery writer or a bit of suspense will likely be disappointed. The focus is on the interwoven details, and I'm afraid I wasn't pulled in enough by the character to try the next book in the series. show less
This is the second volume of the Archaeolgical Mystery series by Lyn Hamilton. Lara McClintoch, co-owner of a Toronto Antique shop is hired by a famous Maltese architect to furnish his new home in Malta. JHe is in a rush as he will be holding an important business party in less than a week. Shipping items from Canada too Malta has become a problem: French transportation strikes and a blizzard threaten. The architect's wife won't be attending the party, so Lara has to go to Malta to prepare show more the house and organize the furnishings. Upon arrival Lara stays in the nearly empty home. The housekeeper, husband and son help Lara in the preparations. However, despite the beautiful surroundings Lara is feeling very uneasy. Something is seriously wrong. A school Goddess play, Murders, a Canadian Mountie, and political intrigue make Lara's stay anything but relaxing. I enjoyed the beautiful description of Malta and the Goddess temples, the oldest Neolithic temples on earth. Matter of fact, I had to research a bit about these temples. Absolutely amazing I must add. Lots of history and background are woven into this tightly written mystery. It gets a bit too wordy at the end, as the author tries to tie up loose ends. All in all a good read. show less
In The Celtic Riddle, by Lyn Hamilton, Toronto antique store owner Lara McClintoch travels to Ireland with her friend Alex Stewart, who has been named in the will of a very wealthy Irish tycoon whom he had known many years earlier. The tycoon, aware of his family's disunity, has left a series of clues for the people named in his will, indicating that they will lead to a great treasure, but that treasure can only be found if the group all works together. He has under-estimated the rancour show more amongst the family, however, and instead of working together to solve the riddle, strong feelings soon turn to murder.... I had several problems with this book, most importantly the fact that the "clues" are translated lines from "The Song of Amairgen (Amergin)," an ancient Celtic poem. First, the translation Hamilton uses is terrible, and secondly, in the Irish myth cycle this poem was chanted to, quite literally, bring the world (Ireland) into being. That is, it's a creation myth in its own right, and using it as a device to tell a story like this is, well, disrespectful to my mind. Aside from all that, though, I figured out who the murderer was well before the halfway point of the book, which is not a good sign in a mystery novel! The late Lyn Hamilton (she died in 2009) apparently wrote a series of novels featuring Lara McClintoch, but I won't be bothering to find any more of them. Pity. show less
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