The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras

Our hero, Hubert Schuze, sells old pots in Old Town, Albuquerque. Some of them he may have dug up himself, which makes him a pot thief, not an archaeologist, according the Native Antiquities Act. But he doesn't see himself as a thief. But in the course of this book, several pots get stolen, and he ends up with two that he doesn't own. Perhaps that does make him a thief. He's a smidge past middle age, fond of his evening cocktails, and both reads and cooks. That, and the authentic Albuquerque setting makes this a fun read.

The book starts with someone approaching him to steal a Mogollon water jug from a local museum. Hubie doesn't precisely agree to do it, but he does case the place to see if he could. That's when the first murder show more happens, and he is the prime suspect. A delightful story with twists and turns, until he solves the murders, and the thefts are made right at the end. show less

A quirky good start for a promising series.
Quirky but interesting main characters set in an intriguing version of Albuqueque, New Mexico add an appropriate demeanor to the initial entry in this series. The vignettes about Native American artifacts, their origins, history, and procurement should prove a fruitful resource for the author.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat

'The two best things about being a shopkeeper are that your income isn't limited to some corporation's idea of what a salary should be, and you get to set your own hours. The two worse things are that you don't have a salary to depend on ever month, and... well, it doesn't really matter what the other worst thing is if there's no money coming in.'

Hubert Schuze owns a Native American pottery shop in Albuquerque's Old Town. Hubert's close friends and his not so close friends call him a 'pot thief.' In 1980 Congress passed the Archaeological Resources Protection Act which prohibits the removal of buried pots on public lands, thus putting a show more supposed halt to Hubert's treasurer hunting and a crimp on his income.

When Carl Wilkes of New World Antiquities walked into Hubert's store, he came with an offer that was hard to turn down. He wanted Hubert to "acquire" one of only two intact Mogollon water jugs ever reported found. This particular jug Wilkes wanted Hubert to acquire was on display at the Valle Del Rio Museum at the University of New Mexico. And when Wilkes offers $25,000 for the acquisition, Hubert decides to give it some thought. That is until he's visit by Agent Guvelly from the Bureau of Land Management. Guvelly proceeds to accuse Hubert of taking not the jug that is in the University museum but the other jug that was on display in Bandelier.

I've never been to Albuquerque, much less it's Old Town, but through my reading of The Pot Thief I feel that I've just gotten back. The history of the area's Native Americans, the pottery and Pythagoras himself, made this a very educational book. The story it's self is filled with murder and tension, but it also has humor which makes it a light hearted book to read. And the conversations carried on by Hubert and his best friend Susannah, as they discuss how to solve the mysteries of who stole the jug from Bandelier, who murdered the man in room 1119 and who placed a dead man in Hubert's store, are such "practical" conversations that you can't help but laugh.

The Pot Thief was an extremely entertaining book and I highly recommend that you read it for yourself. And the ending.... I can only call it "creative, poetic justice." show less

An entertaining look at the market for Native American pottery: producers ancient and modern, clients and sellers,. The protagonist is drawn into a mystery when a man approached him with a proposal that he steal a rare pot from a museum. The next day is accused of having stolen a different pot of the same type from a different location. Complication follows complication, including a rather pasted in appearance by a homeless woman seeking shelter. The style seems somewhat derivative of L. Blocks Burglar series, the same sort of transparent self-justifying hero, a female sidekick with whom the hero is not romantically involved, a cop with flexible ethics so long as he gets to take credit for any solution. Instead of the atmosphere of New show more York we get the very different ethnic mix and layout of Old Town Albuquerque. I bought this in a bookstore there, so probably won't track down any more in the series. show less

I found this book in the gift shop at a local Art Gallery. The author taught at Valdosta State University and owned the Book & Table Inn in Valdosta, Ga, so I guess that, along with the main character being an antique pot raider, is why this book was in the art gallery.

The first 70 pages or so were very exciting. The main character (Hubert) digs up and sales antiques pots in the desert of New Mexico which apparently is illegal. A customer comes into his store and says he will pay a large sum of money for a rare pot in a museum. This sets of a series of events that leads to Hubert being the prime suspect in a murder case.

As the story went on, I found elements of the story or writing weird. It turns into a murder mystery and there is a show more big reveal at the end. But it's only a big reveal because the author withholds information from you. You are told the main character figures out a clue, but that information is withheld from you.

The book is written in 1st person past tense, but it's not personal. The narrator is not talking to you so much and just retelling a story. But a few times, the narrator make a side note to the reader like ya'll are sitting in a room and he's telling you the story. Each time this happened, it just felt off and weird, but it didn't match the flow and felling of most of the story.

How easily the characters decide to break their normal behavior is unsettling. Though Hubert rationalizes digging and finding artifacts, he easily turns to breaking and entering and burglary.

His best friend is also off putting. She is a serial college student, always changing her major. At times, she sounds mature and intellectual. Other times, she sounds 7 and ignorant of the world around her. She is also quick to enter into criminal activity.

The easiest way to explain it is after the first 70 pages or so, the story turned amateurish. I still enjoyed the story and am glad I finished it. I am not sure I will continue to read the series. show less

This is the first book in a laugh-filled series featuring a New Mexico pottery dealer who has a side job as an amateur sleuth. Hubert Schuze studied math in college and is familiar with Pythagorus and his theorems. Hubie uses his knowledge of math when creating his own pots. He is asked to steal an antique pot from a museum for a customer for $25,000. Hubie needs the money to pay taxes and utilities on his shop so he agrees to do the heist. When he sees how tightly the relic is guarded, he changes his mind, but the pot goes missing anyway. Soon a federal agent suspects that Hubie is the culprit. After things take a turn for the serious, Hubie knows he must find the real thief quickly, or risk cracking something more fragile than any show more pot. Hubert used many Pythagorian measurements in order to plan his heist.

This book is a humorous mystery full of stories about Pythagorus' life and theories. It is a great start to a new series. show less

I'm not usually interested in light mystery, but this was well done. The characters are interesting and I really like the setting (New Mexico).