Fans of the DaVinci Code with be enthralled by this book. The second in a trilogy, this book nearly stands alone (the reference to the previous book don't take away from the plot.) On a visit to Prague Lorenzo Aragona finds himself pulled into a mystery involving the theft of an alchemical watch and the murder of a fellow alchemist and antiquarian.

He follows the trail to Italy, and ultimately, to France. The pace is steady, the villain not obvious and the history and the details of alchemy are fascinating as they discover the secret to the stolen watch...
and that is where he lost me.

I know this tale is translated from the original Italian, but somehow, somewhere, I'm missing something in the solution to the puzzle. At that moment that should have been the big "aha" - I found myself rereading it twice. Did I miss something? That was it? What was it?

Still, the book was entertaining and I enjoyed it, I was just left slightly befuddled and disappointed that the ending wasn't...more significant (or simply more obvious) than it was. Perhaps you can tell me your thoughts on the ending! ( )