
I noted this was a republication of a story first published in March 2015, which may well make it Fry's first novel. In some ways, as a reader and fan of Fry's that is obvious. One of the great things about following new indie authors is your ability to watch the author grow and develop their craft. I believe Fry's later books The Brodsky Affair and Suicide Seeds quite possibly have more sophisticated plots and better-crafted characters, however, that in no way should take away from The Lazarus Succession, which is, in my opinion, a fantastic story, well told.
As with The Brodsky Affair, The Lazarus Succession dealt in the rarefied air of the art world and master painters. Brodie and Ulla are two investigators who find lost works of art for both legitimate and sometimes illegitimate clients. Hired to find the missing Raising of Lazarus work from the fourteenth century, they are thrown into a world of intrigue, violence, religious symbolism and mysticism.
Like all Fry novels, the background and story seemed to be meticulously researched and I certainly couldn't find fault with it. I loved that this story spanned eight centuries and we were frequently transported back through time and into the mind of the Spanish painter and his world.
I loved this book as much as I've loved all of Fry's offerings. No hesitation at all in giving The Lazarus Succession the full five stars.
