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The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy (The Pot Thief Mysteries Book 2) Kindle Edition

by J. Michael Orenduff (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 182 ratings

Book 2 of 10: The Pot Thief Mysteries

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A Southwestern sleuth tries to retrieve some relics—and solve a murder—in a novel by an author who “knows how to hook the reader from the get-go” (Albuquerque Journal).
Pot thief Hubie Schuze is back, and this time his larceny is for a good cause. He wants to recover sacred relics lifted from San Roque, a mysterious pueblo that is closed to outsiders. Usually Hubie finds his pottery a few feet underground—but these artifacts are one hundred fifty feet above the New Mexico soil, on the top floor of the Rio Grande Lofts.
Hubie will need all his deductive skills to craft the perfect plan—which is thwarted when he encounters the beautiful Stella. And then he is arrested for murder. That tends to happen when you are in the room with the body, with blood on your hands. Follow Hubie as he stays one step ahead of security toughs, one step behind Stella, and never too far from a long fall.

The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy is the 2nd book in the Pot Thief Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Orenduff is a master of his craft. He pulls you in by a thread and masterfully winds the story around his characters. Prepare for a sleepless night. I couldn’t put it down.”—Marie Romero Cash, author of Tortilla Chronicles on The Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras

“May fill Hillerman’s shoes.” —The Gallup Herald

“J. Michael Orenduff knows how to hook the reader from the get-go.” —Albuquerque Journal

“Immensely enjoyable. A fabulous read from page one on to the end.” —Grace Galloway, owner of Read It Again Bookstore in Houston, Texas

About the Author

J. Michael Orenduff grew up in a house so close to the Rio Grande that he could Frisbee a tortilla into Mexico from his backyard. While studying for an MA at the University of New Mexico, he worked during the summer as a volunteer teacher at one of the nearby pueblos. After receiving a PhD from Tulane University, he became a professor. He went on to serve as president of New Mexico State University.

Orenduff took early retirement from higher education to write his award-winning Pot Thief murder mysteries, which combine archaeology and philosophy with humor and mystery. Among the author’s many accolades are the Lefty Award for best humorous mystery, the Epic Award for best mystery or suspense ebook, and the New Mexico Book Award for best mystery or suspense fiction. His books have been described by the Baltimore Sun as “funny at a very high intellectual level” and “deliciously delightful,” and by the El Paso Times as “the perfect fusion of murder, mayhem and margaritas.”

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00HO12CSQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (January 28, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 28, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3361 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #846,070 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #4,850 in General Humorous Fiction
- #7,820 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #8,859 in Humorous Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.4 182 ratings

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Lee Snell

Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2014

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A well written book with an unusual hero and a good plot is something rare. Michael Orenduff seems to be having a great time weaving a story and at the same time imparting wonderful bits of information about New Mexico, ancient Indian pots and other general trivia. I went out and bought the wonderful New Mexican Champagne he describes ( yes, really New Mexican) and have bored my friends endlessly with other minutia I picked up. I hate it when one of his books end and will probably shed a tear when I finish the last one.

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Amazon Customer

Not up to Book 1 standards but still a good read!

Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2020

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Book 2 in this series and it is not quite as good as #1. Still good, but at times it drags a bit during the plot. We see less of nephew Tristen, but we do get comic relief in neighbor Mrs. Gladys Claibourn who is a hoot and who always comes around at the most inopportune time with casseroles and desserts. Despite being made with few fresh ingredients her flavors and cooking always is a pleasant part of the book. Once again we have stolen pots, and eventually a murder. Despite being a prime suspect our hero, Hubert Schuze, rarely needs the service of his lawyer Lawton Kent, who also looks like he will appear in all these books. While the plot is good, it is a bit simplistic in its solution and some of the ways that Hubert is able to get in and out of a highly secured high rise complex seems to stretch credibility. But it is still a fun read, with a lot of humor and puns throughout. I felt it was about a 3.5, but I like this series and author and so will round it up to a 4**** (

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Kindle Customer

Is he a "Pot Thief" or a "Liborater"?

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2019

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I have enjoyed several of these books and want to read more. The humor, the unusual information given, and strong characters are very enjoyabe.

Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2014

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Fairly entertaining little mystery. Good for casual summer reading. I would read another in the series if the price was right.

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Happy Reader

Zany Laugh-Out-Loud Mystery!

Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2019

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I am a huge fan of Orenduff’s Pot Thief series. They are laugh out loud funny, and this one, the 2nd in the series, is no different. I have read them out of order with no problem, so I don’t think you have to start at the series’ beginning.

Meet Hubie Schuze. He owns a little shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he sells genuine ancient Pueblo pots and his expert recreations. And doesn’t always remember to tell the customer which is which.

But his heart is in the right place. Sort of. Right now he’s having pangs, hunger pangs. For the choice pots rather illegally obtained by Ognan Gerstner, retired archeology professor. There, in the loft of the Rio Grande apartments, the pots are calling to Hubie. Since Gerstner doesn’t hold them legally, he can hardly complain if someone took them. Right?

This is one of the zanier plots in the series, and I loved every minute of it.

Happy Reader

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Jim Ross

Murder, comedy, word-play, margeritas in the Land of Enchantment

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2016

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Each installment of the Pot Thief mystery series is both as tense and comedic treasure, and a romp through The Land of Enchantment (New Mexico) centered out of the modest Albuquerque shop just off the Old Town Plaza, owned by 5’6”, late 40s Hubie Schuze (pronounced “shoes”), purveyor and sometime excavator of Indian pots and expert maker of replicas. His side-kick Susannah, a waitress at a restaurant on the Plaza, and a cast of interesting and hilarious side characters who each show up again and again in each installment, make this a fun series to read. My only quibble is that each book contains a handful of misspellings and / or grammatical errors, but by book 3 I’d learned to make a game out of spotting them. Slightly tighter editing was in order on each of these. There are also the occasional factual errors. For instance, the author seems not to have known that the “home for wayward priests” in Jemez Springs permanently closed 1995. A fun and interesting series for readers who know New Mexico and inspiration for other readers to pack a bag and go.

One person found this helpful

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Ninepipe

The book is worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018

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This is one of his better written "Pot Thief" books. He deftly brought in Ptolemy into his story many times, unlike some of his books where the person featured in the title of the book in barely mentioned. This is one of his more exciting "Pot Thief" books.

3 people found this helpful

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Jean Moore

You must read this whole series. Just delightful with great writing.

Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016

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Now this is great writing. Wonderful insights into New Mexico and Indian culture of pots. Fully developed characters and humorous dialog.