Quick Reads: The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Years ago, I used to spend summers reading murder mysteries, an enjoyable habit that eventually fell away for practical reasons. This year, I’m trying to revive it by accessing the quick-reads feature in my library app, which allows me to borrow selected titles only for 7 days, so I have to read them quickly before they turn into pumpkins.

That’s how I came across The Cloisters by Katy Hays.

Ann Stilwell comes to New York City, leaving the darkness of her father’s death behind her in Walla Walla, Washington. She expects to spend the summer in curatorial work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but instead, finds herself assigned to The Cloisters.

The setting itself is a piece of art, the cobbled driveway and the pillared architecture of the gothic New York museum and garden certainy drew me in even when the dramatic tension flagged. It was fun to see the medieval art collection reflected through Ann’s eyes as she joins a group of researchers supposedly studying the history of divination. Secrets abound in the lives of each of the characters and Ann is quickly drawn into the pursuit of a deck of tarot cards with their own history, turning her academic interest into an obsession. Twists in the final pages felt a little overly neat and raised character questions I didn’t have the patience to entertain..

Even so, a fun read and easy to complete in a couple of days flat and in good time to return the e-book. Made me wonder how come it took so long for someone to place a murder mystery in this fabulous museum setting.