Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte has become one of my favorite authors. His work, even with the additional handicap of translation, is dependably solid, as I have never been disappointed by any of his novels. He writes with what strikes this American, (who nevertheless has spent years living in Europe), as a fine, delicate Old World sensibility that adds a thoroughly enjoyable richness to his texts.

The Nautilus Chart is a mystery of sorts, but it is more of a treasure hunt than a simple whodunit. While it has elements of a thriller, it is not one, at least it does not belong to the violence-laden ticking-clock straight-to-Hollywood genre which generally springs to mind when one thinks of the term. There is a search for a long-lost Jesuit ship, which was sunk under some strange circumstances immediately prior to the Spanish king's suppression of the Order. There may be a treasure involved, or there may not be. There are adversarial forces which are also in search of the sunken ship, forces which are merciless and resourceful. However, the strong historical elements prevent the book from becoming a parody of itself and lend the book a pleasing intellectual depth, or at least a facsimile of one.

Style: Perez-Reverte's style is slow, rich and delicious. Currents seem to move within it, and he paints with words containing palpable textures. One can almost feel the way in which the Spanish sun enervates his characters, slowing the pace of the novel without reducing the reader's interest in the least. Even the fastest reader finds he can linger over a Perez-Reverte novel, luxuriate in it. It is a rare pleasure to experience the author's skill, except in that it also inspires envy in the writer-reader's heart.

Story: The story was engaging throughout, although the greater mystery of what happened to the Jesuit ship was of more interest to me than the modern struggle to find it. The author also seems to have been more interested in the former, as once that mystery is solved, he brings the latter aspect of the story to a hasty and not entirely satisfying conclusion. There are what appear to be some logical holes, particularly in the climax of the modern story, but one gets the impression that Perez-Reverte is primarily aiming for effect anyhow, and as always, he succeeds.

Characters: As is usually the case, there is a romantic element here, albeit this time one that is not entirely convincing. The protagonist is a slow-witted sailor, but his intellectual depth is inconsistent and often seems to vary according to the dramatic needs of the author. The woman is much the same woman as in every Perez-Reverte novel; competent, beautiful and uncharacteristically unforthcoming for her sex. The villain, again as is customary for the author, is sophisticated if not debonair, though this time his crudeness is an external element instead of an internal one as in The Flanders Panel.

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