Fictionalized story of Heinrich Schliemann, the passionate amateur archaeologist who excavated (plundered?) a putative site for Troy. Ackroyd's Schliemann is larger than life and good fun. But Ackroyd has taken so many liberties with the actual life story of Schliemann, that while it's a fun, quick, read, one is left wondering what the point is. There's a bit of nice thread about Schliemann's young wife Sophia's growing independence from Heinrich, at the same time as she falls under his spell, that is nicely done.
