The Pot Thief Who Studied Calvin

In Orenduff’s diverting 10th Pot Thief mystery (after 2021’s The Pot Thief Who Studied the Woman at Otowi Crossing), Hubie Schuze, proprietor of Spirits in Clay, a pottery shop in Albuquerque’s Old Town, is visited by his nephew Tristan, a computer science student at the University of New Mexico. Tristan tells Hubie that he was approached by a mysterious man who asked him to program a 3D printer to reproduce eight copies of a small pottery bowl. Tristan makes a ninth copy and gives it to Hubie. A photo of the pot ends up in an article in the Albuquerque Journal, and thus the trouble begins. Suspicious characters, at least one of whom has a gun, start showing up at the shop. Just as important as the mystery of the pot’s provenance are digressions on such topics as crypto-Jews, Juneteenth, and Pueblo Indian traditions. Also of interest are a recipe for Chicken Enchilasagna and a short bio of real-life Ross Calvin, who studied New Mexico’s history, geology, flora, and fauna. Orenduff offers good fun along with all the erudite lore. (Oct.)