Pierre Rousseau Investigates the Wreck of the Mentor

.
Author Graham Bishop has a new book out in the Commissaire Pierre Rousseau Mysteries series. This one called "Return to the Parthenon" reveals that the nasty tombarolo did not die of the gunshot wounds he received in the last episode and lives to loot again. That'll please the dealers then. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

When HMS Mentor sank off the island of Kythira in 1802, 17 crates of sculptures prized off the Parthenon on the orders of Lord Elgin went to the bottom of the sea. Later they were all salvaged and taken to England. Or were they? Did the islanders save some of the sculptures themselves and conceal them on the island before the salvagers arrived? Why is an Italian diving team now searching the wreck? Pierre Rousseau and his Greek colleagues become involved in investigating what could be the find of the century. Returning lost scuptures to the Acropolis Museum in Athens would create a sensation. Or is all just a hoax to attract more tourists to the island? 

And here you can read the first bit, the writing seems rather lacklustre to me. But the possibility that some looted bits of the Parthenon might be in the sea in Greek territorial waters is an interesting one. In fact the wreck has been located and is currently being excavated.  Let the British just try and demand the return of the objects (personal effects of the crew for example) from this British ship...

UPDATE 24.11.12
Some news on the objects from the wreck.  No Parthenon bits so far.