Book description
Faye Longchamp, back in school to pursue her dream of becoming an
archaeologist, has been asked to run a project for which she is barely
qualified, under the direction of a man who doesn't seem to like her
much. Her assignment: to uncover the origins of a mysterious ethnic
group. The Sujosa have lived in Alabama's most remote hills for
centuries and have shown impressive immunity to many diseases…including
AIDS. Late one night, Faye awakes to find the house in flames. She saves
herself and one of her housemates. But her friend Carmen, the project
historian, never had a chance. Then within days, an 18-year-old boy
jumps from a cell phone tower that, when completed, would connect the
outside world to the Sujosa community.... Archaeology student Faye
Longchamp has a job studying the Sujosa, an isolated group of people
living in rural Alabama. No one knows their origin, but they are immune
to AIDS. They do not welcome a group of academics asking intrusive
questions. In fact, one night, Faye wakes up feeling warm and realizes
that the house where she is staying is on fire. She escapes, but
colleague Carmen Martinez does not. A few days later, an 18-year-old boy
commits suicide by jumping from a new cell-phone tower. Faye must use
her archaeology skills, her intuition, and the evidence in the oral
histories compiled by Martinez to prove that the two deaths are related
and to make sure that she does not become the next victim. Evans
combines a fascinating plot and an appealing investigator. As in
Artifacts (2002), the first in the series, the remote setting engenders
an eerie sense of isolation and otherness that gives the story an extra
dimension. Recommend this steadily improving series to female-sleuth
fans or those who enjoy archaeology-based thrillers like Beverly
Connor's Lindsay Chamberlain novels. Mary Anna Evans has degrees in
physics and engineering, but her heart is in the past. Her series
character, Faye Longchamp, lives the exciting life of an archaeologist,
and Mary Anna envies her a little. Mary Anna's award-winning series of
Faye's adventures includes Artifacts, Relics, Effigies, Findings,
Floodgates, Strangers and, new in 2011, Plunder.
