Author: Mary Ann Evans
First Published in August 2005 by Poisoned Pen Press
Erstwhile artifacts
black marketeer Faye Longchamp lands the job as chief archaeologist for a
rural development project and heads to the hills of Alabama, her studly
Cherokee assistant, Joe, in tow. She's looking forward to a legitimate
dig, and hopes to uncover the mystery of the Sujosa, an ethnic group of
mysterious origins known for their aquamarine eyes and unusual
resistance to disease. But the murder of one of the project team leads
to a different sort of investigation, and Faye finds herself using her
professional and personal skills to discover the murderer, and the
long-buried secret of the Sujosa as well.
Relics is the second book in the Faye Longchamp series. I reviewed the first book, Artifacts, back in November for Throwback Thursday. Now that her financial problems have been taken care of, Faye is able to start really pursuing her archaeology career. She has been sent to Alabama to head a dig that will research a group of people called the Sujosa. I like the evolution of Faye's character. I felt like I got to know her better as a person in this story. Her friendship with Joe is still pretty strong, but I can see that she is really starting to question how she really feels about him.
Like the first book, Relics is a good solid mystery. The list of suspects is long, but not too overwhelming. This was one mystery where I didn't put any of it together until the end. I liked the twist as it was definitely a surprise. The third book, Effigies is on my TBR list. I am really starting to like this series and look forward to getting caught up with it.
Author: Mary Ann Evans
First published in April 2003 by Poisoned Pen Press
Faye Longchamp has lost
nearly everything except for her quick mind and a grim determination to
hang onto her ancestral home, Joyeuse, a moldering plantation hidden
along the Florida coast. No one knows how Faye's great-great-grandmother
Cally, a newly freed slave barely out of her teens, came to own Joyeuse
in the aftermath of the Civil War. No one knows how her descendants
hung onto it through Reconstruction, world wars, the Depression, and Jim
Crow, but Faye has inherited the island plantation--and the family
tenacity. When the property taxes rise beyond her means, she sets out to
save Joyeuse by digging for artifacts on her property and the
surrounding National Wildlife Refuge and selling them on the black
market. A tiny bit of that dead glory would pay a year's taxes. A big
valuable chunk of the past would save her home forever.
Artifacts recently showed up on my library's audiobook site and it looked perfect for a Throwback Thursday listen. On occasion, I am in the mood for a good mystery. Artifacts was just that; a good mystery with interesting characters. Faye is a mostly self taught archeologist who is working for a local dig when a couple of her co-workers are murdered. She holds a few secrets, so she tries her best not to get involved. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that their deaths may be related to the body that she herself found while digging for artifacts to sell on the black market. That is the basic outline of how the story begins. The story itself is much more involved and convoluted. You never know who to trust. The mystery was engaging and well thought out.
I had to admire Faye and her
determination to do whatever it took to save her ancestral home. Even
going so far as to trash it so that the tax collector would think it was
abandoned. At one point, Faye finds a diary and other documents that slowly reveal how the house came to be past down to her. It was an interesting family history. I also loved the relationship between Joe and Faye. Joe is a simple man with simple ways. Their friendship is genuine and you can tell that they have come to care for each other.
It looks like there are, so far, 7 books in this series. The latest just came out last year. I know I will be looking for the next one, Relics soon.
Author: Mary Ann Evans
