Part of Gideon Oliver, book 5
First published 1994
Gideon Oliver arrives at an archaeological excavation in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula where workers have just unearthed ancient Mayan artifacts. The local team whispers about an old curse that protects the buried treasures. When people connected to the dig start turning up dead, superstitious crew members point to supernatural vengeance. Oliver refuses to accept mystical explanations. He applies his scientific training to examine the physical evidence surrounding each death. The forensic anthropologist searches for human motives behind the killings. Someone wants the dig to fail or the artifacts to disappear. Oliver must separate ancient history from modern greed. He races to identify the killer before more bodies pile up in the jungle.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, archaeology, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-detective, enemies-to-allies, scientific-investigation
Setting: Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula
Period: Modern
254 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Mysterious Press