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A review by dollycas
The Xibalba Murders by Lyn Hamilton
5.0
Lara is obsessed with the Mayan culture. She loves finding rare and beautiful artifacts. She has just sold her Toronto antiquities store and is unsure of the direction her life will take. Then she receives a cryptic phone call from Dr. Hernan Castillo, an expert in Mayan history, to help him with a mysterious project. But when she arrives in Mérida the good doctor is nowhere to be found --until his lifeless body is found in his office.
Lara knows she must retrace the doctor's steps to find out what he was working on if she wants to find his killer. This takes her into the lush paradise of the Mayan temples and the camps of those trying to save their Mayan heritage. This is when "the mysteries of the past meet the dangers of the present" putting Lara in a perilous position.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I never dreamed that an A-Z book challenge would help me find this wonderful mystery series.
The story is rich with Mayan and Mexican history told in a fun and entertaining way. This style reminded me of the current Cats and Curios series by Rebecca M. Hale where the mystery is interwoven with true history and events. I can tell the author did plenty of research to make the story authentic.
Like all books that are first in a series time is spent laying the character foundation for upcoming installments. I can tell we just scratched the surface of Lara's story. She grew a lot just within this first adventure.
The theme of the series has endless possibilities and the author created 11 novels before her death in 2009. According to her obituary the books reflect her passion for heritage and culture, her sense of humour and her love of travel. I hope to read them all.
Lara knows she must retrace the doctor's steps to find out what he was working on if she wants to find his killer. This takes her into the lush paradise of the Mayan temples and the camps of those trying to save their Mayan heritage. This is when "the mysteries of the past meet the dangers of the present" putting Lara in a perilous position.
Dollycas's Thoughts
I never dreamed that an A-Z book challenge would help me find this wonderful mystery series.
The story is rich with Mayan and Mexican history told in a fun and entertaining way. This style reminded me of the current Cats and Curios series by Rebecca M. Hale where the mystery is interwoven with true history and events. I can tell the author did plenty of research to make the story authentic.
Like all books that are first in a series time is spent laying the character foundation for upcoming installments. I can tell we just scratched the surface of Lara's story. She grew a lot just within this first adventure.
The theme of the series has endless possibilities and the author created 11 novels before her death in 2009. According to her obituary the books reflect her passion for heritage and culture, her sense of humour and her love of travel. I hope to read them all.