Synopses & Reviews
Erstwhile artifacts blackmarketeer 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.
Mary Anna Evans, winner of the 2004 Ben Franklin Award and the Patrick D. Smith Florida Fiction Award, started Faye's sleuthing career in Artifacts, a novel rich in the history, archaeology, and landscape of Faye's family and Florida's west coast.
Review
“Faye Longchamp, girl archaeologist, is given an opportunity that many fledgling diggers would give their trowels for. She is put in charge of finding the origins of an ethnic group of people in the Alabama hills. But she's puzzled by the lack of work that has been done on site when she arrives with her assistant, Joe. As she looks into the scholarly aspects of the dig, she is distracted by the death of Carmen, the oral historian of the dig. Before she gets very far in investigating Carmen's demise, there's another unexplained death, this of a teenager from the Sujosa community. And soon, Faye is fighting for her own life against someone who doesn't want the secrets of the Sujosa revealed. A fascinating look at contemporary archaeology but also a twisted story of greed and its effects.” --Laurie Trimble, Dallas Morning News (9.11.2005)
Synopsis
Faye Longchamp investigates the origins of a mysterious ethnic group called the Sujosa who have lived in Alabama's remote hills for centuries. The Sujosa say opening their lives to scientists will be like letting a snake into Eden...but after several deaths, it seems the snake may already be nesting there.
Synopsis
"A fascinating look at contemporary archaeology but also a twisted story of greed and its effects." --Dallas Morning News
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. 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. Are these events somehow related?
About the Author
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 2012, Plunder.