A Novel by Elizabeth Lowell, William Morrow, May 2012.
Dr. Lina Taylor is a professor of Mayan culture and curator at Houston's Museum of the Maya. The museum's major funder is her family, the Reyes Balams, and many of the artifacts on display are from her family's estate in the Yucatan. Hunter Johnston is a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who is helping a former ICE colleague track down significant religious Mayan artifacts stolen from ICE office. In the few days leading up to the Turning of the Wheel on December 21, 2012, they work together to identify who may have the stolen cache and how the artifacts relate to the end of the Mayan Calendar.
Engrossing passages filled with interesting action and compelling dialogue were few and far between in the first 200 or so pages of the story. The major characters seemed two-dimensional, their sexual chemistry lacked pizazz or tension, and I particularly tired of their silly sex-related banter. The constant change in point of view, sometimes from one paragraph to the next, was disconcerting and, at times, hard to follow.
Despite these downfalls, I discovered the last third of the book to be faster paced and more engaging, I learned something about traditional Mexican and Yucatan foods, and though the villain's identity didn't surprise me, I enjoyed how the reveal and the events leading up to and following it were written.
All in all, I would recommend Beautiful Sacrifice to beachgoers who are fascinated with the Mayan culture and archaeology (and don't mind that the story's Kawail'l culture and artifacts are straight from the author's imagination) and those who are looking for light suspense. Readers who prefer quick-paced, totally engaging and on-the-edge-of-your-seat suspense might want to look elsewhere for a good summer read.
PROTAGONIST: A single, Latino woman who is a professor of and expert in Mayan culture & a single, gringo who was once an agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ACTION: Parking garage ambush, religious rituals in the Yucatan
LOVE INTEREST: Between Lina and Hunter
ROMANCE: Minor sexual tension, silly sex-related banter, minimal consensual sex
INTERESTING TIDBITS: Info about US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); traditional Yucatan and Mexican foods; and, Yucatan landscape
FUN FACTOR: More of a suspense story but some lighthearted moments
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MAY LIKE: Innocent as Sin by Elizabeth Lowell, A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier, Excavation by James Rollins, The Third Secret by Steve Berry, Empire of Gold by Andy McDermott
Recent Comments