Burial Ground

Alan Shuman's debut into the "character driven mystery" genre was a satisfying read. If you like characters you can continue to follow, or the south, or archaeology, you'll probably like this series. As an archaeologist, I can tell you that Shuman's facts are right on the money-he knows his ancient cultures AND the prominent archaeologists. So many times authors use scientific material as a plot background, but are so inaccurate that I get annoyed reading it. Not with this one. And the plot is pretty good too-the two "competing" mysteries don't converge until the very last pages, and made me think, "aha...I should have known that..." Thats what I like about mysteries! Not a perfectly written story (the two mysteries sometimes literally compete for you attention rather than blending), but entertaining and worth reading his others.

What a fun read! Malcolm Shuman has given us a very human, likable hero in Alan Graham, a contract archaeologist. Chosing this profession makes for some interesting plots. With this profession one can't always assume who are the good guys. Mr. Shuman has given us a very good history back ground with a good murder mystery. Lots of twist and turns and good resolution. The supporting cast is fun too. I only wish that Mr. Shuman would explore David more, he seems like a nice friend to Alan. Good romantic conflict with the new contract archaeologist on the block, P. E. Courtney. There are some really fun stuff that goes on between P.E. and Alan. Well worth the time to read this book. Start with the this one and travel along with our heroes and Mr. Shuman. I really enjoyed reading this book. Hope you do too!

"Burial Ground" by Malcolm Shuman is a fun mytstery novel filled with several plot twists that can keep you guessing up to the last few pages. It has many true historical elements and anyone familiar with the area around Baton Rouge and the Felicianas will appreciate the accurate descriptions. It also has a view into the native Indians of the area - their past and somewhat confusing future.