A Faye Longchamp Mystery FINDINGS

Mary Anna Evans' FINDINGS tells of Faye Longchamp, restoring the family plantation in Florida and doing archaeological work for pay at the same time. When thieves break into the home of her mentor and kill him, ignoring his valuables, Fay finds herself on a puzzling, dangerous search for the truth.

I recently discovered this author and read all four of the books. Faye Longchamp is a relentless sleuth and I like that! The story was well written and held my interest until the very last page. Can't wait to see where Joe and Faye go from here!

Reviewed by Lynn O¡¯Connell for Reader Views (4/08) Heroine archaeologist Faye Longchamp begins the novel by discovering an emerald on her property ¨C Joyeuse Island, which Faye had inherited from Cally, her great-great-grandmother and a former slave. Immediately, in the first chapter, Douglass Everett, founder of the Museum of American Slavery, is murdered while holding that same emerald. Where did it come from? Who would have buried it on Joyeuse Island ¨C and why? And, who would even know the emerald existed? Faye and her friend, Joe Wolf Mantooth, spend the rest of the 232 pages of this short mystery trying to answer these questions. Much of their work is tedious, as the duo spends hours in the library sifting through the many letters that emerald-owner and Confederate official Jedediah Bachelder wrote to his wife Viola during the Civil War years. Other times, their work is dangerous as Faye and Joe get attacked by pothunters and encounter other unsavory characters. ¡°Findings¡± is the fourth installment in the Faye Longchamp mystery series. As was the case in the previous three books, author Mary Anna Evans does a wonderful job of including archaeological information, art history and ethnic issues along with the core of the tale ¨C the mystery which Faye will solve. One interesting twist to this particular book is the fact that it is as much a story about love, perhaps, as it is a murder mystery. There is the strong and beautiful love expressed between Jedediah and Viola in their letters¡­there is the love between the murdered Douglass Everett and his wife¡­and, then Faye has her own budding romances. Faye¡¯s ancestral home ©¤ Joyeuse Island off the coast of the Florida Panhandle ©¤ is the setting for this book. I commend Evans; this setting transforms the tale into something other-worldly and sets a tone which works well for this archaeological mystery. I enjoyed the fast action in ¡°Findings¡± as well as the accurate historical information that Faye included throughout the book¡¯s 28 chapters. Adding in the well-known mystery surrounding what happened to the Confederacy gold was a nice way to give the plot further relevancy. Evans also covered some of the social issues surrounding individuals who are of mixed race, discussing Faye¡¯s biracial heritage and Joe¡¯s Native American descent. Faye Longchamp mysteries bring a nice addition to the mystery genre of a female sleuth who is both intellectual and charming.

Findings is Ms. Evans fourth book in her series about Faye Longcham an archeologist and Joe Wolf Mantooth her friend side kick and sometimes assistant. In this episode we go back to Faye's ancestral home off the coast of Florida to her Island Joyeuse where she uncovers an artifact from the Civil War era which of course leads to death and destruction and the ever present question 'who done it'. Well the journey to that outcome will leave you on the edge of your seat for the whole trip, and the outcome, well you'll have to read it yourself but you won't be disappointed.

Archaeologist Faye Longchamp and her housemate Joe Wolf Mantooth are restoring a plantation house while excavating a site to include the Turkey Foot Hotel on Joyeuse Island, Florida, where her family once lived.. Faye uses the basement laboratory of Douglass Everett to catalogue and store her findings. So far the top item is a stunning emerald. However, Douglass's wife finds her spouse dying as Faye's FINDINGS lie nearby shattered and her notes gone. Faye is stunned to hear this but not as much as the shocker that her beloved mentor died. Grieving, but a professional just like Douglass would expected of her, Faye investigates the history of the emerald and more important to her who murdered Douglass. When a second murder occurs and an attempt on Faye's life fails, Joe Wolf vows to keep her safe while her Atlanta based legal friend Ross Donnelly asks her to relocate as his wife. Faye Longchamp's fourth (see RELICS, EFFIGIES, and ARTIFACTS.) archaeological mystery is a terrific combining of Florida history with a whodunit and a bit of romance. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as Faye begins the arduous digging that she relishes. As always she makes the tale; in this case she must put aside her grief to honor her mentor as he would expect her to finish the excavation. Readers will appreciate her efforts as an amateur sleuth, a potential victim, and a professional archaeologist who relishes the past but mourns her loss while taking care of business. Harriet Klausner