The Queen Jade: A New World Novel of Adventure

An entralling mystery that is fascinating to read but the part about Balaj K'waill seems a little unrealistic and is hard to believe. However Ms. Murray's vivid discriptions of the setting and the characters make you feel as though you were actually surrounded by emerald green bushes and the sweet tangy jungle fragrances. Also, Ms. Murray's ability to blend romance with mystery is superb! All in all a great read!

Good news for Yxta Maya Murray fans. The Queen Jade is every bit as good as her last book, The Conquest -- and that's saying something. Both books have exquisitely defined characters who display the complexity and unpredictability of real people. Both books transport you through time and place to intriguing worlds grounded in historical fact. Both books provide such rich, evocative descriptions of what the characters see, hear, feel, smell, and taste that you feel you are THERE yourself. Both books appeal to armchair travellers who love exotic locales. How does The Queen Jade differ from The Conquest? In a few ways. The most obvious difference between the two books is pacing. The Conquest balanced action sequences with contemplative reflections more equally, but The Queen Jade is a heart-thumping, pulse-pounding adrenaline-rush of an adventure, punctuated by brief but searing moments of revelation. Reading The Conquest was the literary equivalent of sipping a delicious liqueur from an ornamental cordial glass in a European drawing room; the Queen Jade is like pounding shots of premium Tequilla with a best buddy in a tropical dive. Both are fun, but for different reasons. Also, both books revolve around an historical mystery, but the mystery in The Queen Jade may appeal more to readers who like codes and code-breaking. Another difference in The Queen Jade is more mythic imagery. The reader feels the pull of the emerald path and the arrow of birds that the adventurers follow deep into the jungle in the wake of the hurricane. My only disappointment with The Queen Jade was that it was over too soon! I look forward to following Lola on more adventures, and hope they will be forthcoming soon. A final note for readers who like historically based books about codes and code breaking. I liked The Queen Jade much better than Gang of Four. Perhaps in part that's because I'd rather vicariously experience the exotic Guatemalan jungle, teaming with life and the Force of Nature, than the steaming, claustrophic bowels of an Ivy League college dormitory.

I've loved adventure tales like Indiana Jones since I was a kid. But let's face it, when it comes to character development, most of them are a bit one dimensional (daVinci Code anyone?). The Queen Jade has all the elements of a great adventure tale - a disappearance in an exotic locale, a mysterious treasure, clues that must be unraveled, terror, jeopardy and a final surprise, but it's much more layered than that. Below the treasure hunt is another adventure that we all go through - unraveling the mysteries of our relationships with the people closest to us. The characters are sympathetic (you know who the good guys are) but they're also complex and flawed, which makes for interesting and believable interpersonal dynamics. The two adventure tales are woven together by Murray's rich, evocative prose. You'd swear you can see that sunset and smell the rich jungle earth. The best of genre fiction plays to the genre's conventions but at the same time transcends them. The Queen Jade is one of those books - a great yarn that leaves you with much to think about even after you've finished the book. I've heard that this is the first of a trilogy. Can't wait to read the next adventure.

Those are not my words -- they come from the trade magazine Booklist -- but I couldn't agree more; you will not be able to put this book down. The story follows a daughter's search for her archeologist mother who goes missing in Guatemala during a hurricane. As a traveller to Guatemala, I was pleased that Murray has obviously done her research there. Her descriptions of the jungle are beautiful and accurate. At least some of the action appears to be fact, too: there really was a terrible hurricane, Mitch, that swept through Guatemala, and it really did reveal some previously undiscovered veins of blue jade. I will not spoil the ending for you. Suffice it to say that you will not see it coming, but in retrospect you will see that there were clues. This is the best adventure novel I have ever read. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Ms. Murray's mystery weaves through the jungles of Guatemala. I found I couldn't put it down. She is a great story teller.