Findings (Faye Longchamp Mysteries, No. 4).

Findings (Faye Longchamp Mysteries, No. 4)

Mary Anna Evans

Poisoned Pen Press

6962 E. First Ave. #103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

IBN 9781590584835, $24.95, www.poisonedpenpress.com

Heroine archaeologist Faye Longchamp begins the novel by discovering an emerald on her property--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--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--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.