Floodgates

April 27, 2009
At the outset of Evans's engaging if somewhat thinly plotted fourth mystery to feature archeologist Faye Longchamp (after 2008's Findings
), Faye and her team are excavating a plantation site outside New Orleans, next to the battlefield where Andrew Jackson's army defeated the British in 1815. When students doing post-Katrina cleanup find the remains of what appears to be a drowning victim from the hurricane, a dumbbell resting atop the pelvis suggests foul play to Faye. The police ask Faye and her fiancé, Joe Wolf Mantooth, to assist in what becomes a murder investigation, the victim having been identified as a fellow archeologist, Shelly Broussard, who worked with rescue teams after the storm. Passages from a book about the Katrina disaster by a local author and extracts from the memoirs of a 19th-century military engineer provide insights and historical perspective. Faye's landlady, a part-time voodoo-mambo or priestess, adds spice.

May 1, 2009
Post-Katrina New Orleans hides many tragic secrets, including one that leads to murder.

Archaeologist Faye Longchamp and her little crew are excavating a plantation site at Chalmette battlefield. When park ranger Matt Guidry offers her a tour of a flood-stricken area, she's eager to go along. Adventure turns to tragedy when a body is discovered in a ruined house. Immediately noticing that the corpse could not have been washed into its present position by the flood, Faye works with Detective Jodi Bienvenu to help solve what turns out to be a murder. The victim was Shelly Broussard, an archaeologist cousin of Matt's who spent the frantic days after the flood using her map-reading skills to rescue people while searching for her parents, who were eventually found drowned in their attic. Two lists and several maps found in Shelly's pocket provide clues for Faye, her fianc Joe Wolf Mantooth, who's enthralled with the history of drainage in the city, and her assistants Nina and Dauphine. Joe provides especially valuable assistance when he and Faye rescue Nina after someone's hit her over the head and dumped her in the Mississippi. Faye can't help but suspect Nina's smarmy boyfriend Charles, who had worked with Shelly in the rescue effort. Their work leads to some success but also some danger from a killer ready to strike again.

Evans's fifth (Findings, 2008, etc.) is an exciting brew of mystery and romance with a touch of New Orleans charm.

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July 15, 2009
As Faye Longchamp excavates an archaeological site in New Orleans, a body is found. The police assume it is a corpse left by Hurricane Katrina, but Faye notes that the debris surrounding the dead woman is wrong; someone left her body in that flooded-out house. A police detective wanting to use their archaeological expertise in tracking down the killer draws Faye and fianc Joe Wolf Mantooth into the investigationan involvement that leads to some surprises and plenty of danger. VERDICT Evans's fifth series mystery (after "Relic") reveals her skill in handling the details of a crime story enhanced by historical facts and scientific discussions on the physical properties of water. Along with further insights into Faye's personal life, the reader ends up with a thoroughly good mystery. Sure to attract those who enjoy Lyn Hamilton's archaeological mysteries. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 3/1/09; see also Kenneth Abel's "Down in the Flood", reviewed above.Ed.]

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