Artifact

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, having started with the collection of short stories I knew a little about the character of Jay and her friends and was excited to get stuck into a full-length story. The author kept me guessing who the killer was until the very end. The history was interesting I really enjoyed getting to know Jaya better. Overall a great start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.

I actually borrowed the Audible format of "Artifact" from the library and after listening to the first chapter, I went back to the library website and borrowed the rest of the series and placed a hold on the one that was currently in use. Anyway, not only is this book fascinating in terms of the archeological information painlessly downloaded into my brain but the mystery involved was very interesting as well. I enjoyed my introduction to the characters, quirky but realistic, which the narrator did a beautiful job separating with tone and accent. She really made them come to life and I hope she gets more work since she is so outstanding. A book can be made or murdered by the narrator and I have had to switch to reading a book (oh, the humanity!) because the narrator was so horrible! Allyson Ryan is one of the best narrators in the biz and I look forward to listening to her for the next several weeks as we wait with bated breath for this current pandemic to plateau and peter out. There are worse things to do when quarantined than listen to audiobooks while knitting face masks for my fellow humans but I shall not be subjected to them with half a dozen Jaya Jones mysteries ahead of me! I am saved, I hope my fellow humans will be as well!

After reading "Other People's Baggage" with the prequel (Fool's Gold) to this series with Jaya Jones, historian, as the protagonist sleuth, I was looking forward to this book. Also, Ms. Pandian is a local author so I like to support those when I can.The story is an excellent read and moves quickly with clever twists and turns. It establishes Jaya's bonafides, sets the stage, and off we go on quite a wild ride through Anglo-Indian history and a Scottish archeological dig! Through it all, Jaya keeps her cool (in the time-honored tradition of Amelia Peabody). Tying together the history with the plot development is ingeniously done and the characters are well-rounded, realistic, and believable. An excellent start to a series that now contains five books.

First in the series of the Jaya Jones mysteries. Tons of plot twists which were great. The heroine had a couple of interesting quirks including being a historian known as "Dr. Jones" (a nice connection to Indiana Jones adventures). Constantly wanting to eat got a bit annoying after a while but the high heels make for a great quirk for a very short heroine and she uses them well. I really think she could be another Elizabeth Peters. The author is a really good storyteller. It is an easy read so perfect for the beach. Though the two 'old geezers' was written with such heavy accents it slowed down the pace as I had to try to figure out what they were saying as what they had to say was key to the plot. Will I continue reading this series? ABSOLUTELY.

Jaya Jones is a first year professor of history on summer break. She receives a package from her dead ex boyfriend containing a ruby bracelet and a note asking for help. She can't identify it beyond Indian herself so turns to a friend who sends her to a grad student for help. Lane decides to help for reasons of his own. She also has a break in at her home. The duo set off to London to track down what the ex was into and to try and find the rest of the treasure. Several real twists and a few red herrings, but I had the thing solved and her not doing it at the last was really silly. interesting premise and characters are worth reading a second in the series.