September Read: Dead Mountain by Preston & Child

 

I've come to anticipate the newest novel in the Nora Kelly series by Preston and Child; mostly because they take place in New Mexico. I visited New Mexico many times when my brother and sis-in-law lived there, and it holds a special place in my heart. There's nothing like it. So it's easy for me to picture the mountains and the landscape while I'm reading this series. 

You can read each book as a standalone, but it does make it a little bit easier if you read them in order. This is number four, featuring FBI agent Corrie Swanson and renowned archaeologist Nora Kelly.

Two men driving in the mountains get lost in a snow storm. Abandoning their vehicle, they find a cave to wait out the storm, drinking booze to stay warm and smoking joints to stay calm. Imagine their fright when they discover a skull sticking out of the ground. Rescued soon after, the FBI are alerted to the possibility of a murder and are called to investigate. 

What they find is two-fold: not only do they find a rare burial site of a local Native American tribe from centuries before; they also find the more recent desiccated remains of two men--could they possibly be two of the missing Dead Mountain hikers from 2008?

In 2008, nine college students with plenty of mountain hiking experience set off on an adventure. They were never seen alive again. Instead, when a search party was sent out, they found a bizarre scene: a ripped open tent, along with the bodies of some of the hikers--unclothed and obviously dead from exposure in a brutal blizzard. The next spring, they find two more, crushed and missing eyes down near a creek. Now it's been fifteen years, and there are still members missing. 

Corrie is lead investigator, along with FBI Agent Sharp, her new partner. There was an intensive investigation done fifteen years before, but nothing ever came of it--except the retirement and disgrace of the agent in charge. Why? What happened to the hikers? Theories abound: Yeti, aliens, genetic superhuman attacking the camp. It's all out there, and it's up to Corrie with the help of Nora to piece it all together. 

People are reluctant to talk, and the more Corrie shifts through the evidence and probes deeper, the more questions she can't answer. Conspiracy theories, government agencies, bitter parents, and lots of dead ends create a plot that keeps shifting until the exciting end. 

This was another excellent thriller from Preston & Child. They wrote this novel based on the infamous case of nine Russian cross-country skiers who died in 1959 in the Ural Mountains under very, very strange circumstances. I've read about this case, and it is truly bizarre, and still unsolved to this day. I'm happy the story they created has a solution, and the twisty road to it makes this novel a fascinating read. 

Rating: 4/6 for a clever, complex, and twisty plot that features man vs. nature, man vs. self, and of course man vs. government. Enjoyed this very much!

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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September Read: Dead Mountain by Preston & Child

The Scorpion's Tail by Preston & Child

 

I'm late to the Preston & Child bandwagon and I'd like to kick myself for missing out on all of their books all these years. They were always books I meant to read, but never got to--now I'm making a conscious effort to add them to my reading list. 

The Scorpion's Tail is the second in the Nora Kelly series. The first, Old Bones, grabbed me and made me an instant fan. If you want to read my review from September, 2019, click here.

In The Scorpion's Tail, we find FBI agent Corrie Swanson back in Albuquerque, still learning the ropes as a junior agent. She's still trying to prove herself and feels like she's failing. Until an interesting find pops up, and she's assigned to investigate. It seems like a job that's just to get her out of the way, but it turns out to be much, much bigger than anyone could image. 

Corrie travels to the ghost town of High Lonesome with Sheriff Watts to investigate the finding of a mummified corpse in the basement of one of abandoned buildings. Sheriff Watts (who wears two six-shooters) surprised a looter a few days before, and after a quick gun battle, spotted the corpse and called the FBI. Looting ancient burial grounds and abandoned mining towns is big business in New Mexico; toss in tales of lost Spanish gold and it quickly becomes dangerous and deadly. 

Corrie calls in Nora Kelly, an archaeologist in Santa Fe, to excavate the area around the corpse and help figure out if this is a recent death or much older. Nora is reluctant to help, but she's quickly pulled into the case when the corpse and what they find on the corpse blows the case wide open. Corrie and Nora are plunged into a case that could get them killed. The players involved are BIG, and involves many layers of the history of New Mexico.

Oh gosh I wish I could say more, but it would give things away. It's so darn good, and the unraveling kept me glued to the pages late into the night. It also made me a bit homesick for New Mexico. I was lucky to visit New Mexico (Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque) numerous times when my brother and sis-in-law lived there. It has a magical, haunting quality to it that it hard to describe. It is vividly stunning and truly is the "land of enchantment".  This novel brought it all back--the smell of piñon, the bright colors, the outstanding views for miles and miles. Don't get me started on the food! 

I've read two Preston & Child novels, and loved both of them. I am a big fan of thrillers/mysteries that involve history and archaeology. Combine that with myths and legends, and I'm all in. I am also a big fan of novels that have intelligent, strong women as main characters. You don't have to read Old Bones to read The Scorpion's Tail, but I would heartily recommend you read both. If you're a fan of James Rollins, you will love Preston and Child. 

Rating: 5/6 for a fantastic novel that combines New Mexican history, myth, and Native American culture into one hard to put down thriller. I can't wait for the next in the Nora Kelly series! 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Scorpion's Tail by Preston & Child

Old Bones by Preston & Child

This is just the kind of story I love to dive into, and even though it was my first Preston & Child novel, it won't be my last. 

First of all, bless Grand Central Publishing for taking the time to list all of Preston & Child's novels by series! Makes reading their previous works much easier. I wish every publisher did this for prolific authors. Old Bones is another new series, with characters from previous novels, but this is the first in the Nora Kelly series. I can't wait to read more. 

This novel involves the mystery of the Donner Party, and the Lost Camp. After the Donner party became lost and stuck in the Sierra Nevada area in the winter of 1847, they became part of western legend and lore. Very few people survived the months long ordeal as they starved, survived blizzard after blizzard, and some resorting to cannibalism to survive. The party was broken up into three camps, each a distance away from each other. One camp, known as the Lost Camp, remained  undiscovered over a hundred and fifty years later. 

Archaeologist Nora Kelly is called in to lead an expedition up into the wilds of the Sierra Nevadas to attempt to discover the "Lost Camp". Traveling with Nora is Dr. Clive Benton, a historian (and descendant of one of the Donner party families) who has discovered Tamzene Donner's long lost diary, which describes the location of the lost camp. Finding this lost camp, and the remains of the people who died there, would be a huge historical find, and answer a lot of questions. There is also a big chance that twenty million dollars in gold coins is also somewhere in the camp, stolen from one of the Donner party men, who was murdered by two men who died at the lost camp. 

Another interesting addition to this story involves FBI Agent Corrie Swanson. Just learning her job, she's assigned to a simple case: investigating the murder of a man found in a recently disturbed grave. Doesn't seem like it would have anything to do with the Donner lost camp, but oh, it does. It seems that someone has been digging up graves and making off with parts of the remains. Corrie makes a connection between seemingly random events, but no one believes her--it's rookie enthusiasm, after all. 

Yet, there is a big link to these two big events, and that is what is most fascinating about this novel. I seriously couldn't put it down. The blend of archaeology, legend, lore, and history hooked me good. I've always been interested in the Donner tragedy and have read a lot of books about it. That's what  drew me to this novel, too. I wasn't disappointed. It was a heck of a good read, and a great introduction to Preston & Child novels. 

I've had friends tell me how much they enjoy Preston & Child novels, and now I know why. I'll be working my way through all of them, and looking forward to the next Nora Kelly novel. I liked both Nora and Corrie--two strong women,  navigating through the politics and machinations of their chosen fields. Both experts in what they do, they make a great team. Did I say I loved this novel?! I sure did! Fans of historical mysteries, anthropology, archaeology, and police procedurals will enjoy this one. I'm a fan of Ellie Griffith's Ruth Galloway mysteries, which also feature historical mysteries and forensic archaeology. I'm excited to have found another series with all the elements I enjoy. 

I know I read a lot of magical realism, foodie, and contemporary women's novels, but oh, the nerdy history and forensics girl in me loves this type of novel, too. 

Rating: 5/6 for a thriller that combines history, action, adventure, archaeology, forensics, and a race against time. The Donner Party tragedy continues to echo down through the years. It's never too late to bring peace to those who died tragically in the most horrible of circumstances. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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Old Bones by Preston & Child

The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron

Wow. This book blew me away. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I requested it from the library; I have a vague recollection of knowing it was about an archaeologist and a neanderthal, and that was it.  It was so much more that I am declaring it to be one of my favorite books of 2017.  

Two stories, thousands of years apart, yet entwined together.  Rose is an archaeologist working in France in a cave where she has recently made a ground-breaking discovery: the skeletal remains of a Neanderthal and the remains of a "modern" human, buried together facing each other.  This find will turn the idea of Neanderthals going extinct through extermination by modern humans completely around.  Many will doubt the clear evidence, as they are happy to continue to believe Neanderthals were, well, neanderthal-ish in their lifestyle and behavior, and were incapable of intersecting and living with modern humans.  This will make Rose's career.

The other story is told by Girl.  She is the Neanderthal Rose finds in the cave centuries later.  Girl lives within a small family:  Big Mother, Brother, Bent, and Runt.  Runt has stayed with the family ever since he was discovered wandering around the forest.  He's very different looking than Girl and her family:  dark skinned, black hair, more finely boned.  Girl has bright red hair, and a body that is made to be muscular and incredibly strong. She is a warrior queen. Girl is so finely tuned into the world around her that she, along with her family, are able to sense warm blooded creatures just by feeling the air currents flow over their upper gums.  They are so much a part of the cycle of life that they can feel the trees' thoughts, sense bears hybernating, and move through their days completely a part of the world around them. Claire Cameron's prose is just beautiful.  Her descriptions of the reverence and honor Girl and her family have for the world around them is one of the best parts of this novel. 

I quickly became obsessed with Girl's story.  Tragedy upon tragedy quickly follows Girl, and soon she is completely alone. Or is she?  I was all in on her quest to survive, and her fight to not give up.  Girl is tenacious, quick thinking, warm, kind, and capable.  She's a survivor.  Life is pretty black and white in Girl's time, and there was no room or time for contemplating morals.  It was kill or be killed.  

Rose is also obsessed with uncovering the two skeletons.  She is prepared to fight for her vision of Neanderthals, knowing it will be an uphill battle against established beliefs in the scientific community.  Working against time (Rose discovers she is pregnant at the beginning of the novel) she feverishly works to uncover as much of Girl as she can before she's forced to leave and have her child.  Two women, from two very different worlds, fighting for survival in very different ways.  Rose is Girl's storyteller, and she fights hard to tell the true story.

This was such a good book.  I would love to see this as a movie.  When it comes down to it, the connection we share with our Neanderthal ancestors (yes, we do have Neanderthal in our DNA) is knowing that we are not alone in this world. I was sad to see my time with Girl come to an end. What a powerful character. What a powerful woman.  

Rating:  5/6 for a roller coaster ride through the life of the last Neanderthal, Girl.  Her connections to the land and nature are beautifully written by Claire Cameron.  Girl is an unforgettable character to me.  Rose is also equally strong, but Girl is the star of this novel. 

Available in hardcover and e-book. 

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The Last Neanderthal by Claire Cameron

The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

After reading this book, I know I wouldn't last more than a day in the jungle. Mosquitoes just love me, and I can't even survive a few hours in my back yard during the summer when they come out in droves. I'd be a giant mess in the jungles of Honduras. Couple that with an absolute terror of snakes, and I'm done. Douglas Preston is a much braver soul than I ever will be, and thanks to him, I got to read about this archaeological adventure in the comfort of my home.

The Lost City of the Monkey God is an adventure that takes you into the vast, dense jungles of Honduras to look for the famous "White City" or "Lost City of the Monkey God". For centuries, rumors have told of a famous city, lost for years in one of the most remote places on earth:  the jungles of Honduras. Hard to get to; once you do, the time spent hacking through the jungle just to walk a few feet keeps most people out. It is one of the last places on earth that still remained a mystery; untouched by humans for centuries. It's been so long since humans have lived in the area that animals are not afraid and are merely curious at the new arrivals.  

As I read this book, I thought of Bill Bryson's funny take on Australia, where he says that pretty much everything there can kill you. That's just what Mosquita, the vast, impenetrable jungle in Honduras presents.  Mosquitoes, snakes of all shapes and sizes (and all horribly lethal), sand flies, and a host of other creatures that require constant vigilance and constant spraying of DEET. Yet Douglas Preston (yes, the co-author of the Preston and Child novels) gets a chance to go along on a trip to finally find out if the rumors are true: is there a lost city in the jungle? When National Geographic calls, you go!

Using LiDAR, which is, from what I can understand, a very expensive scanning machine (this is a much simplified description), archaeologists discovered not one, but two potential sites in 2012. Known as T1 and T3, the LiDAR scans proved for the first time definitively that there were man-made structures in the jungle.  Not only man-made, but huge, and spanning miles.  Were they vast cities?  And who built them?  

Preston and crew returned to the jungle in 2015 to finally start exploring what their scans had found, and what they discovered was beyond their biggest dreams.  Untouched, intact proof of a sophisticated civilization that disappeared hundreds of years ago. They simply walked away from their cities. Why? The jungle doesn't leave very many clues. The high acidity in the soil means that anything organic is quickly broken down. Any hope of finding tombs with remains were swiftly dashed. What they did find opened up a huge debate over the culture that existed, how to protect the sites from looters, and how Honduran cultural identity would be formed. It also brought up a huge debate regarding what exactly archaeology is, and how advanced scanning technology is both at once a huge gift to the field, and damaging to the practice of actually going into a site and excavating.  

There's much more to this tale, and I'll leave it to you to discover. Preston and crew didn't leave the jungle alone; they were exposed to a dangerous illness that in itself is fascinating to read about. Preston talks about Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel and I think it's probably a book I should read sometime soon. The whole Old World bringing disease to the New World issue plays a big part in this story, and even carries over into Preston's life after he returns home.

I highly recommend this adventure to anyone who enjoys travel memoirs, archaeology, history, and science. Those who have devoured The Lost City of Z must read this--it's full of rascals who claimed to have found treasure and the lost city, and the excitement their travels created in newspapers in the early and mid-20th century.  

Rating: 4/6 for a really interesting read on something that was never on my radar; the archaeology geek in me was hooked. How do you begin to understand a civilization that was lost to time?  

Available in hardcover and ebook.     

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The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston

The Post Where I Finally Review: The Blood Gospel by James Rollins

 My tale of The Blood Gospel started well over a year ago (and maybe two!) at the Whatcha Reading Book Club we have at my B&N once a month.  If you long to be part of a book club, but dread reading stuff you just don't want to read, try forming a book club like this one.  It's genius!  We meet once a month and take turns talking about what each of us have read the previous month.  You can talk as much or as little as you want.  NO PRESSURE.  YOU GET TO READ WHAT YOU WANT.  AWESOME.  It's probably the most enjoyable book group I've ever been a part of, and we have such a good time.  The only problem is we all leave with a bigger "to read" list. 

The Blood Gospel  by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell is one book that made the rounds of our book club.  So far four other members have read this first in the trilogy, and actually all three books.  I've been under the gun to read it for what seems like ages, so I finally did and it was a heck of a ride.  

The Blood Gospel is a mix of archaeology, supernatural, the divine, end-of-the-world threats, and pretty cool ancient history set on its ear.  Also toss in a group of vampiric priests who work to rid the world of a horrible threat--super bad vampires working with powerful humans bent on controlling all of mankind.  Three main characters:  archaeologist Dr. Erin Granger, military man Sergeant Jordan Stone, and Father Rhun Korza come together at Masada--heck yes, I said Masada--after a horrific earthquake reveals a tomb hidden deep in the mountain.  This tomb is very old, very ancient, and within it is the power to create chaos or reveal the ultimate power of Jesus Christ.  Yep--it's a gospel written in Christ's own blood by the Son of God himself.  And the desire to possess it brings out every horrible creature between heaven and hell.  

But the gospel is missing.  And those pesky Nazis seem to have had a hand in its disappearance during World War 2.  Who has it and where is it?

This is a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The biblical references, the archaeology, the downright nasty vampires and creatures that race after Erin, Rhun, and Jordan are the stuff of nightmares.  No one is safe.  Pretty much everything is thrown into this first novel--it clocks in at almost 700 pages.  Well worth it.  I've already got the second in the trilogy here at home, ready to pick it up and read it within the next few weeks.  And yes, I will read that third and epic conclusion to this trilogy.  If you're curious, the first two are in paperback, and the third is still in hardcover.  I'm guessing it will be out in paperback around Christmas.  This, my friends, is your beach read, your front porch read, your stuck in the back seat of the car on a family vacation read.  It's also your get creeped out all alone at night read.  Dive right in!  A winning combination of history, action, thrills, and chills.  

Here are the next two titles in this trilogy:

 Rating:  7/10 for action that is non-stop, a clever mix of biblical history and archaeology, and some of the nastiest vampires I've ever come across--in a book, that is :)

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio.

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The Post Where I Finally Review: The Blood Gospel by James Rollins

The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths

I reviewed The Crossing Places in August of this year, and I've been wanting to read more of the adventures of Ruth Galloway, forensic archaeologist.  Finally, I had an excuse to read the second in her series, The Janus Stone.  And when I finished it, I immediately bought the next two.  I can't wait for Christmas break so I can devour them!

This novel begins about 3 months after The Crossing Places ends.  Ruth is nearing the end of the academic year at her college, and there's a dig going on in the area involving Roman finds.  What looks like a general dig soon turns into a mystery when Ruth is called to investigate another place:  an old mansion is being demolished to make way for a new set of apartments, and the skeletal remains of a small child have been found.  Both areas become entwined as Ruth and her friend, Max, find similar clues at each dig that indicate something foul is afoot.  Who is so fascinated with sacrifice and the god Janus?  

Oh, I so enjoyed this mystery!  And you have to read The Crossing Places first, since there are continuing story lines from that novel.  Detective Nelson is firmly in the thick of this mystery, too.  He certainly becomes a more well-fleshed out character in this novel, and a genuinely likeable man.  

As I've said before, I'm not much of a mystery gal, but I'm slowly dipping my toes into the genre.  I find it fascinating that now, after all these years of reading, I am interested in mysteries.  Haven't quite figured out why yet.  When I know, I'll let you know!  In the meantime, if you like mystery, England, and archeology, try Elly Griffiths.  

Available in paperback and e-book

Rating:  7/10

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The Janus Stone: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths