Artifacts: A Faye Longchamp Mystery (Faye Longchamp Series, 1) - Softcover

Evans, Mary Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590589904 ISBN 13: 9781590589908

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2012

Synopsis

Praise for Artifacts... "The shifting little isles along the Florida Pan- handle-hurricane-wracked bits of land filled with plenty of human history-serve as the effective backdrop for Evans' debut, a tale of greed, archeology, romance and murder." -Publishers Weekly Faye Longchamp has lost nearly everything except her deter-mination to hang onto Joyeuse, a moldering plantation hidden along the Florida coast. No one knows how Faye's great-great-grandmother Cally, a newly freed slave barely out of her teens, came to own Joyeuse in the aftermath of the Civil War or how her descendants hung onto it through Reconstruction, world wars, the Depression, and Jim Crow. But Faye has inherited the family tenacity. When the property taxes rise beyond her means, she sets out to save Joyeuse by digging for artifacts on her property and selling them on the black market. But instead of pot shards and arrowheads, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull. If Faye reports the 40-year-old murder, she'll reveal her illegal livelihood, risk jail...and Joyeuse. So she probes into the dead woman's history, unaware that the past is rushing toward her like a hurricane across deceptively calm Gulf waters.... Mary Anna Evans has degrees in physics and engineering, but her heart is in the past. Her series character lives the exciting life of an archaeologist, and Mary Anna envies her a little. This award-winning series includes Artifacts, Relics, Effigies, Findings, Floodgates, Strangers and Plunder. www.maryannaevans.com

About this title

Review:

"The shifting little isles along the Florida Panhandle--hurricane-wracked bits of land filled with plenty of human history--serve as the effective backdrop for Evans's debut, a tale of greed, archaeology, romance and murder.... Readers should welcome this strong new sleuth." -- Publishers Weekly "You will enjoy this book for the mystery story and the interesting history and archaeological information the author freely dispenses. Books from Poisoned Pen Press are always a good bet with an interesting twist be it a new author or an almost forgotten one." -- I Love a Mystery "First-novelist Evans introduces a strong female sleuth in this extremely promising debut, and she makes excellent use of her archaeological subject matter, weaving past and present together in a multi-layered, compelling plot." -- Booklist "Artifacts is a haunting, atmospheric story in which a mysterious island holds the clue to long-buried family secrets. Mary Anna Evans brings passion and insight to her subject and has written a modern southern gothic novel about a biracial woman's search for her heritage." -- PJ Parrish, Edgar nominee and New York Times best-selling author

"A fresh contemporary protagonist, Faye Longchamp gives the phrase 'scraping to get by' a whole different meaning. Past and present merge in an intriguing story ably demonstrating that Miami doesn't have a monopoly on murder in Florida." -- Aileen Schumacher, Anthony award nominated author

About the Author:

Mary Anna Evans has degrees in Physics and Chemical Engineering, but her heart is in the past. Her background includes stints as an environmental consultant and a youth choir director. She has also worked offshore and wrapped gifts for pay. Writing lets her indulge her passion for history, archaeology, and architecture, while giving her a great excuse for making up stories. Simply put, writing novels is fun. Mary Anna lives in Florida with her husband, three children, at least sixteen musical instruments, and a cat. Artifacts is her debut novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1590589904
• ISBN 13: 9781590589908
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304