I found the plot line of the book to be interesting as well as quite unique. We have a serial killer murder mystery set among the Anasazi peoples with an archaeology crew excavating his victim hundreds of years later. It was a solid mystery that became even more compelling as it went along. Stone Ghost was the best character...a gifted detective with a well-rounded knowledge of psychology, even if he was a bit eccentric. It was difficult to guess the killer, but the clues were all there and yet the ending was still surprising. The story actually runs in two plotlines, modern times and historical times, connected by the place that once was a village but now is an archaeological dig site. The one thing that I thought was unnecessary and brought the story down a bit for me, as well as losing the book a 5-star rating, was the way the author chose to introduce and give the reader a picture of the two main characters. The archaeologist was brilliant, but he was instantly reduced to the pages of a "bodice-ripper" book when the author described him in great detail as "a blond, rugged, muscular Adonis". I was now waiting for his "goddess" to appear and didn't have too long to wait. She, of course was described as"A full breasted, small waisted equally brilliant scholar">/i>. How did that really matter? Well, except that they were brilliant scholars and capable of solving the murders. Turns out that it really didn't matter what either of them looked like...they hated each other at first sight and throughout most of the story...but you probably know how long the "hated" lasted and where all that was heading. The author also brought forth the interesting question of science versus spiritual belief, but never explored it any further. The perfect opportunity was there several times. She had created two expert characters that could have added their individual views and knowledge on this question to the story. The majority of the book was 4-star worthy but a little less of the "blond, rugged Adonis" and "full breasted, small waisted" descriptions and more about the ancient peoples and the killer would have brought this story up to a solid 5-star read. ( )

Creepy, compelling, but overly complicated, and not believable as a series. ( )

Interesting, but a little confusing. ( )

Dr. Maureen Cole, an anthropologist, is called in to examine a mass grave discovered in New Mexico, but as she works to unravel the mystery of the shattered skulls of women and children found there, strange things begin to happen around her. ( )

A mystery set in ancient anasazi land (mesa verde where i've visited/camped--high school anthropology trip)--anthropologists trying to solve--gets a little grisly (or a lot) ( )