For some reason did I not expect Olmec Obituary to take place in present time. I thought it would take place at the beginning of the 20th century. It's odd how a cover and the blurb can make you expect something else than what you get.

I'm actually a bit surprised that this book is labeled cozy crime because that's not the feeling I got when I read the book. Sure there are no sex scenes and not much violence, but it felt too serious to be a cozy crime book. Sure it had its funny moments, but most of the time it had a serious tone, especially since the main character and her family is recovering from a death in the family and Elizabeth herself has had to give up on her career as an archaeologist to support her family. So, she's not always a happy camper. But I guess since it's not many bloody murder scenes sprinkled in the book can one see this book as a cozy crime novel.

Olmec Obituary is a page-turner. I started to read the book in the evening and finished in the middle of the night. I came to enjoy Elizabeth Pimms and her family quite much and the flashbacks 3000 years ago to the life of the skeletons Emily is examining adds drama to the story. What was is that killed all those people and will Elizabeth get to the bottom of the mystery?

This is definitely a new favorite series of mine. I was intrigued by the mystery with the skeletons and Elizabeth's problem with both her family and work kept my interest up from the beginning until the end of the book. It was such a splendid book.

Olmec Obituary is one of those books that I hoped would be entertaining to read, but in the end, surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

4.5 stars

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review! ( )

For some reason did I not expect Olmec Obituary to take place in present time. I thought it would take place at the beginning of the 20th century. It's odd how a cover and the blurb can make you expect something else than what you get.

I'm actually a bit surprised that this book is labeled cozy crime because that's not the feeling I got when I read the book. Sure there are no sex scenes and not much violence, but it felt too serious to be a cozy crime book. Sure it had its funny moments, but most of the time it had a serious tone, especially since the main character and her family is recovering from a death in the family and Elizabeth herself has had to give up on her career as an archaeologist to support her family. So, she's not always a happy camper. But I guess since it's not many bloody murder scenes sprinkled in the book can one see this book as a cozy crime novel.

Olmec Obituary is a page-turner. I started to read the book in the evening and finished in the middle of the night. I came to enjoy Elizabeth Pimms and her family quite much and the flashbacks 3000 years ago to the life of the skeletons Emily is examining adds drama to the story. What was is that killed all those people and will Elizabeth get to the bottom of the mystery?

This is definitely a new favorite series of mine. I was intrigued by the mystery with the skeletons and Elizabeth's problem with both her family and work kept my interest up from the beginning until the end of the book. It was such a splendid book.

Olmec Obituary is one of those books that I hoped would be entertaining to read, but in the end, surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

4.5 stars

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review! ( )

Due to family financial constraint Australian Dr Elizabeth Pimms no longer works as archaeologist, but as a librarian. She is asked to work on her weekends, in the lab, on a new find from Mexico - A royal Olmec cemetery. But her suspicions are raised from the start.
I was really looking forward to reading this as I enjoy ancient and historical mysteries, but I didn't like the central character of Pimms. I also didn't find the back story concerning her family relevant or appealing. Though as this is a first in a series, the character hopefully will improve.
A NetGalley Book ( )

DNF- Started out very slow & it couldn't keep my attention for anything. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood...

I really loved the tagline for this book, and it's what made me want to read it. Unlike the tense mystery I was expecting, this book is warm and inviting - it's a great read for snuggling under a blanket with some tea (and maybe a cat or two) on a miserable day.

Owen weaves in quite a bit of information about archaeology without the text getting too weighted down. Many of the bits and pieces she put in had me looking things up later - she took a subject that could be dry in its details and brought it to life. I also really loved the way she told two stories at once: that of the protagonist (Dr. Pimms,) and also the stories behind the bones she studies - who they were, and how they ended up where they ended up dying.

What kept me from giving this book a higher rating was the characterization. The protagonist is sometimes difficult to like, with the crying sprees and the naivety. Unlike the strong-female-character I was expecting, she behaves a bit like a spoiled highschooler. Many of the other characters have very black or white characterizations; they're either totally bad (and act totally bad, because they're bad,) or completely good (and act totally good, because, well, they're the good guys.) It made some parts of the story a little too predictable.

Overall, I would recommend this book, and will be looking for the sequels.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )