I'm happy that I found Gigi Pandian's books a few years ago, as they continue to satisfy!
Thanks to Henery Press and Net Galley, I received an advance copy of this novel to review.
The exciting thing about Pandian's series is that the mysteries are well rooted in historical fact! The fact and the fiction blend so seamlessly that I find myself hopping on Google regularly to educate myself because I literally cannot tell which parts are made up. The "treasures" are all legitimately possible discoveries. I enjoy this tremendously.

In this installment, history professor Jaya Jones receives a mysterious summons from an old mentor, a woman whose career has gone off the rails because she's obsessed with finding the next blockbuster discovery. She's mostly dismissed by her colleagues, so Jaya proceeds cautiously, but this time the treasure seems like it could be real.

An obscure Italian artist named Lazzaro Allegri is rumored to have worked with Michelangelo, traveled to India, and produced some hybrid artwork combining European and Indian technique and subject. This cultural crossover would be a first, and would knock the socks off the academic world. But Lazzaro was an outcast when he got back to Italy, meaning he had to work in a concealed studio, and meaning that his art never really saw the light of day.

When Jaya studies the evidence, she decides to take on the job. This will involve a trip to beautiful Italy, effectively combining pleasure with business. But Jaya is in for a hectic experience, complicated by her brother and his new girlfriend traveling with her, a local ghost story seeming to come to life, and the fear that her top-secret boyfriend has gone off the grid again.

I've said it before, and it's still true: Gigi Pandian does an incredible job of letting her characters inhabit a place. The Italian town they're in, and the legendary 500-year-old Park of Monsters, really come to life as Jaya and her friends traverse the length and breadth of the land. By the time I finish one of her books my interest is peaked for a place I'd never previously heard of.

In Michelangelo's Ghost, Pandian also shows how well she can do suspense! I was excited about the cliffhangers in a way I haven't been since I was 9 and first reading Nancy Drew! They're so much fun! And there are some clever twists too... for instance, the identity of the criminal ^V^ (I admit I did figure this out before the reveal, but it was still clever)!

There are some stunning descriptions and atmosphere in this book that make me crave a movie version... when Jaya's having a crucial phone conversation right outside the walls of her villa, and the black cloth flutters above her... such a great, shivery visual!!!

I really do recommend this book and this series, especially for someone with at least a casual interest in history. ( )

I adore the Jaya Jones series. True, I have only read the previous book in the series, but I loved it. It was such an easy-going adventurous story and I'm glad to say that this book was just as good as the previous one. Jaya Jones old professor contacts her with a tantalizing discovery. A manuscript that could show the way to some hidden masterpieces by a disgraced Renaissance artist. However, Jaya wonders if there someone out there who is after the masterpieces when the professor suspiciously dies. Someone that doesn't hesitate to kill to get to them...

In this book is Jaya Jones teaming up with her brother Mahilan and his girlfriend Ava in searching for clues to where the artist Lazzaro Allegri's masterpieces can be hidden. Of course, Jaya's boyfriend Lane Peters is also in the book, even though he is not traveling with her to Italy since they can really have an open relationship because of his past. And, he has another "job". I was a bit sad that my favorite character Henry North didn't seem to be in the story, but I got myself a surprise when he did have a cameo later on in the book. It's so typical of me to like the "bad guy" the most!

The story was wonderfully engaging and interesting, sure I did see some twist coming, but I enjoyed the book immensely. Pandian sure knows how to write a great adventure story with interesting and likable characters. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have the first two books in the series, but I have yet not read them.

I want to thank Henery Press for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! ( )

I'm always reluctant to start these and then love them once I do. Jaya Jones is an historian specialising in Indian history (India Indian) and I admit, that's not my historical catnip. But Pandian always ties the plot to other cultures too, and then there's the female Indiana Jones vibe with a touch of art thief, and each book pretty much ends up as a fun adventure.

This time, Jaya gets information about an unknown renaissance artist rumoured to have worked with Michelangelo; this artist spent many years working and learning from artists in India and could be a long missing link between Indian and renaissance art. This information sends her to Italy, where it's said the artist hid his artwork in the Parco dei Mostri - The Park of Monsters.

Pandian manages to weave Jaya's brother into the story line - although I have to say, I think I was meant to like him, but he just came across as a stick-up-the-backside prat. More romantic progress is made and many startling revelations revealed, but this doesn't take up much story space.

While there are a few elements I disliked, for the most part it was a fun story: art, adventure, thieves, ghosts, and big gothic statuary. It would be hard not to like it.

As always, Pandian includes an author's note at the end explaining what in the story is historically accurate, and what is fiction/creative license. Parco dei Mostri is a real place, as is the fact that Michelangelo spent time in the vicinity around the time of the Park's creation. ( )

I couldn't find a copy of the book so I listened to the audiobook liked it as much as the 3 previous book that I'd read. Allyson Ryan is the narrator and she did a nice job with the characters making each distinctive and dramatic enough during the action scenes of the book. ( )

Michelangelo’s Ghost by Gigi Pandian is a 2016 Henery Press publication.
Another thrilling adventure for Jaya Jones!!

Jaya’s former professor calls her out of the blue, tempting her with a story about a forgotten, but a uniquely talented Italian artist with ties to Michelangelo.

Shortly thereafter, the professor dies under suspicious circumstances, which convinces Jaya and her brother to travel to Italy in search of manuscripts that could lead to a hidden treasure. However, they get much more than they bargained for…

A chilling ghost story, and buried treasure, mingled with a little fascinating history make this one of Jaya’s most thrilling adventures to date!

I’ve been slowly reading my way through this awesome series. I found myself in just the right mood for a Jaya Jones adventure when I started this book, and was doubly delighted to discover the story featured a ghost story- just in time for fall and Halloween. A happy coincidence!

Italy is always a great setting, so rich in history, especially when art is part of the plot. This tale is a little complex, multilayered, and very fast-paced, and as always, Jaya’s narration is simply delightful!

This was a tense and absorbing mystery, filled with intrigue, and laced with awesome twists and surprises you won’t see coming!

Anyone can enjoy this series. It’s got a little something for everyone- adventure, history, interesting locations, a well- crafted mystery, great characters and little intriguing romance to top it all off!

Highly recommend! ( )