This is one in a series on Faye Longchamp, archaeologist, who has been digging up civil war relics on her island off the coast of Florida. When her friend and employer at a small museum, is murdered and Faye's field notes stolen, Faye helps the police by researching the civil war relics. Her good friend Joe is asked to be her bodyguard as her life appears to be in danger too.

The writing and premise were good but I found the pace a bit slow throughout. The story included some history about the civil war, information about amateurs digging for artifacts and a bit of romance. ( )

For any crime fiction fan interested in archaeology, Mary Anna Evans' Faye Longchamp series is a treasure trove. Faye runs on too little sleep, so she's able to get dirty doing her job as well as to take time to investigate murders. A topic that's an important part of the story is the depredation of archaeological sites by illegal "pot hunters" who dig up (and ruin) sites, taking away anything of value to sell on eBay or to private buyers. Furthermore, Evans incorporates oral history, letters, diaries, and other things to bring the historical aspects of her books to life. In the case of Findings, readers can follow along on a treasure hunt that ties into the lives and letters of a married couple who lived during the Civil War. To make matters worse, the killers are doing their own research, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want.

There are so many layers in this book, but actually Findings is all about love-- Civil War era Jedediah and Viola, Faye's friend Douglass and his wife Emma, police chief Mike and his wife Magda.... Love touches Faye, too, and she has some soul searching to do while she's not doing research or dodging killers. Will she choose life in Atlanta with Ross, or staying at Joyeuse with Joe? If you've read previous books in the series, you'll probably have a choice, but if you're new to these characters, you won't feel lost.

Love, treasure, history, and murder set on islands off the coast of Florida. In the hands of Mary Anna Evans, it's a slice of magic. ( )

I love reading about Faye and Joe and the supporting cast around them. Faye is back on her beloved Joyeuse Island off the Florida coast. She and Joe are both in college, both working digs and soon, both up to their elbows in murder.

There was a lot of really cool Civil War history in this one, I love getting the tidbits of history with my mystery! The mystery is really well done and I'll admit I had *no clue* of the actual villain of the piece, in fact the name never even crossed my mind as the "perp". I love it when that happens, it means the author has managed to drag enough red herrings across my train of thought to totally blindside me with the ending.

All in all a satisfying read and I can't wait to read the next in the series. ( )

Whew! Where to begin on this one. A lot happens in Findings. We still see Ross Donnelly, the lawyer from the previous book that Faye was seeing. He comes to Florida, after a tragedy strikes to help her through this rough time. But Faye isn't really one to lie down and cry about things. When another murder happens and the victim dies in her arms she has to do something. This victim, Wally from the first book, leaves her a note in her pocket and a message in her ear just before he dies. She finally figures the clue out and she and Joe go on a treasure hunt in the library of rare books at the university and on her own island. They have to piece together a book of old handwritten letters and match the dates with Faye's great-great-great Grandmother Cally's letters about the plantation and the visitors to find out about the rare emerald Faye found and if their was any more to the story that the visitor that came left any more jewels or gold behind.

During this time, Ross tries to convince Faye that she isn't safe and she needs someone smarter than Joe to look after her. And after a few more accidents, Joe comes to that conclusion as well. Ross tries to force Faye's hand telling her she can live in Atlanta and they can visit Joyeuse on the weekends, but the University doesn't even have an archaeology department. When she asks, "But what about Joe?" she realizes, she could give up Joyeuse if she had to, but not Joe. And she tells Ross to stop telling her what to do. Needless to say he's gone the next day. She and Joe are careful in their investigations but they get outsmarted and are left to fend for themselves together against a double threat. And Faye realizes the one thing she can't lose has nothing to do with her plantation house, but she may just lose it before she ever had it. The ending, the final sentence leaves you hanging but you know anyway without the words being said.

Mary Anna Evans says in the back of the book that she realized that the whole book was a love story and it was. Several love stories in one, from the past and present. This has been my absolute favorite and as far as cover love goes, this one is much better than the last two were. A definite step up!

So, who should read this book? Everybody! It's a love story, but not gushy at all. It's got archaeology, history, Civil War, a lot of facts and things I never thought about or was taught when we learned about the Civil War, mystery and suspense it covers just about every genre. A teen could definitely read this.

Also, the author has started including questions and answers in the back and it gives a lot of insight into how she prepared for the book and how it just wrote itself. Plus she gives her references. I'm off to read the next one, Floodgates now. Review to follow.

Heather in Sandwich ( )