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Faye Longchamp #1
Artifacts
Faye Longchamp has lost nearly everything except for her quick mind and a grim determination to hang onto her ancestral home, 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. No one knows how her descendants hung onto it through Reconstruction, world wars, the Depression, and Jim Crow, but Faye has inherited the island plantation--and 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 the surrounding National Wildlife Refuge and selling them on the black market. A tiny bit of that dead glory would pay a year's taxes. A big valuable chunk of the past would save her home forever.
But instead of potsherds and arrowheads, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull, a Jackie Kennedy-style earring nestled against its bony cheek. Faye is torn. If she reports the forty-year-old murder, she'll reveal her illegal livelihood, thus risking jail and the loss of Joyeuse. She doesn't intend to let that happen, so she probes into the dead woman's history , unaware that the past is rushing up on her like a hurricane across deceptively calm Gulf waters. Because the killer is still close at hand, ready to kill again to keep his secrets dead and buried.
But instead of potsherds and arrowheads, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull, a Jackie Kennedy-style earring nestled against its bony cheek. Faye is torn. If she reports the forty-year-old murder, she'll reveal her illegal livelihood, thus risking jail and the loss of Joyeuse. She doesn't intend to let that happen, so she probes into the dead woman's history , unaware that the past is rushing up on her like a hurricane across deceptively calm Gulf waters. Because the killer is still close at hand, ready to kill again to keep his secrets dead and buried.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
767 people are currently reading
2293 people want to read
About the author
Mary Anna Evans
36 books457 followersMary Anna Evans is an award-winning author, a writing professor, and she holds degrees in physics and engineering, a background that, as it turns out, is ideal for writing her new book, The Physicists' Daughter. Set in WWII-era New Orleans, The Physicists' Daughter introduces Justine Byrne, whom Mary Anna describes as "a little bit Rosie-the-Riveter and a little bit Bletchley Park codebreaker."
When Justine, the daughter of two physicists who taught her things girls weren't expected to know in 1944, realizes that her boss isn't telling her the truth about the work she does in her factory job, she draws on the legacy of her unconventional upbringing to keep her division running and protect her coworkers, her country, and herself from a war that is suddenly very close to home.
Her crime fiction has earned recognition that includes the Oklahoma Book Award, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, the Mississippi Author Award, a spot on Voice of Young America’s (VOYA) list of “Adult Mysteries with Young Adult Appeal,” a writer’s residency from The Studios of Key West, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Florida Historical Society’s Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals.
In addition to writing crime fiction, she writes about crime fiction, as evidenced by the upcoming Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie, which she coedited with J.D Bernthal.
For the incurably curious, Mary Anna’s first published work, her master’s thesis, was entitled A Modeling Study of the NH3-NO-O2 Reaction Under the Operating Conditions of a Fluidized Bed Combustor. Like her mysteries, it was a factually based page-turner but, no, it’s not available online.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAnnaEvan...
Twitter: @maryannaevans
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BookBub: @maryannaevans
When Justine, the daughter of two physicists who taught her things girls weren't expected to know in 1944, realizes that her boss isn't telling her the truth about the work she does in her factory job, she draws on the legacy of her unconventional upbringing to keep her division running and protect her coworkers, her country, and herself from a war that is suddenly very close to home.
Her crime fiction has earned recognition that includes the Oklahoma Book Award, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, the Mississippi Author Award, a spot on Voice of Young America’s (VOYA) list of “Adult Mysteries with Young Adult Appeal,” a writer’s residency from The Studios of Key West, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Florida Historical Society’s Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals.
In addition to writing crime fiction, she writes about crime fiction, as evidenced by the upcoming Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie, which she coedited with J.D Bernthal.
For the incurably curious, Mary Anna’s first published work, her master’s thesis, was entitled A Modeling Study of the NH3-NO-O2 Reaction Under the Operating Conditions of a Fluidized Bed Combustor. Like her mysteries, it was a factually based page-turner but, no, it’s not available online.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAnnaEvan...
Twitter: @maryannaevans
Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/maryannaevans/
BookBub: @maryannaevans
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 345 reviews
December 10, 2017
Artifacts is the first book in the Faye Longchamp series. The characters, location and the decisions that Faye had to make to survive or to hold down her plantation house make this book a good and different read.
The location is the Florida panhandle and Faye is living in a rundown plantation house that has been in her family for many generations. She does some illegal pot digging to survive and to have a little money. The book is quite atmospheric I thought. One could see the run down plantation and interior of the house. How grand it must have been. Faye found a journal that over the generations various ancestors had journalized their lives. It gave a history of the house and their lives.
Faye is from a long line of strong women. The characters were interesting and well developed. Faye has an interest in archeology. She had to drop out of school before completing her course work. She is very good at it and also at recording the findings. She can live on very little. She does not give out her address because she does not want people to know where she lives as she can't pay the taxes. She says she lives on her boat.
Joe who lives on her property is a very memorable, likable and a hero type character. He loves the outdoors, nature and lives a simple life. He cares for Faye as she has taken him in and given him a place to live.
I liked Faye's previous professor who was somewhat crusty and saw potential in Faye.
I always like mysteries that have a mystery from the past and a current mystery. This book had all that and a hurricane to boot! I will continue on with the series. I want to see where Faye's life goes now. I know it won't be static.
The location is the Florida panhandle and Faye is living in a rundown plantation house that has been in her family for many generations. She does some illegal pot digging to survive and to have a little money. The book is quite atmospheric I thought. One could see the run down plantation and interior of the house. How grand it must have been. Faye found a journal that over the generations various ancestors had journalized their lives. It gave a history of the house and their lives.
Faye is from a long line of strong women. The characters were interesting and well developed. Faye has an interest in archeology. She had to drop out of school before completing her course work. She is very good at it and also at recording the findings. She can live on very little. She does not give out her address because she does not want people to know where she lives as she can't pay the taxes. She says she lives on her boat.
Joe who lives on her property is a very memorable, likable and a hero type character. He loves the outdoors, nature and lives a simple life. He cares for Faye as she has taken him in and given him a place to live.
I liked Faye's previous professor who was somewhat crusty and saw potential in Faye.
I always like mysteries that have a mystery from the past and a current mystery. This book had all that and a hurricane to boot! I will continue on with the series. I want to see where Faye's life goes now. I know it won't be static.
September 26, 2011
This is one of those serendipitous books - I saw it on a table at the library, read the dust cover and thought, "Hmmm, Mom might like to read this. Hmmm, I might like to read this," and checked it out. Mom read it in less than two days. It took me considerably longer but I still very much enjoyed it.
The story revolves around Faye Longchamp, a mulatto woman, who lives in the Panhandle area of Florida. She doesn't believe she fits in anywhere - not the white nor the black world - and she's hiding a big secret: she's the legal owner of an old southern plantation, Joyeuse, situated off the coast on one of the little islands. The house is in relatively good shape, i.e., you could live there, if you don't mind camping out, but Faye doesn't actually work and has little money to pay the taxes on the land, much less the decrepit but gorgeous old house. What she does to get money is highly illegal: she digs up the surrounding islands (now Federal land and originally connected to Joyeuse's land but hurricanes took their toll and broke the big island into smaller pieces), looking for artifacts she can sell. Having been trained in archeology - and really loved it - she is a careful and conscientious excavator; listing everywhere she finds the artifacts. When Faye uncovers a woman's body on one of the islands, she thinks at first that this is an old burial ground until she discovers a relatively modern earring tucked next to the skull and decides to find out who the woman is.
Her searching leads her to a missing person report, filed many years ago, that implicates a man she sells her artifacts to - Fredrick Douglass Everett - though she is sure her friend couldn't have murdered a girl. The puzzle gets bigger when two archeology students are murdered on a dig that Faye and her teacher/mentor are supervising.
As a story, I thought that the build up took a little too long of a time but the Ms. Evans' writing reminds me very much of Florida. The characters are all interesting and more than one of them have their share of secrets. Though not everything is wrapped up neatly at the end, there is a great satisfaction at the pat happy ending, because some of the characters definitely deserve it after what they've been through.
The story revolves around Faye Longchamp, a mulatto woman, who lives in the Panhandle area of Florida. She doesn't believe she fits in anywhere - not the white nor the black world - and she's hiding a big secret: she's the legal owner of an old southern plantation, Joyeuse, situated off the coast on one of the little islands. The house is in relatively good shape, i.e., you could live there, if you don't mind camping out, but Faye doesn't actually work and has little money to pay the taxes on the land, much less the decrepit but gorgeous old house. What she does to get money is highly illegal: she digs up the surrounding islands (now Federal land and originally connected to Joyeuse's land but hurricanes took their toll and broke the big island into smaller pieces), looking for artifacts she can sell. Having been trained in archeology - and really loved it - she is a careful and conscientious excavator; listing everywhere she finds the artifacts. When Faye uncovers a woman's body on one of the islands, she thinks at first that this is an old burial ground until she discovers a relatively modern earring tucked next to the skull and decides to find out who the woman is.
Her searching leads her to a missing person report, filed many years ago, that implicates a man she sells her artifacts to - Fredrick Douglass Everett - though she is sure her friend couldn't have murdered a girl. The puzzle gets bigger when two archeology students are murdered on a dig that Faye and her teacher/mentor are supervising.
As a story, I thought that the build up took a little too long of a time but the Ms. Evans' writing reminds me very much of Florida. The characters are all interesting and more than one of them have their share of secrets. Though not everything is wrapped up neatly at the end, there is a great satisfaction at the pat happy ending, because some of the characters definitely deserve it after what they've been through.
April 4, 2023
This was a new adventure for me with this author. I did find the ending and the story telling of the past through the journal discovery a nice element. I was at some points though thinking this archaeological theme was painstakingly slow. The reveal of information felt at times to be timed in comparison to sweeping the sand away a grain at a time. That is my one issue so far. I liked the characters and the content for the most part. I was just anxious for a little more pace. I would say 3 1/2 stars. I can't go to four though.
August 31, 2010
This is the first mystery in the Faye Longchamp mystery series. I reviewed number six in the series earlier in the year and though I wasn't lost, I was interested enough in the relationships, especially Faye's husband Joe Wolf Mantooth to find out more about the series. It took awhile for my library to dig up some of the books, but this one was so great it had me wishing I was home. There were all the elements of a mystery, murder, many suspects, doubt, subplots and looming threats to our protagonist Faye, the tax collector, the sheriff for illegal digging of artifacts, and a cat 5 hurricane, not to mention the murderer.
The story is told in third person mainly from Faye's point of view, but it depends on who is in the scene. Faye is doing something illegal, that I for one had never heard of pothunting. Apparently it's digging for historical artifacts on preserved lands or parklands and making a profit on them. Faye does it out of necessity, not that this makes it any less illegal and she has a Native American named Joe that sleeps on her land who helps her from time to time. She's desperate, subsisting on peanut butter and honey though Joe usually catches fish for dinner or squirrel or rabbit for dinner. Faye lives in her family's plantation house with no electricity or running water. It's in somewhat of a state of disrepair. And she's trying to evade the tax collector so she won't have to pay taxes on it. Her pothunting is her income and she uncovers an unlikely body, that of a 40 yr old missing girl (she finds this out after some detective work). She can't go to the police without revealing her illegal activities, but she can't help trying to figure out what happened to her. She has no job to speak of except a minimum wage job as an archaeological assistant and when that gets shut down due to murder, the murder of two the students who were helping, Faye's income dries up. Since the bodies were buried in the wet soil and subject to the humidity of the South, there is absolutely no evidence as to why they were killed or who killed them, only how.
The main characters in the story are very well written. Faye Longchamp is neither black nor white. She has a mix of Creek, Caucasian and African American blood mixed in her. She is also a desperate woman one foot ahead of the law and the tax collector. Its all she thinks about. She isn't the kind to actively seek out trouble or search out the killer on her own. She does however put two and two together a little to late, but I never saw it coming. Joe is a Native American with the skills of an ancient warrior. He's protective of Faye though there is no relationship between them other than friendship. Faye thinks he would score only borderline normal on an intelligence test but I don't think she really sees him for who he is. He doesn't know about computers or cars, but he can live off the land and keep her safe and he seems to be a giant standing six foot something. He is at home in the wilderness surrounding Joyeuse, Faye's plantation. But I think he's smarter than she's seen yet.
Magda, the professor at the university unnamed is smart too. She knows Faye doesn't live on the dump of a boat she claims to live on. And puts two and two together to figure out where the plantation is. She also wonders why Faye doesn't go back to school and works on that. She's pretty sure she knows what Faye does to supplement her income, but she doesn't call her on it, knowing Faye would never disturb a truly valuable historically significant place.
Then there's the Sheriff McKenzie. He's known Faye it seems and he doesn't suspect her of murder, but he wants to know more about Joe. Then Joe is arrested by his deputies for murders so long ago he knows Joe wasn't even born. He questions Joe anyway and finds out about the other body, the girl, and remembers who she is, asking Joe to lead him to the body. All of this is happening while a hurricane brews in the Gulf. When the sheriff finds the body gone and smelling of bleach he realizes the killer as removed her body and they head back in the boat in four foot choppy waters to land. But Joe has other plans and disables the boat and jumps overboard. He has to save Faye from the hurricane.
If you've never lived in Florida, this story might be just another story, but Mary Anna Evans does her homework. The story mentions funny names of places in Florida, Cow Ford being one. I'm from Jacksonville and that's what they used to call it because somewhere along the St. John's River they forded cows across it. Hence the name. I couldn't tell you how it got it's current name. But she knows her hurricanes too. No one will ever forget Katrina.
This is a start to a great mystery series. It doesn't have food or crocheting in the title. It's about archaeology, but you don't have to know anything about it to enjoy the series. Archaeology is just the means to get the main characters to their locations according to the last book I read which again was the 6th. Anyone who loves a good mystery with some history of Florida's panhandle thrown in will love this mystery. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series- Relics (as soon as I pick it up from the library.)
The story is told in third person mainly from Faye's point of view, but it depends on who is in the scene. Faye is doing something illegal, that I for one had never heard of pothunting. Apparently it's digging for historical artifacts on preserved lands or parklands and making a profit on them. Faye does it out of necessity, not that this makes it any less illegal and she has a Native American named Joe that sleeps on her land who helps her from time to time. She's desperate, subsisting on peanut butter and honey though Joe usually catches fish for dinner or squirrel or rabbit for dinner. Faye lives in her family's plantation house with no electricity or running water. It's in somewhat of a state of disrepair. And she's trying to evade the tax collector so she won't have to pay taxes on it. Her pothunting is her income and she uncovers an unlikely body, that of a 40 yr old missing girl (she finds this out after some detective work). She can't go to the police without revealing her illegal activities, but she can't help trying to figure out what happened to her. She has no job to speak of except a minimum wage job as an archaeological assistant and when that gets shut down due to murder, the murder of two the students who were helping, Faye's income dries up. Since the bodies were buried in the wet soil and subject to the humidity of the South, there is absolutely no evidence as to why they were killed or who killed them, only how.
The main characters in the story are very well written. Faye Longchamp is neither black nor white. She has a mix of Creek, Caucasian and African American blood mixed in her. She is also a desperate woman one foot ahead of the law and the tax collector. Its all she thinks about. She isn't the kind to actively seek out trouble or search out the killer on her own. She does however put two and two together a little to late, but I never saw it coming. Joe is a Native American with the skills of an ancient warrior. He's protective of Faye though there is no relationship between them other than friendship. Faye thinks he would score only borderline normal on an intelligence test but I don't think she really sees him for who he is. He doesn't know about computers or cars, but he can live off the land and keep her safe and he seems to be a giant standing six foot something. He is at home in the wilderness surrounding Joyeuse, Faye's plantation. But I think he's smarter than she's seen yet.
Magda, the professor at the university unnamed is smart too. She knows Faye doesn't live on the dump of a boat she claims to live on. And puts two and two together to figure out where the plantation is. She also wonders why Faye doesn't go back to school and works on that. She's pretty sure she knows what Faye does to supplement her income, but she doesn't call her on it, knowing Faye would never disturb a truly valuable historically significant place.
Then there's the Sheriff McKenzie. He's known Faye it seems and he doesn't suspect her of murder, but he wants to know more about Joe. Then Joe is arrested by his deputies for murders so long ago he knows Joe wasn't even born. He questions Joe anyway and finds out about the other body, the girl, and remembers who she is, asking Joe to lead him to the body. All of this is happening while a hurricane brews in the Gulf. When the sheriff finds the body gone and smelling of bleach he realizes the killer as removed her body and they head back in the boat in four foot choppy waters to land. But Joe has other plans and disables the boat and jumps overboard. He has to save Faye from the hurricane.
If you've never lived in Florida, this story might be just another story, but Mary Anna Evans does her homework. The story mentions funny names of places in Florida, Cow Ford being one. I'm from Jacksonville and that's what they used to call it because somewhere along the St. John's River they forded cows across it. Hence the name. I couldn't tell you how it got it's current name. But she knows her hurricanes too. No one will ever forget Katrina.
This is a start to a great mystery series. It doesn't have food or crocheting in the title. It's about archaeology, but you don't have to know anything about it to enjoy the series. Archaeology is just the means to get the main characters to their locations according to the last book I read which again was the 6th. Anyone who loves a good mystery with some history of Florida's panhandle thrown in will love this mystery. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series- Relics (as soon as I pick it up from the library.)
September 10, 2018
The protagonist, Faye, is a drop-out from a university level archaeological program. She almost makes a poverty level living with "pot hunting" while she tries to restore a decrepit family home that's pretty remote. That's the opener. She is intelligent, pretty, petite, multi-racial, strong-willed, athletic. And she has a few faults, too. (Yeah, I was all teary-eyed before I'd even finished the first chapter. She is just such a sympathetic person.) She knows full well the ethical ambiguities and illegality of what she's doing there, in secret, on some low sandy islands along the coast of the Florida panhandle. She even tries to be meticulous with cataloging her finds.
Meanwhile, Faye has obtained a short-term job as an archaeological field supervisor under a former professor. At her secret location on a nearby sand bar, she uncovers an old murder scene and an earring. And then two of the kids on the university dig get murdered out of the blue. Thing go quickly haywire with a lot of complications, and the suspense builds relentlessly to a stormy climax.
This is a wonderful book: way deeper than your ordinary genre novel. The author may not have set out to write the Great American Novel, but I kind of think she has nailed it. It says a lot about history, slavery, America, politics, race, archaeology, ethics, and morality. A couple of times the author even takes the reader aside to give important history lessons that contextualize what's happening.
I obtained this for free during an Amazon promotion, but after reading it I would certainly have paid full price. I'll probably move along to buy the next book in the series and find out what happens to Faye.
Meanwhile, Faye has obtained a short-term job as an archaeological field supervisor under a former professor. At her secret location on a nearby sand bar, she uncovers an old murder scene and an earring. And then two of the kids on the university dig get murdered out of the blue. Thing go quickly haywire with a lot of complications, and the suspense builds relentlessly to a stormy climax.
This is a wonderful book: way deeper than your ordinary genre novel. The author may not have set out to write the Great American Novel, but I kind of think she has nailed it. It says a lot about history, slavery, America, politics, race, archaeology, ethics, and morality. A couple of times the author even takes the reader aside to give important history lessons that contextualize what's happening.
I obtained this for free during an Amazon promotion, but after reading it I would certainly have paid full price. I'll probably move along to buy the next book in the series and find out what happens to Faye.
July 6, 2017
4.5 STARS | Very impressed by this first mystery in the Faye Longchamp series. I'm deducting only a half star for the paucity of viable suspects, and yet, even there, Evans delivers a surprising twist on the culprit. I'm drawn to archeological mysteries and this one was unique being set in the Panhandle of Florida -- not the Middle East -- as well as its multi-racial protagonist. Sometimes I find myself racing through the climatic scene, knowing good will triumph, but I took my time with this one. I could easily visualize what was going on, the architectural details, the ultimate struggle which sometimes comes across as a blur to me in books. And you can't go wrong throwing a hurricane into the mix adding yet one more element for the main character to struggle against. The ending was a little too neatly drawn up, but it provides a basis for future books. Looking forward to reading more in this series, which is fortunate, since I already own many other titles.
November 12, 2015
“Artifacts” contains elements I appreciated enough to grant 4 stars but I’m not continuing. I wasn’t enamoured by it. High marks are for originality: a sharper-edged, standard mystery instead of the carbon-copied ‘cozy’ variety. A heritage mystery loomed large enough to sustain tenable interest. By way of a diary and dangerous storm, the protagonist visualized the location of her ancestor’s hotel on an island fragment. Ancient mysteries appeal to me. Mary Anna Evans, unlike most, doesn’t relegate hers to the background in deference to a modern crime. Both are old and well-conceived.
I didn't fall in love with Faye. She is supposed to be proud, strong, and a superstar pupil. Faye is usually described third-hand; a skinny girl, neither white nor black, and apprehensive. With exception of leaving university because funds went to nursing her Mother and Grandmother, she is presented too grimily to garner affection or sympathy. She comes across as shifty, running away, willing to smear urine across a stairway to evade costlier insurance. I approved keeping her historically valuable home private but it was decrepit enough to belong in a low taxation bracket. Sifting artifacts from land that should belong to her, I applauded. I disagreed with the incongruous ethics breach, of not distributing them to museums.
Joe’s character, I disliked altogether; too frequently hunting animals. He just doesn’t belong. Their loyalty is meaningless. They still know one another superficially, after meeting a few months earlier. I love the strong-willed archaeology professor best. I’m not from the USA and was turned off by excessive harping about race. So what, if Faye is black and white? We needed to have done with that and get on with the dual mysteries. Lastly, cutting a narrative into the viewpoints of strangers and policemen is slow and not to my taste.
I didn't fall in love with Faye. She is supposed to be proud, strong, and a superstar pupil. Faye is usually described third-hand; a skinny girl, neither white nor black, and apprehensive. With exception of leaving university because funds went to nursing her Mother and Grandmother, she is presented too grimily to garner affection or sympathy. She comes across as shifty, running away, willing to smear urine across a stairway to evade costlier insurance. I approved keeping her historically valuable home private but it was decrepit enough to belong in a low taxation bracket. Sifting artifacts from land that should belong to her, I applauded. I disagreed with the incongruous ethics breach, of not distributing them to museums.
Joe’s character, I disliked altogether; too frequently hunting animals. He just doesn’t belong. Their loyalty is meaningless. They still know one another superficially, after meeting a few months earlier. I love the strong-willed archaeology professor best. I’m not from the USA and was turned off by excessive harping about race. So what, if Faye is black and white? We needed to have done with that and get on with the dual mysteries. Lastly, cutting a narrative into the viewpoints of strangers and policemen is slow and not to my taste.
August 12, 2018
I really wanted to like this book better than I did. I'm always looking for a mystery series with some complexity, some character growth potential, an intelligent protagonist. It took place in Florida in places I have visited and very near where I live now. It is a mystery series with an anchoring profession -- archeology -- that moves it beyond the standard cozy mystery province of book store, bakery, library, hats, buttons, antiques, whatever. It has a main character with a good deal of pluck and intelligence that seemed a bit off the standard, goody-two-shoes path. And then the author spoiled it by having Faye do an about-face and fall for a slippery politician -- an act that was so far out of character that even the people in the novel were shaking their heads, "huh??".
But I might have forgiven that momentary lapse if it weren't for the fact that the novel just seemed to drag. I found myself enjoying many of the novel's elements but I also found myself reluctant to return to reading it. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was. The novel starts with so many questions that go unanswered for so long that I began to lose patience -- where does she live? why does she live there? why doesn't she want others to know? how does she manage to keep that knowledge from the people who know that area like the back of their hand? how did she acquire that house? how long has she lived there? who is Joe to her? The list goes on and on, and it seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to find out the answers. Perhaps that was the issue.
I went back to read reviews and found that I'm not the only one that thinks the author's style could use some pep tonic. This book is a current reprint of the first in the series and the only title our library currently carries. I'll read more of these if the library obtains them, but I won't go so far as to actually purchase another one. Interesting, but with reservations.
But I might have forgiven that momentary lapse if it weren't for the fact that the novel just seemed to drag. I found myself enjoying many of the novel's elements but I also found myself reluctant to return to reading it. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was. The novel starts with so many questions that go unanswered for so long that I began to lose patience -- where does she live? why does she live there? why doesn't she want others to know? how does she manage to keep that knowledge from the people who know that area like the back of their hand? how did she acquire that house? how long has she lived there? who is Joe to her? The list goes on and on, and it seemed to take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to find out the answers. Perhaps that was the issue.
I went back to read reviews and found that I'm not the only one that thinks the author's style could use some pep tonic. This book is a current reprint of the first in the series and the only title our library currently carries. I'll read more of these if the library obtains them, but I won't go so far as to actually purchase another one. Interesting, but with reservations.
July 30, 2018
It took me a long time to get engaged with this book, but I raced through the last third as the action heated up. The main character, Faye, doles out her family's history in dribs and drabs that are hard to connect with her and with each other, until they eventually all fall into place. The story ends up being a very good one, but the happy ending seemed a little too fairy taleish to me.
July 16, 2017
Slow
This book was extremely slow. I was never able to relate to the main character which made it hard to read. Not recommending.
This book was extremely slow. I was never able to relate to the main character which made it hard to read. Not recommending.
July 5, 2022
Faye Longchamp may be down on her luck but she is determined to hang onto her ancestral home, Joyeuse, a decaying plantation well hidden on an island off the Florida coast. It isn't entirely clear how the house came into her family but Faye's great-great-grandmother, Cally, a newly freed slave barely out of her teens gained ownership of it in the aftermath of the Civil War. Since then, through wars, Reconstruction, depressions, and Jim Crow, the family has been able to keep the property. But now the property taxes on the place have risen above Faye's means and she faces the challenge of finding the money to pay them or be the member of her family who finally loses Joyeuse.
Faye is a drop-out from a university-level archaeological program and her answer to her money problem is to put her expertise to work by digging for artifacts on her property and, clandestinely, on the nearby National Wildlife Refuge. There is an active black market for such artifacts, buyers who couldn't care less how the objects were obtained, and that is where she sells what she finds.
While digging for her treasures, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull with an earring still tucked by its cheek. The skeleton is forty years old but what Faye doesn't realize is that the murderer is still close by and is willing to kill again to keep his secret hidden.
Faye has an ally in Joe Wolf Mantooth, a Native American man who lives on her property. He was a well-developed character and brought an extra level of interest to the plot. In fact, he was my favorite character in the story.
I thought Mary Anna Evans did a very good job of describing the setting of the house and the landscape of the Florida Panhandle coast and she did a particularly good job of describing the hurricane that blows in during the climax of her story. One feels that she must have experienced such a storm somewhere along the way.
Faye is a drop-out from a university-level archaeological program and her answer to her money problem is to put her expertise to work by digging for artifacts on her property and, clandestinely, on the nearby National Wildlife Refuge. There is an active black market for such artifacts, buyers who couldn't care less how the objects were obtained, and that is where she sells what she finds.
While digging for her treasures, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull with an earring still tucked by its cheek. The skeleton is forty years old but what Faye doesn't realize is that the murderer is still close by and is willing to kill again to keep his secret hidden.
Faye has an ally in Joe Wolf Mantooth, a Native American man who lives on her property. He was a well-developed character and brought an extra level of interest to the plot. In fact, he was my favorite character in the story.
I thought Mary Anna Evans did a very good job of describing the setting of the house and the landscape of the Florida Panhandle coast and she did a particularly good job of describing the hurricane that blows in during the climax of her story. One feels that she must have experienced such a storm somewhere along the way.
November 29, 2013
"This story is about a mulatto woman, Faye Longchamp, who is not comfortable with her heritage. She does not enjoy being around people in general and finds it difficult to make friends. She lives on her own island near Tallahassee, Florida.
An Indian male, named Joe Wolf Mantooth lives off the land on her island. He does not share her ancestral home. Joe's ability to remain calm is an attribute I truly hope to I can learn to emanate in my own life.
Faye has studied and trained in archaeology, although she had to give it up to help take care of her grandmother and mother when they were ill. She digs up artifacts on her island and the nearby federal land to sell in order to pay the taxes on her land. While working on a dig site with her old professor, two fellow archeologists are murdered. She gets entangled in the investigation. Faye ends up trapped on her island with the murderer attempting to take her life as well. The characters are well developed, likable, and each have secrets they don't want to share.
I enjoyed the interweaving of historical information. The emotions Fay experiences are clearly depicited. It's not a quick, fluffy read. But it does compel the reader to continue through intrigue and suspense."
An Indian male, named Joe Wolf Mantooth lives off the land on her island. He does not share her ancestral home. Joe's ability to remain calm is an attribute I truly hope to I can learn to emanate in my own life.
Faye has studied and trained in archaeology, although she had to give it up to help take care of her grandmother and mother when they were ill. She digs up artifacts on her island and the nearby federal land to sell in order to pay the taxes on her land. While working on a dig site with her old professor, two fellow archeologists are murdered. She gets entangled in the investigation. Faye ends up trapped on her island with the murderer attempting to take her life as well. The characters are well developed, likable, and each have secrets they don't want to share.
I enjoyed the interweaving of historical information. The emotions Fay experiences are clearly depicited. It's not a quick, fluffy read. But it does compel the reader to continue through intrigue and suspense."
April 17, 2015
This slow cozy almost made my abandoned shelf. The writer's style grated on me. Loving that particular area of Florida, that's what kept me plodding on. The premise sounded intriguing. Faye and nothing else about her occupation was believable. Nor were points of the plot. If I knew much less about archeology and had not been to digs in Pompeii and near Naples, I might have been able to swallow it easier. But it was still primarily the writing style itself that turned me off.
June 13, 2012
This was a great mystery and my third good book in two days. It required a lot of knowledge of archaeology, history, geography and anthropology, plus the ability to create complex characters and unveil them gradually. I read this through in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
July 19, 2012
Mary Anna Evans, FREE on Kindle. I love a mystery series with fresh characters and an exotic, well-drawn setting. This has both. You can't help but root for Faye Longchamp as she fights for her heritage and solves a mystery as well. Very entertaining.
August 2, 2016
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Faye Longchamp is an archaeologist. She stumbles across the remains of a murder victim while digging for artifacts on government land. This discovery sets of a chain of events that puts Faye's life in danger.
September 13, 2017
Too much deus ex machina
July 13, 2025
When the property taxes rise beyond her means, she sets out to save Joyeuse by digging for artifacts on her property and the surrounding National Wildlife Refuge and selling them on the black market. A tiny bit of that dead glory would pay a year's taxes. A big valuable chunk of the past would save her home forever.
But instead of potsherds and arrowheads, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull, a Jackie Kennedy-style earring nestled against its bony cheek. Faye is torn. If she reports the forty-year-old murder, she'll reveal her illegal livelihood, thus risking jail and the loss of Joyeuse. She doesn't intend to let that happen, so she probes into the dead woman's history , unaware that the past is rushing up on her like a hurricane across deceptively calm Gulf waters. Because the killer is still close at hand, ready to kill again to keep his secrets dead and buried.
But instead of potsherds and arrowheads, she uncovers a woman's shattered skull, a Jackie Kennedy-style earring nestled against its bony cheek. Faye is torn. If she reports the forty-year-old murder, she'll reveal her illegal livelihood, thus risking jail and the loss of Joyeuse. She doesn't intend to let that happen, so she probes into the dead woman's history , unaware that the past is rushing up on her like a hurricane across deceptively calm Gulf waters. Because the killer is still close at hand, ready to kill again to keep his secrets dead and buried.
August 18, 2021
The setting was the best part of this book. I also enjoyed the historical aspects of the story including the main character discovering information about her ancestors and lost artifacts. I wasn't crazy about the morally grey character of the protagonist, but I found most of the characters interesting enough to continue the series a bit further. The murder mystery was compelling enough to keep me interested and when you add in a hurricane on an island, with a murderer, that's intense.
January 1, 2022
This is an older series but is where wonderful strong women descended from strong women. Faye is making a life illegally but responsibly by finding artifacts surrounding her own lands. There are lots of secrets and interesting morals. Overall it is an excellent mystery and I recommend this series.
August 2, 2019
Easy read; enjoyable story. Likeable characters mostly. I liked how the history of Faye's ancestry was slowly revealed.
May 9, 2021
Enjoyable! Entertaining mystery. Sympathetic characters. Unique setting . . . So glad that 9 or 10 of the Faye Longchamp mysteries are included in the Audible Plus catalog. How fun to find an interesting new series!
July 21, 2021
All the characters, Faye included, make bone-headed decisions that put them at risk. But the setting and the details are original and fresh.
September 11, 2019
A new series for me. It was a little hard to get into and a little hard to follow at the beginning. Greatly improved the more I read. I enjoyed reading it.
January 11, 2025
I thought I might enjoy this first in the Faye Longchamp mystery series because Faye is an archeologist, if uncredentialed and sometimes skirting the law with pothunting to pay the bills, as well as its Florida panhandle setting, and I was right. It didn't carry me away, but there were other interesting characters and plot points, and I will probably try the next book in the series.
August 31, 2022
Artifacts, Mary Anna Evans, 2003, 289 pages, ISBN 1590580567
Engaging. More action than the typical murder mystery. First of a series of thirteen books, as of 2022: https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
Set in a fictional Last Isle off the Florida panhandle near Panacea (in Wakulla County, fictionalized as Micco County). Maps: Wakulla County:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wak... Panacea: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pan... , in tribute to the actual Last Island about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Isl...
Our protagonist, Faye Longchamp, and some of the other characters, have detailed backstory, much of which she learns as we do. And, there are points of confusion about the timeline, cleared up here:
Author's websites:
https://maryannaevans.com/
https://www.ou.edu/gaylord/about/facu... https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com...
Engaging. More action than the typical murder mystery. First of a series of thirteen books, as of 2022: https://www.orderofbooks.com/authors/...
Set in a fictional Last Isle off the Florida panhandle near Panacea (in Wakulla County, fictionalized as Micco County). Maps: Wakulla County:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wak... Panacea: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Pan... , in tribute to the actual Last Island about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Isl...
Our protagonist, Faye Longchamp, and some of the other characters, have detailed backstory, much of which she learns as we do. And, there are points of confusion about the timeline, cleared up here:
Author's websites:
https://maryannaevans.com/
https://www.ou.edu/gaylord/about/facu... https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com...
June 10, 2017
This underrated mystery was a lot of fun, even if it had some instances of awkward writing and cliches.
Awkward writing example: "Faye moved around Wally's Marina as if she owned the place. She didn't, but her friend Wally did, and praise the Lord for that." Then, while we're hiding from the villain in the final confrontation, let's read some more of your grandmother's journal.
Cliches: What do you want in a mystery story?
Red herrings? Yes, yes and yes.
Deux ex Machina? I would count no fewer than 4 elements that would count as such, arguably 5. If you're like me, prepare to roll your eyes during the last 15% or so.
Okay, we had to get that out of the way. This is not Edgar Award winning stuff, but it's not even close to being a bad book. The Florida coastal setting is vividly used. The idea of a potsherder (unlicensed archaeologist who digs for profit) as a protagonist with an inherited home from her freed slave ancestor on disputed land is utterly fascinating. The other characters are all very interesting. The multiple mysteries of past and present are engaging throughout. This is a wonderful work of suspense. I don't know if Mary Anna Evans' writing improves at all in the next 9 books of this series, but I am hooked enough to check out the next one for sure!
Awkward writing example: "Faye moved around Wally's Marina as if she owned the place. She didn't, but her friend Wally did, and praise the Lord for that." Then, while we're hiding from the villain in the final confrontation, let's read some more of your grandmother's journal.
Cliches: What do you want in a mystery story?
Red herrings? Yes, yes and yes.
Deux ex Machina? I would count no fewer than 4 elements that would count as such, arguably 5. If you're like me, prepare to roll your eyes during the last 15% or so.
Okay, we had to get that out of the way. This is not Edgar Award winning stuff, but it's not even close to being a bad book. The Florida coastal setting is vividly used. The idea of a potsherder (unlicensed archaeologist who digs for profit) as a protagonist with an inherited home from her freed slave ancestor on disputed land is utterly fascinating. The other characters are all very interesting. The multiple mysteries of past and present are engaging throughout. This is a wonderful work of suspense. I don't know if Mary Anna Evans' writing improves at all in the next 9 books of this series, but I am hooked enough to check out the next one for sure!
July 16, 2017
This is a high action murder mystery, involving several old murders in addition to recent murders.
Faye is a pot and artifact rescuer, unfortunately she has to dig on federal lands in addition to her own island, which makes her a criminal. She is fighting to save her inheritance, no laughing matter.
She has taken a job with a University dig nearby until the murders of two of their group causes the interruption of the project and of her paycheck.
While looking for artifacts to dig up and sell to pay the taxes (sort of sounds like Gone With The Wind) she uncovers a skull of a past murder. Her research into missing people of the correct time period also uncovers potential suspects.
Her actions do not go unnoticed. In the conclusion the area is hit with a hurricane and it takes a boatload of friends to help her reveal the people involved and get justice.
I believe I received this copy free in a book bag at Left Coast Crime several years ago. I received a free copy of book two at a private group session with the author at the Phoenix Left Coast Crime last year.
Faye is a pot and artifact rescuer, unfortunately she has to dig on federal lands in addition to her own island, which makes her a criminal. She is fighting to save her inheritance, no laughing matter.
She has taken a job with a University dig nearby until the murders of two of their group causes the interruption of the project and of her paycheck.
While looking for artifacts to dig up and sell to pay the taxes (sort of sounds like Gone With The Wind) she uncovers a skull of a past murder. Her research into missing people of the correct time period also uncovers potential suspects.
Her actions do not go unnoticed. In the conclusion the area is hit with a hurricane and it takes a boatload of friends to help her reveal the people involved and get justice.
I believe I received this copy free in a book bag at Left Coast Crime several years ago. I received a free copy of book two at a private group session with the author at the Phoenix Left Coast Crime last year.
July 18, 2023
As a first book this really draws you in to not only the contemporary story, but the historical one of the land where Faye lives. It is just as good in audio form as it is in print too, the reader is the right one for the story. Faye is living at poverty level in her family's old, falling down home on a nearly secret island, and she would like to keep it that way while she tries to restore the structure. Unfortunately as an avid archaeological student who hasn't yet been able to finish her degree, she has resorted to pot-hunting to fund her meager living. This puts her in the crosshairs of an old murder, new murders, and yet to be discovered ones with killer(s) at large.
June 20, 2021
This book was difficult for me to finish because I felt it moved too slowly. The main character left me a bit unmoved and although a lead character of color was a huge lure for me, I never felt connected to her at all. I almost gave up when a potential romantic interest came into the picture because I didn’t buy it at all but I stuck with it. I’m on the fence about reading a second book but am leaning towards yes. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good with a pleasant voice and good pacing but I didn’t feel the voice fit the character. Last thing- can we have one book when the few characters of color aren’t called the N word at least once?
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