AN ANCIENT FEUD. A MODERN LOVE TRIANGLE. A TWISTED PLOT FOR REVENGE.
"Jake accelerated and recklessly took the next curve in the road. He slowed and shifted gears. Twelve years, thirteen, he had searched for clues to the Raven. It was not going to be easy. But he hated Clifford Radisson, hated him for hurting Angeline. He couldn't kill the man so he would kill his dream. Even if it meant the destruction of his own."
The serenity of the San Juan Islands is disrupted when a developer threatens to build a theme park atop a sacred native burial, turning archaeologists Jake Lalonde and Angeline Lisbon into the targets of a 10,000-year-old feud between a Haida shaman and his chief.
Deborah Cannon was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is the author of numerous short stories and six novels. Her short story Twilight Glyph won an Honourable Mention in the 2013 Canadian Tales of the Fantastic Short Story Contest. She has contributed articles on writing to the Canadian Writer's Guide and the professional writer's web sites, absolutewrite.com and suite101.com. She is author of the archaeological manual, Marine Fish Osteology: A Manual for Archaeologists. Most recently, her anthropological thriller The Raven's Pool was cited in a scholarly study, Archaeology is a Brand! The Meaning of Archaeology in Contemporary Popular Culture (Holtorf 2007) alongside treasure hunters Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. Her second novel, White Raven was a 2007 Adult Summer Reading Club pick at the Hamilton Public Library. The series continues with Ravenstone and Raven's Blood. Elizabeth Latimer: Pirate Hunter marks the beginning of a new series for teens or anyone who can imagine themselves encountering a pirate.
As stated on the book cover, this is "An ancient feud, a modern love triangle," and "a twisted plot for revenge." I don't normally mention what is written on the cover, but this description is right on the mark. This is the first book in a series of archaeological thrillers. Unfortunately, I read the third book first, so I will have to shift my mind backward in time to review this one. Here, our characters are introduced and most definitely well-fleshed out. Book one is set in the San Juan Islands, a group of West Coast islands on the US/Canada border.
Deborah Cannon plots this series around the historical myths of the several nations of the West Coast, from Alaska to Oregon, but particularly the historical myths and legends of the Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. As an aside, these islands have been officially renamed Haida Gwaii as of December 2009, after this book was written. At the time of writing the books, the islands were known as both the Queen Charlottes and Haida Gwaii, causing some confusion geographically. Why is this important to us, the readers? Because the protagonist of these books is half-Haida, so the islands are important to the story.
Deborah has a special knack of weaving suspense, murder and mystery into the ancient myths and legends of the Raven. I was hooked in the Prologue! Her writing grips the imagination, and keeps the suspense at high level all the while weaving romance, anthropology and archaeology, and history into the mix. I would be remiss if I didn't mention a deadly rivalry between two men part-Haida, who have directed their lives in opposing directions with the exception of searching the myth of Eagle and Raven. These two men are the arch-rivals of this reading journey. Both are totally invested in their goals.
Discovery of a cave with petroglyphs on a small island is the main centre of activity in this book, with a nearby "wet" site where a Raven rattle of indeterminately ancient age is discovered where it should not be. Immediately, the rich and powerful Clifford Radisson wants to buy up all the land and turn it into a theme par, while the dedicated but poor archaeologist Jake Lalonde fights to preserve it. Even though there are some petroglyphs that are obviously faked, he sees much more. Radisson will stop at nothing from trying to take away Jake's girlfriend to burying the opening to the cave in rubble while Jake and Angeline are in there. Will they be able to escape? Well, obviously since there are more adventures to come, but how will they manage it? In trying to find a way out, they stumble on a very important find they are able to keep secret, and Angeline's escape brings help but not before more of Radisson's dirty tricks. Does Radisson accomplish all the feats by himself. Hah! No way! Why should he get his hands dirty, he has too much to lose, but with all his money he can buy anything or anyone. Which will win this rivalry, theme park or heritage site? Many surprises are in store in this book which will keep your attention from wavering. Strong, suspenseful, action-packed thriller, an excellent entry into the series, and I know having read the third book it just gets better!
I liked this book but have to say, it is billed as a "bold, tense, thriller" and that it isn't. There are some tense moments in the last 50 pages but I can't say that I would consider this book a thriller. It is a good story. If you like stories about Native Americans then I would recommend it. If you like stories about archaeology then I recommend it. If you are looking for a book like The Da Vinci Code then I think you would be disappointed.
I have to judge that which seemed a good effort, but this story just seemed shallow. It just didn't take me where I wanted to go. I did like the Archeology angle and the geographical area depicted. Since review improved on the next book of the series., I may try reading one more from this author.