Heather Haven

The first Persephone Cole mystery (also published under the title "The Dagger Before Me").

I liked the character of Percy (as her friends and family call her) and the 1940s New York City setting. Unfortunately, I found the mystery itself somewhat predictable -- I figured out 'whodunit' pretty early (although perhaps I was helped by the fact I recently finished an Evelyn Waugh book!) which normally I am not good at doing. I was assisted in that by the format (which I didn't like) of every other chapter being from the killers' perspective.

Another thing that bothered me was a picky detail -- the author consistently misspelled the name of the famous actor Laurence Olivier. How hard is it to check that sort of detail?? I checked the newer edition (with the new title) and this error remains uncorrected. I know that I am being very picky but this indicates a sloppiness on the part of the author/editor/publisher which I find upsetting.… (mehr)

Get ready for a wild ride, this book is non-stop from beginning to end. Sure it starts on a calm Sunday morning and escalates quickly when Lee’s husband is called into action to find his cousin’s husband, Martin, who is missing in the Guatemalan jungle. Despite her being an indoor kind of girl, he recruits Lee onto the mission because he senses there is a mystery to solve at the archeological dig where his cousin works. He is of course right. Kidnapping, vandalism, theft, maybe murder? Lee is on a roll pulling together the facts and clues with her “survival trained” CEO mother in tow and her trusty, IT genius brother on the sat phone. The Alvarez Family is on the case. Twists and turns abound leading to a grand reveal that is as humorous as it is serious. I certainly never picked up on all the secrets.

I loved this book.

I chose to read it because I live with a junior archeologist and my daily life is filled with words like stratigraphy, digs, grants, and finds. Plus, there is lecture upon lecture about ancient artifacts, ancient history, and just what it all means (spoiler alert: It’s probably ritual). The fairly recent discoveries of LIDAR enhanced ruins covering the jungles of Central America are of particular interest around here at the moment. This book looked like fun and I am always looking to see if someone writing a story about this stuff gets it right. Heather Haven definitely did.


This is a story of intrigue, backstabbing, and just plain greed and that is just the academics on staff. Once people start dying the story really gets interesting. This book has a large cast of characters, all of them vivid and well written and so perfectly suspect. The relationship between Lee and her mom, Lila, is hilarious. On one hand, Lee is a grown woman who has proven time and again that she is quite capable, yet Lila can reduce her to gibbering incoherence in a single glance. “But, Mom!” is the comedic subtext behind most of their dialogue. Still, the two make a terrific sleuthing team and there is a lot of ground to cover in this tale. In addition to great characters, the description of the look and feel of the jungle and rainforests is spot on and puts the reader right in it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily… (mehr)