I'm still working on this book... however I am enjoying it very much. The book is a well written archeology who dunnit gem. The characters and story line are quite believable. Gibson reminds me of Tom Clancy in terms of depth and complexity in writing style. I would love to finish but my life as a Mommy has been getting in the way. I cannot read a book this complex while kids are running amok. What is great though is that every time I walk away it is easy to jump right back into the plot without missing a beat. I will update review when I finish.

Okay- all done!!! What an awesome book. Gibson takes the reader for a ride... The novel was well written, the characters engaging, and the plot was surprising. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy mystery. What really surprised me is that despite the fact I've put the book down several times the story was vivid enough to stay with me. I never had to reread and picked up with the novel no matter the length of time I was away from it. ( )

Copy edited this for an LT author. Most of the reviews here on LT seemed to like the story but complained that it needed editing, which it has now had. The author has been a pleasure to work with and my fingers are crossed that the book gets the wider distribution I sincerely feel it deserves.

He's working on two sequels (for an eventual trilogy), which is good news, as there were some things left hanging at the end of this book.

I don't want to say too much about books I work on, but the author's archaeological expertise and knowledge of Central America provide an interesting backdrop to the story. There's quite a bit of violence and it doesn't do to become too attached to the characters--not many survive! I shall say no more . . .

Overall, I liked this book. I found the jumping back and forth between so many characters and time frames to be a little confusing though. I would be reading along and have to go back and figure out when/where/who was being talked about. It is fairly fast-paced, and while it includes a lot of information about archeology/history, it doesn't get bogged down in it. I'd recommend it.

This book in spite of the lack of solid copy editing, is well-written and compelling. Is that a contradictory statement? Not to me. The punctuation problems have been acknowledged by the author, and other reviewers. The publisher has most of the responsibility for providing an inadequate vetting at best. And, in another post here (Writer-Readers), the author states he has hired an editor to correct these problems.

Now that's out of the way, and I can concentrate on how good the book really is. It is a multilayered archaeological mystery-thriller. There are not too many of those books out there (if any?), particulary a book that has been written by a practicing field archaeologist, with over 20 years of experience. Even the reviewers that read with a red pen, admit that the story is compelling, and that the characters are well-rendered. I look forward to the next well-edited edition, and the obvious sequel (the ending is pretty clear on that). Furthermore, I think (like another reviewer says), the editing problems pretty much fade out as the story moves on, and it moves on very quickly! It is a great read and I learned quite a lot about the ancient and modern Mayans. ( )

An interesting fast-paced read that caught my interest from the first chapter. The main characters are fairly well-drawn and although there was a large cast, it wasn't overwhelming or confusing. I'm a bit ambivalent about the ending, but enjoyed the book overall and would gladly give this author's next novel a read.