Eh. I should have known better than to pick this one up. I get ever-so-tired of hearing about how "sacred" the American Indians' burial grounds are (as opposed to those of any other ethnic group), and the grating on my nerves resulted in my inability to finish the book.

Faye and her husband, Joe, are going back to his home town for his father's sake. He wants to spread his wife's ashes from years ago and is going to have an informal gathering to do it. Joe is just barely getting along with his father and this isn't a convenient time but he needs to go. Faye goes along and signs on for a temporary archeologist job in the same town. She's going to be sorry she did.

Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It has been published so you can get a copy now.

What Faye and the other employees find is a buried body from almost 30 years ago. The missing woman isn't missing anymore. But her killer must be one of those in that small circle of people looking at her body. Even Joe's father comes under suspicion.

It's hard to look back thirty years and find the truth. It's also hard to fathom anyone in that small circle of friends could be a killer. It gets weirder as it goes along. They get shot at on site, the police woman left as a guard is murdered. The artifacts are stolen. Suddenly two of the workers get shot at when they're at home. Another one ends up dead.

With sexual lust and jealousy at the base of the problem, it kept growing up and out. Everyone has secrets. When she finally thinks she may have some answers, she finds herself at a stand off between two men with an innocent man in the middle. How do you diffuse that?

There's local Indian history woven into this story and it makes it fascinating. Joe and Faye love each other dearly but they have limits on trust and other issues. This case bordered on breaking them up but they survived. I'm looking forward to reading another in this series.

The characters are still interesting after 10 books! This is an outstanding addition to the series!

This is an excellent continuation of a really good series that combines a few things I enjoy: an intelligent, interesting female protagonist; mysteries that keep me involved; archaeology as an ever-present plot element; many other characters I am interested in learning more about. On top of that, in this episode, there is incidental information about the Creek Nation and their history, an area that is always of interest to me.

Faye and her husband Joe are in Oklahoma, he to visit his father, she for a small job assisting a local archaeologist who is reopening a dig on Indian land. Of course, nothing goes quite as planned. Someone seems intent on interfering with any work on this long-closed dig. Along with Faye, readers learn about the tribes who were relocated to Oklahoma in the 19th c. as well as much earlier civilizations. I do love these archaeological and historical details. The crimes/mystery also kept my attention as I waited to see how everything would play out. I am very much looking forward to the next chapter in the Faye Longchamp story.

I recommend this book and this series to mystery readers. So that you will know the characters and relationships, it might be good to read an early book along the way, though this book's plot definitely can stand on its own.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Dr. Faye Longchamp Mantooth, an archeologist and her husband Joe are flying from Florida to Sylacauga, Oklahoma where Joe is originally from to visit his father Sly and to scatter Joe’s mother’s ashes. She also picks up a gig assisting in an archeological dig. What they find are some rare artifacts and a body.

The body is that of Dr. Sophia Townsend. It was thought that she packed up and abandoned the dig some twenty-nine years earlier. She was murdered and left in the dig site when it was closed after her supposed abandonment of the site. She was an abrasive, no-holds-barred woman who held an alluring sexual hold over both the men and women who worked for her. Sly also knows more than he is saying.

Our story is interspersed with passages from Sophia Townsend’s field notes. Sophia used it as a journal as well commenting on her employees and other people with which she came into contact.

Faye teams up with the Sheriff Roy Cloud to investigate Sophia’s murder. The officer left to guard the site overnight is murdered and another officer is badly injured.

So begins two murder investigations. Are they related? Did the same person who murdered Dr. Townsend also murder the police officer and rob the site?

Sheriff Roy Cloud and Faye interview the three people who worked for Sophia in 1987 and other acquaintances and people who knew the victim. They get some conflicting stories and are left to ponder them.

This great book tells an in-depth story about the relationships: Joe and Faye’s relationship with Sly, Sophia’s relationships with her various lovers, Faye’s relationship with Sheriff Roy as well as others. We learn the backstories for most, if not all of the characters. This book is very well written and plotted. Ms. Evans is a brilliant author and her characters are likeable and believable.

This is my first Mary Anna Evans book, but it certainly won’t be my last. I really like this author.

I want to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.

This book peaked my interest as I am married to an environmental engineer who assisted in getting Native American artifacts returned to the rightful tribes. I'm also of Native American descent. So, "Burial" had quite a few hooks for me. And, I must say.. it totally delivered. I loved that the author doesn't make the mistake of advising how we feel about our own heritage. It was a good solid thriller! If anyone has an interest in archeology.. and how a "dig" is properly conducted.. then, Burial needs to be added to your TBR list! :) The characters were well defined and written. The flow is nice and steady. I was most impressed that the author was able to capture the bureaucratic bungling that occurs when no one is really in charge of investigations on tribal lands.

I would highly recommend this "not easily solved mystery" to anyone who loves a good whodunnit! You will NOT see the ending coming! :)

**REVIEW FOR AUTHORS ON THE AIR - they ask that we write a different one than what we post on Goodreads, Amazon, etc..) **

Burials (Faye Longchamp Series Book 10)
by Mary Anna Evans
Print Length: 282 pages
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (March 7, 2017)
Publication Date: March 7, 2017

The bones have been laying five feet under for twenty nine years. The bones are exposed when an archaeological dig is reopened by Faye Longchamp-Mantooth who has dual reasons to come to Sylacauga, Oklahoma. Faye's husband, Joe grew up in the area.. His father is finally ready to spread the ashes of Joe's mother who died over fifteen years prior.

With the bones are a silver necklace, a few ancient pearls, and a priceless figurine. The necklace reveals that the bones belong to the original archeologist who originally opened the dig. But, a woman no one realized has been missing. For nearly thirty years. She wasn't the type of person that allowed anyone to get close to her. So, when they finally realize she's been dead for nearly three decades.. it brings back all of the memories of how the now deceased, Dr. Sophia Townsend treated others. She was high handed and treated others like they were beneath her. So many would have a reason to have killed her. But, who did? And, are they still trying to stop the dig from finally going forward. And, for what reasons?

The story is a superbly written whodunnit that the reader will not easily figure out the clues until they're sitting back.. and being told who did it! A book that I'd highly recommend to anyone who knows who the killer is.. before they even read the first few chapters. Burials is going to stump ya. That's a promise!