Undercurrents is the eleventh book in the Faye Longchamp mystery series by author Mary Anna Evans. I have read many of the books in this series. They are all well written and extremely enjoyable to read.

Undercurrents is set in Memphis. Faye has been hired to do an archaeological survey of a campsite alongside a creek in Memphis. The location is central to the story. The poverty of the people in the neighbourhood and their desire to stay under the radar. Faye follows a young girl first into this area then finds a body buried alive there. The body is that of the mother of the young girl. Faye cannot leave it alone and sets out to find what she believes could be a serial killer.

Undercurrents is a great addition to this series. The author Evans does a lot of research and I really felt like I was in Memphis during the summer. I have to admit that I just love the cover of this book. The bag of dirt also looks like a Georgia O'Keefe painting. Depends how you look at it. Impressive.

I highly recommend Undercurrents by Mary Anna Evans. I would read the whole series though if I were a mystery fan!

This may be the best so far in an excellent series! In this episode, Faye has traveled to Memphis to work on a job commissioned by local government: she and her team are to clear unused city park land before it is developed for use as campgrounds and for other needs. Faye is hoping for evidence of a woolly mammoth(!) and more specifically, for evidence of a black CCC group that worked in this park in the 1930s. Instead, before her dig fully begins, she discovers a woman buried nearby. On this dig, her husband is home in Florida. It's just her and a local crew of students to manage the situation. In other words--it's Faye who must deal with the authorities, manage her team, etc.

Evans maintains a high level of tension throughout the book, interweaving the killer's thoughts with the narrative, keeping him anonymous but still very present. Also, Evans works the black community's issues with policing into her story in a very effective way. I feel that I have a better handle on some of the communication problems and issues of trust for having read this novel.

All in all, this is an excellent episode in what is a consistently good series. Evans frequently addresses what is happening in the world around her in her books, making them good and relevant.
Recommended. If you want to know Faye's background and how her husband, Joe, fits into the picture, you should begin earlier in the series. Otherwise, this reads well as a standalone.

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

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in for an honest review and here it is! The best thing about this book was its protagonist. I love female characters who are smart and strong and I felt as though Faye was a perfect protagonist for me. She wasn't a damsel in distress, she didn't need someone else to come and save her, which is a theme I have been coming across a lot. That was my favorite part of the story. The plot itself was quite interesting and the story unfolds gradually as we discover more and more about the killer. Faye is working in Memphis on an assignment when she comes across a woman who was buried alive. From the get-go, Faye seemed like the kind of character young girls look up to and she does play that role in Kali's life. I don't have a lot of background with this series but Faye never seemed to do things out of character. I love characters I can respect and Faye, despite being small, demanded respect, which is something I can relate to. This was my first Mary Anna Evans book and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.

Another interesting addition to this wonderfully written series, this time set in Memphis.

Even before starting on her state contracted dig Faye stumbles upon the body of a woman buried alive and finds herself heading face first into an investigation of a possible serial killer. Woven throughout the story is the undertones of distrust between law enforcement and those of color. Can they put their difficulties aside and work together to bring a brutal killer to justice?