The Death Relic

by Chris Kuzneski

This was a fast paced and entertaining read. I loved the two main characters, Jonathan Payne and David Jones, and their highly entertaining dialogue that was evident throughout the book. 

Payne and Jones began this adventure in a small town in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Their mention of the town of Ambridge and other locales near the Pittsburgh area, were the first thing to draw me into the story. Then I became completely absorbed in the story and the characters populating it. 

I found the story exciting and entertaining. Payne and Jones received a phone call from an old "acquaintance" who had apparently appeared in a prior book in this series . Even though it was going to be a bit awkward seeing her again, especially for Jones, off the went to her rescue. She had been flown to Mexico to meet with a prospective employer and had gone along with the idea, as much for the long weekend in Cancun as for the possibility of employment. She was in the midst of a meeting with her interesting and somewhat enigmatic new employer, when he vanished. Telling Maria he needed to bring in some documents from the car, he left the table of the fine dining restaurant where their meeting took place and literally vanished. 

Returning to her room, to find it had been tossed and her passport stolen, ari did the only thing she could think of and called an old flame who had rescued her once before when she was in a difficult position. The next order of business was to find Hamilton, the man who had started things by inviting Maria to Cancun in the first place. I enjoyed the history of the Maya that was part of the story, and was quite taken with the characters, even one that at first glance would have looked like a troublemaker. I admit to being unhappy that she was not going to remain part of the story for long. 

I will certainly read whatever new books I find in this series, and in fact intend to track down some of the older ones. Investigation tells me that they will be fine read out of order, and since I don't mind doing that anyway.. I intend to learn more about this interesting duo. This was a fine thriller, with a dab of romance, and a splash of history. I hope the rest will be the same. 

I would recommend this author to those who like a good thriller