Malcolm Shuman

As he was driven to Angola, Cory Wilde prayed his torment was just a dream. But the murder was real, and so was his sentence: twenty-nine years working the sugar cane fields in one of the nation’s cruelest prisons. When he is finally released, he is an old man, drained of every drop of life that once made him such a terror, but his name still has the power to make the people sweat in Troy, Louisiana.
At first Pete Brady, the new owner of the town’s weekly newspaper, doesn’t understand show more why his readers are so afraid of this broken old man. The original case against Wilde, whose life was spared despite the fact that he committed a capital crime, raises questions Brady cannot answer. Chasing this story could mean a lynch mob whose sights are set not just on the old man, but on Brady himself. show less

Archaeologist Alan Graham returns to the Yucatan, after a 15-year absence, to spend time with his girlfriend, Pepper, who is a team member on a dig. Alan is haunted by memories, both good and bad, of his ex-wife, who he met there many years ago. While some things are as he remembers, other things have changed during his absence. In particular, the drug wars have reached this formerly isolated part of the world. Alan is initially skeptical when one of his colleagues tells him of his show more unconventional theory of pre-Columbian visitors to the Mayan world. Alan discovers evidence that might confirm his colleague's theory, but will he survive to analyze it?

The Alan Graham mysteries have a bit of an Indiana Jones feel to them. The books have a lot of historical details and deduction, but they also have plenty of adventure and physical danger. Like his protagonist, Malcolm Shuman is an archaeologist with experience in Mexico, and it shows in his writing. Since I've visited the Yucatan Peninsula twice and I have extended family and friends who live in the Yucatan, I've intentionally sought books set there. This book has the most authentic sense of place and character of any that I've read. I've enjoyed all of the Alan Graham mysteries, and, sadly, this appears to be the last one in the series. Recommended for readers who enjoy mysteries in exotic settings or with an archaeological theme. show less

Alan Graham flies into the Yucatan area to spend some time with Pepper, a member of the dig team. He is haunted by memories of his ex-wife as he visits the dig and becomes the assistant director of the team. They are in an area with a lot of drug traffic and authorities are on the lookout for that type of activity. An older member of the dig team believes he found evidence the area was settled before Columbus made his expedition to the Americas. While this is technically a mystery (and more show more than one death occurs within its pages), it feels much more like an adventure quest. It's a quick and fun read with an interesting setting. show less

Alan Graham is an archaeologist who often contracts for the Corps of Engineers. In this book, there is a grave for a man named Louis buried on the Desiree Plantation which is in the vicinity of his latest assignment. The plantation's caretaker turns up dead. Old diaries, old documents, buried secrets . . . could this be the body of noted explorer Meriwether Lewis. While most of the action is in Louisiana, there is a trip up the Natchez Trace Parkway to Hohenwald, Tennessee near the Park show more Service Monument.

Our family owns a membership in a camping resort very near Hohenwald so I've been to that part of the Trace a lot. I had, however, never been exposed to the legend that Lewis had survived the bullet wound until I read this book. I think this is a case where one of history's mysteries has led to a very interesting modern day mystery. I enjoyed this mystery and hope to read more of Shuman's archaeological mysteries in the future. show less