The Death Relic

The Death Relic is the latest Payne and Jones thriller from Chris Kuzneski. It’s an exciting page-turner with an interesting backdrop.

One of the things I like best about the Payne and Jones books I’ve read is the extensive research that goes into the setting and the story. In this book, it’s the Maya and Aztecs as well as the Spanish conquer and rule of central and south america. The characters are a lot of fun too, particular Payne and Jones as well as their historian and antiquities friend, Petr Ulster. The non-stop banter between Payne and Jones is entertaining, if a little sophomoric. The action sequences and battle scenes are exciting and well plotted.

While the background for the story is well-researched, the information is show more not always interjected smoothly into the story. Kuzneski often conveys this information in lumps or lectures that don’t flow well with the story. This was more noticeable early in the book than in the latter part. Kuzneski also feels a need to explain simple concepts, like what a “benchwarmer” is in a sports setting that makes it seem like he’s talking down to you and had me rolling my eyes in a few places. There were also a couple of scenes where Payne became angry for reasons that did not seem to make any sense and took me out of the story for a while.

The Death Relic is another entertaining chapter in the Payne and Jones series and a very quick read. There are a couple of minor annoyances in the story, but if you can overlook those it’s a lot of fun. Recommended read. I was fortunate to receive an early review copy of this book. show less

For the first time Chris Kuzneski has left me disappointed. Most of the book, though certainly well written, felt like a prelude. At the moment I finally thought, "Yes! Now we are on track..." the book ended abruptly and with little grace. Overall this book left me wondering if it's merely a placeholder for whatever comes next.

Historian Dr. Maria Pelati appears to be in deep trouble. Summoned to Mexico by the mysterious Dr. Hamilton, she is asked to provide expertise on research into something called a Mayan Death Rellic. But before even finding out what her role is to be in this research Dr. Pelati's hotel room is ransacked and Dr. Hamilton disappears by what looks to be foul play. Terrified, Dr. Pelati calls on Jonathan Payne and David Jones - two Special Forces soldiers she has worked with in the past. But things get complicated as they find themselves in a dangerous race across Mexico. Others are searching for the Death Relic too and they will stop at nothing to get what they want - including getting rid of Pelati, Payne and Jones permanently.

This book show more appears to have the 18-35 yr old male as its ideal audience. Unfortunately I fit that demographic in neither age or gender. There also seems to be a previous book about these characters - one I have not read. I feel that all of this hampers my review but I will give my personal opinion such as it is. This book did not lack for action and the plot moved very briskly - action adventure buffs would enjoy this. Where the book falters for me is in character development. I just was not able to build sufficient rapport for the characters and they came across to me as very shallow. Also, there was a great deal of dialogue between Payne and Jone, some of which was very funny, most of which was not (in fairness, my husband is a Marine and I've pretty much heard it all before). I really wanted to like this book as the subject matter is very interesting to me but it just didn't do it for me. show less

Found this book very enjoyable,think Indiana Jones.Fast pace,page turner,just a few words I would use to describe the story.Only two thing I found,end of chapter 44 the heros found a picture of the person of interest,the next page they had her name.Just wondering how,ESP? Then later in the story,the bad guy is looking for the same girl but some how knew our heros was with her and knew they name,again ESP? Over all its a good book,,,this may have been my first Chris Kuzneski book,but not my last.

This was a fast paced and entertaining read. I enjoyed the two main characters, Jonathan Payne and David Jones, and their highly entertaining dialogue which 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 in. Then, I became completely absorbed in the story and the characters populating it. Character development is always an important part of any book for me. If I don't like the characters, even a strong and compelling story will not draw me in.

During an exercise related to their own business, Payne and Jones received a phone call from Maria, an old show more "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 they went to her rescue.

Dr. Maria Pelati had been flown to Mexico to meet with Mr. Hamilton, a prospective employer. She had agreed to the meeting as much for the long weekend in Cancun as for the possibility of employment. Maria was in the midst of a meeting with her interesting, good looking and somewhat enigmatic new employer, when he vanished. Telling Maria he needed to bring in some documents from the car, Hamilton left the table of the fine dining restaurant where their meeting took place and he simply never returned.

When she finally gave up waiting for him, Maria left the restaurant, and remembering that he had told her the make and model of his car, she found what she suspected was Hamiltons car in the parking lot. Returning to her room, to find it had been tossed and her passport stolen, Maria 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 think that she would have been great as a recurring character.

I admit to being a huge fan of this genre. I am also a fan of Mayan history, and this added to my own personal appreciation of this story. The fact that parts of it occurred locally had a part in it, too. I will certainly read whatever new books I find in this series, and in fact intend to track down some of the older ones. I did a bit of investigation and learned that these books will be fine if read out of order. 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 show less

From Amazon:

The New World, 1545: Vanquished by the Spanish Empire, little remained of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. From the ashes of their cities, a unified legend emerged: their conquerors possessed a mysterious object, an artifact so powerful—so deadly—that it came to be known as “the Death Relic." Yucatan Peninsula, present day: When Maria Pelati’s research team disappears in Mexico, she calls Jonathon Payne and David Jones, who embark on a perilous mission to find the missing archaeologists. They soon realize that Maria’s research may hold the key to solving one of the darkest mysteries of the New World. But their quest to learn the truth about the Death Relic may end up costing them their lives.

My Thoughts:

Most show more reviews, both on Amazon and Goodreads didn't like the book even a little bit, I believe the constant travel and not much about the actual artifact may have been the reason for this. If this had been my first Payne nd Jones book I might have felt the same way...but I found it is an awesome book, filled with CIA hi-jinx and espionage.. as well as a great deal of Mayan and Aztec history...not to mention the good natured interplay between the two good friends and partners, Payne and Jones. I think the racial jokes could be toned down a bit ...but other than that a realty good read. show less

I won't deny it...I like Chris Kuzneski. I feel he needs to inject more mystery and intrigue into his writing and a lot less of the humorless banter between his two main characters. It's as if he needs a filter to screen out the worst jokes and leave the crafty ones adherent to character building.

That being said, I agree with most critics and seasoned writers: his prose contains an energetic drive. Whether that is craft or the joked or visceral to his nature, I'm not sure. But it has carried me through his books and will continue to do so with his next.