The Death Relic

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.

Dr. Maria Pelato, Italian Archaeologist, flies to Cancun, Mexico for a mysterious job offer from an American scholar and anthropologist, Terrance Hamilton. Hamilton, who wants Maria’s expertise with Christian artifacts, he has been working at a hidden Mayan archaeological site. Maria, puzzled that she would be called to consult on the Mayans when her knowledge is clearly with Christianity, is first angry and then fearful when Hamilton disappears. Maria’s room in trashed and her passport is stolen. Unsure whether Hamilton has been kidnapped or she is the victim of a hoax, she turns to the two people she can trust implicitly for they have saved her life once before. David Jones and Jonathon Payne, retired from Special Forces and show more adrenaline junkies, are happy to leave winter in Pittsburgh where they test equipment for Payne Industries, and fly to Mexico to help Maria.
On the trail of Hamilton, Maria and her friends encounter CIA agents and drug cartels while trying to figure out how the destruction of the Mayan empire by the Conquistadores centuries ago has drawn in them into a fight for their lives today.
Entertaining banter by Payne and Jones as well as past relationships with Maria and other persons of interest in the Sign of the Cross, makes this a must read. Seventh in the Payne and Jones series, The Death Relic, offers solid action and adventure. show less

Chris Kuzneski's attempt at delivering a fast-paced, action-loaded book falls a little short.

Normally, I love books based on the treasure hunt, or ones that delve into history to shed light on unsolved mysteries, but although the hunt for secrets of the Maya and what may have happened to their treasure is enticing, the book dragged with poor dialogue and the author's attempts at injecting humor into the characters.

The history that the author disburses throughout the book to bring the reader up to speed on events leading to this moment read like something directly out of a history text.

The result was a book with bad flow and one that was difficult to finish reading...in short, a disappointment.

I received this book as a LibraryThing Early show more Reviewer copy. show less

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

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.