"Archaelogy and escaping from a shallow grave"

Lindsay Chamberlain, forensic anthropologist, is buried alive in a shallow grave in East Tennessee in the woods. She manages to escape, but she suffers from amnesia. Even when her memory returns, it is not complete.

She joins an excavation at an 1830s farm site. It is located on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. She loves the Smokies, but her recent assault is always on her mind causing her to have trouble concentrating and relaxing.

Claire Burke, the site director, causes tension among the crew. She is also very hostile to Lindsay. Drew Van Horne, the principal investigator, is suspected of murdering Mary Susan Tidwell and stealing valuable documents from her. Lindsay's boss, Lewis, asks her to look into the allegations against Drew. Lindsay is uncomfortable with this, but finally agrees.

Two sealed lead coffins from the 1700s are discovered during the excavation. The dig becomes a big find. When they open the first coffin, they find the remains of a woman who appears to have something in common with Lindsay. One of the crew goes missing. Now Lindsay feels to regain her sanity, and possibly her life, she must solve this mystery.

I am not a history buff, but I truly love this series. I find the locations to be interesting. I always learn something new. Ms. Connor describes the archaeology in a way that I can understand and it has so much reality to it. Her characters are very believable, and the interaction between them is also very realistic.

I always enjoy reading this series. Lindsay is a very likeable character and I enjoy finding out what she is up to in each book.

I highly recommend this book and this series. Whether you like history or not, you will find this to be an enjoyable read.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Posted August 2, 2003