Overdue Reviews - Michelangelo's Ghost + Read and Buried

 

Goodreads:  Michelangelo's Ghost (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery #4) by Gigi Pandian

Blurb:  A lost work of art linking India to the Italian Renaissance. A killer hiding behind a centuries-old ghost story. And a hidden treasure in Italy’s macabre sculpture garden known as the Park of Monsters...
Filled with the unexpected twists, vivid historical details, and cross-cultural connections Pandian is known for, Michelangelo’s Ghost is the most fast-paced and spellbinding Jaya Jones novel to date.

When Jaya’s old professor dies under eerie circumstances shortly after discovering manuscripts that point to a treasure in Italy’s Park of Monsters, Jaya and her brother pick up the trail.

From San Francisco to the heart of Italy, Jaya is haunted by a ghost story inexorably linked to the masterpieces of a long-dead artist and the deeds of a modern-day murderer. Untrustworthy colleagues, disappearing boyfriends, and old enemies—who can Jaya trust when the ghost wails?

My Thoughts:   Anytime I start a Jaya Jones book I know I'm in for a fun adventure involving treasure and history.  This was no different as we quickly learned of the lost art of a possible apprentice of Michelangelo who had ties to India.  Jaya stumbles upon a mystery, a possible murder and lands in Italy exploring the Park of Monsters.   I absolutely loved that Jaya's brother, Fish, is a main character in this book and enjoyed the interactions between brother and sister.  The mystery kept me guessing until the end and the ending had me absolutely hooked even if it was a bit farfetched.  Because of the complicated relationships between several of the characters this is a series best read in order but each book has been lots of fun so  it hasn't been a hardship!  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Goodreads:  Read and Buried (Lighthouse Library Mysteries #6) by Eva Gates

Blurb:  The Bodie Island Lighthouse Library Classic Novel Book Club is reading Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne while workers dig into the earth to repair the Lighthouse Library's foundations. The digging halts when Lucy pulls a battered tin box containing a Civil War-era diary from the pit. Tucked inside is a hand-drawn map of the Outer Banks accompanied by a page written in an indecipherable code.
The library is overrun by people clamoring to see the artifact. Later that night, Lucy and Connor McNeil find the body of historical society member Jeremy Hughes inside the library. Clearly Jeremy was not the only one who broke into the library--the map and the coded page are missing.

Lucy's nemesis, Louise Jane McKaughnan, confesses to entering the library after closing to sneak a peek but denies seeing Jeremy--or his killer. When Lucy discovers that fellow-librarian Charlene had a past with Jeremy, she's forced to do what she vowed not to do--get involved in the case. Meanwhile, the entire library staff and community become obsessed with trying to decode the page. But when the library has a second break in, it becomes clear that someone is determined to solve that code.

My Thoughts:  It's been several months since I read a book in this series and picking this one up was a delight.  I loved catching up with Lucy, Connor, Birdie and the rest of the Bodie Island Lighthouse crew.  In this book there's a long buried coded document that sends the community into a pirate treasure frenzy despite there being very little evidence that that is what the map is showing.  As usual, Louise Jane is busy inserting herself in the middle of things and getting herself suspected of murder.  I liked the connections between the book club book and the mystery itself and it does have me wanting to pick up Journey to the Center of the Earth as I've never read it.  The ending of this one did feel a bit disjointed and chaotic but the solution was satisfying and a bit of a surprise.  I'm looking forward to continuing with the series.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)