Book Reviews

Review Rating

With the October 2004 review, we began rating the books on the basis of one to four trowels; 
one trowel= don’t bother, to four trowels= run right out to your local book store and buy the hard cover!

Latest review

Four Thousand Days by M.J. Trow
Reviewed on: November 1, 2023

****

Past reviews

Oasis (for young readers) by Katya De Becerra
Reviewed on: October 1, 2023

***

The Stone Chamber by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: September 1, 2023

****

The Search for Artemis by Vanessa Gordon
Reviewed on: August 1, 2023

****
***

The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: June 1, 2023

****

The Meaning of Friday by Vanessa Gordon
Reviewed on: May 1, 2023

****

Dangerous Ground by Rachel Grant
Reviewed on: April 1, 2023

**

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Reviewed on: March 1, 2023

****

The Night Hawks by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: February 1, 2023

***

The King’s Gold by Yxta Maya Murray
Reviewed on: January 1, 2023

****

The Queen Jade by Yxta Maya Murray
Reviewed on: December 1, 2022

****

The Lost Labyrinth by Will Adams
Reviewed on: November 1, 2022

**

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: October 1, 2022

***

The Exodus Quest by Will Adams
Reviewed on: August 1, 2022

***

Byron’s Shadow by Jason Foss
Reviewed on: July 1, 2022

****

Picnic in the Ruins by Todd Robert Petersen
Reviewed on: June 1, 2022

****

Mesa Verde Victim by Scott Graham
Reviewed on: May 1, 2022

***

The Burial Circle by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: April 1, 2022

***

The Source by James A. Michener
Reviewed on: March 1, 2022

****

Bone Walker by Kathleen O’Neal Gear; W. Michael Gear
Reviewed on: February 1, 2022

****
****

The Visitant by Kathleen O’Neal Gear; W. Michael Gear
Reviewed on: December 1, 2021

****

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: November 1, 2021

****

Sheba by Jack Higgins
Reviewed on: October 1, 2021

****

Dressed to Die by Beverly Connor
Reviewed on: September 1, 2021

***

Rio Pasion by James Luceno
Reviewed on: August 1, 2021

****

The Cornerstone of Deception by Cheryl Simani
Reviewed on: July 1, 2021

***

Keepers of the Lost Ark by J. Robert Kennedy
Reviewed on: June 1, 2021

*

The Pandora Room by Christopher Golden
Reviewed on: April 1, 2021

**
****

The Dig by John Preston
Reviewed on: February 1, 2021

****

Kataklusmos by T.M. Doran
Reviewed on: January 1, 2021

****

Wrecked by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: December 1, 2020

****

The Case of the Golden Greeks by Sean McLachlan
Reviewed on: November 1, 2020

**

The Tomb of the Honey Bee by L.B. Hathaway
Reviewed on: October 1, 2020

****

Enigma Variations by Richard and Sally Price
Reviewed on: September 1, 2020

****

The Lost Shrine by Nicola Ford
Reviewed on: August 1, 2020

****

A Shroud of Leaves by Rebecca Alexander
Reviewed on: July 1, 2020

****

Old Bones by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Reviewed on: June 1, 2020

****

Dead Man’s Lane by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: May 1, 2020

***

Alpha and Omega by Harry Turtledove
Reviewed on: April 1, 2020

***

The Anomaly by Michael Rutger
Reviewed on: March 1, 2020

***

Pharaoh by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Reviewed on: February 1, 2020

***

The Stone Circle by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: January 1, 2020

****

Catacombs by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: December 1, 2019

****

Inquisition by David Gibbins
Reviewed on: November 1, 2019

****

The Hidden Bones by Nicola Ford
Reviewed on: October 1, 2019

****

The Antiquities Hunter by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff
Reviewed on: September 1, 2019

****

The Way, the Truth and the Dead by Francis Pryor
Reviewed on: August 1, 2019

****

The Lucifer Ego by T.M. Doran
Reviewed on: July 1, 2019

****

The Lost Tomb of Cleopatra by JT Osbourne
Reviewed on: June 1, 2019

**

Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine
Reviewed on: May 1, 2019

****

The Mechanical Devil by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: April 1, 2019

****

Desecration by Dan Baldwin
Reviewed on: March 1, 2019

***

A Baby’s Bones by Rebecca Alexander
Reviewed on: February 1, 2019

****

The Coffins by Deborah Dunn
Reviewed on: January 1, 2019

***

The Dark Angel by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: December 1, 2018

****

Return of the Swallows by Aileen G. Baron
Reviewed on: November 1, 2018

****
****

The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith
Reviewed on: September 1, 2018

****

A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourn
Reviewed on: August 1, 2018

***

The Scorpion’s Bite by Aileen G. Baron
Reviewed on: July 1, 2018

***

Undercurrents by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: June 1, 2018

***

Testament by David Gibbins
Reviewed on: May 1, 2018

****

Ararat by Christopher Golden
Reviewed on: April 1, 2018

***

The Mermaid’s Scream by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: March 1, 2018

****

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: February 1, 2018

****

Mythos Christos by Edwin Herbert
Reviewed on: January 1, 2018

***

The Baljuna Covenant by Tim Pelkey
Reviewed on: November 1, 2017

****

Look What the Wind Blew In by Ann Charles
Reviewed on: October 1, 2017

**

The Painted Queen by Elizabeth Peters; Joan Hess
Reviewed on: September 1, 2017

****

The Lazarus Bell by Patrick Dunne
Reviewed on: August 1, 2017

***

The Smoke Hunter by Jacquelyn Benson
Reviewed on: July 1, 2017

***

Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones
Reviewed on: June 1, 2017

****

Lord of the Dark Lake by Ron Faust
Reviewed on: May 1, 2017

***

The Count of the Sahara by Wayne Turmel
Reviewed on: April 1, 2017

****

Burials by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: March 1, 2017

****

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: February 1, 2017

****

The House of Eyes by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: January 1, 2017

***

A Carol for the Dead by Patrick Dunne
Reviewed on: December 1, 2016

****

Switcheroo by Aaron Elkins
Reviewed on: November 1, 2016

****

Shell Game by Sarah R. Shaber
Reviewed on: October 1, 2016

***

Death Among the Fossils by Isadore Durant
Reviewed on: September 1, 2016

****

The Oracle by D.J. Niko
Reviewed on: August 1, 2016

**

The Death Season by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: July 1, 2016

****

Mountain Rampage by Scott Graham
Reviewed on: June 1, 2016

**

Catacomb by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: May 1, 2016

***

Sunken Dreams by Steven Kuehn
Reviewed on: April 1, 2016

****

The Shadow of the Evening by Laura Brylawski-Miller
Reviewed on: March 1, 2016

***

The Avalon Chanter by Lillian Stewart Carl
Reviewed on: February 1, 2016

***

Lady in the Lake by Jason Foss
Reviewed on: January 1, 2016

***

The Lifers’ Club by Francis Pryor
Reviewed on: December 1, 2015

****

The Italian Letters by Linda Lambert
Reviewed on: November 1, 2015

***

Isolation by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: October 1, 2015

***

Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth
Reviewed on: September 1, 2015

****

The Shroud Maker by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: August 1, 2015

****

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: July 1, 2015

****

Canyon Sacrifice by Scott Graham
Reviewed on: June 1, 2015

***

The Orpheus Descent by Tom Harper
Reviewed on: May 1, 2015

****

Burnt Siena by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: April 1, 2015

***

Easy Go by Michael Crichton; John Lange
Reviewed on: March 1, 2015

***

The Blood of Alexander by Tom Wilde
Reviewed on: February 1, 2015

***

The Riddle of Solomon by D.J. Niko
Reviewed on: January 1, 2015

**

The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: December 1, 2014

***

The Moses Virus by Jack Hyland
Reviewed on: November 1, 2014

**

Artifact by Gigi Pandian
Reviewed on: October 1, 2014

****

On the Third Day by Piers Paul Read
Reviewed on: July 1, 2014

****

The Tenth Saint by D.J. Niko
Reviewed on: June 1, 2014

**

The Cairo Codex by Linda Lambert
Reviewed on: May 1, 2014

***

The Ancient Curse by Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Reviewed on: April 1, 2014

***

The Book of Killowen by Erin Hart
Reviewed on: March 1, 2014

***

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: February 1, 2014

****

The Inquisitor’s Key by Jefferson Bass
Reviewed on: January 1, 2014

***

Rituals by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: December 1, 2013

***

Tears of the Jaguar by A.J. Hartley
Reviewed on: November 1, 2013

****

The Shadow Collector by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: October 1, 2013

****

Barbara Mertz (Elizabeth Peters) by Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: September 1, 2013

Beranek’s Stand by Ray M. Schultze
Reviewed on: September 1, 2013

**

The Three Evangelists by Fred Vargas
Reviewed on: August 1, 2013

***

The Map of Lost Memories by Kim Fay
Reviewed on: July 1, 2013

****

Travels in Elysium by William Azuski
Reviewed on: June 1, 2013

****
***

A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: April 1, 2013

***

The Third Gate by Lincoln Child
Reviewed on: February 1, 2013

***

The Cadaver Game by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: January 1, 2013

***

The Golden Skull (for young readers) by John Blaine
Reviewed on: December 1, 2012

****

The Lost Goddess by Tom Knox
Reviewed on: November 1, 2012

**

Murder in Lascaux by Betsy Draine; Michael Hinden
Reviewed on: October 1, 2012

****

The House at Sea’s End by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: September 1, 2012

****

The Amun Chamber by Daniel Leston
Reviewed on: August 1, 2012

***

The Tenth Chamber by Glenn Cooper
Reviewed on: July 1, 2012

***

Toward the Gleam by T.M. Doran
Reviewed on: June 1, 2012

****

Plunder by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: May 1, 2012

***

The Explorer’s Code by Kitty Pilgrim
Reviewed on: April 1, 2012

**

Quest by David Wood
Reviewed on: March 1, 2012

**

The Second Messiah by Glenn Meade
Reviewed on: February 1, 2012

***

The Guardians of the Covenant by Tom Egeland
Reviewed on: January 1, 2012

****

The Jackal Man by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: November 1, 2011

****

The Ark by Boyd Morrison
Reviewed on: October 1, 2011

**

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: September 1, 2011

****

The Keepsake by Tess Gerritsen
Reviewed on: August 1, 2011

***

One Grave Less by Beverly Connor
Reviewed on: July 1, 2011

**

The House of the Sphinx by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: June 1, 2011

***

Elisha’s Bones by Don Hoesel
Reviewed on: May 1, 2011

**

The Flesh Tailor by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: April 1, 2011

****

The Gripping Beast by Margot Wadley
Reviewed on: March 1, 2011

***

Angel of Death by Roy Lewis
Reviewed on: February 1, 2011

***

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski
Reviewed on: January 1, 2011

****

A Darker God by Barbara Cleverly
Reviewed on: November 1, 2010

****

Strangers by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: October 1, 2010

****

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
Reviewed on: September 1, 2010

****

Hidden Oasis by Paul Sussman
Reviewed on: July 1, 2010

****

The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw
Reviewed on: July 1, 2010

*

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: June 1, 2010

****

Cibola by David Wood
Reviewed on: April 1, 2010

**

Lyn Hamilton by Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: March 1, 2010

The Fall of Augustus by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: February 1, 2010

****

St. Oswald’s Niche by Laura Frankos
Reviewed on: January 1, 2010

***

Song of the Tides by Tom Joseph
Reviewed on: December 1, 2009

***

The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox
Reviewed on: November 1, 2009

****

Murder in the Museum of Man by Alfred Alcorn
Reviewed on: October 1, 2009

****

The Alexander Cipher by Will Adams
Reviewed on: September 1, 2009

***

Floodgates by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: August 1, 2009

****

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
Reviewed on: July 1, 2009

****

Nine Lords of the Night by E.C. Gibson
Reviewed on: June 1, 2009

***

The Bible of Clay by Julia Navarro
Reviewed on: May 1, 2009

***

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
Reviewed on: April 1, 2009

***

Dragon Bones by Lisa See
Reviewed on: March 1, 2009

****

Bright Hair About the Bone by Barbara Cleverly
Reviewed on: February 1, 2009

****

The Blood Pit by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: January 1, 2009

****

Uneasy Relations by Aaron Elkins
Reviewed on: December 1, 2008

***

The Shining Skull by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: November 1, 2008

****

Questionable Remains by Beverly Connor
Reviewed on: October 1, 2008

**

The Sea King’s Daughter by Barbara Michaels
Reviewed on: September 1, 2008

***

The Pale Surface of Things by Janey Bennett
Reviewed on: August 1, 2008

****

Findings by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: July 1, 2008

****

Trace Elements by Kathryn Lasky Knight
Reviewed on: June 1, 2008

***

The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman
Reviewed on: May 1, 2008

****

The Tomb of Zeus by Barbara Cleverly
Reviewed on: April 1, 2008

****

Crusader Gold by David Gibbins
Reviewed on: March 1, 2008

***

The Raven’s Pool by Deborah Cannon
Reviewed on: February 1, 2008

****

Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels
Reviewed on: January 1, 2008

**

Chasing Eden by S.L. Linnea
Reviewed on: December 1, 2007

***

The Meriwether Murder by Malcolm Shuman
Reviewed on: November 1, 2007

***

The Jackal’s Head by Elizabeth Peters
Reviewed on: October 1, 2007

**

No Certain Rest by Jim Lehrer
Reviewed on: September 1, 2007

***

Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich
Reviewed on: August 1, 2007

****

A Dark Music by Robert Froese
Reviewed on: July 1, 2007

****

Effigies by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: June 1, 2007

****

The Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd
Reviewed on: May 1, 2007

****

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass
Reviewed on: April 1, 2007

****

A Tourist in the Yucatan by James McNay Brumfield
Reviewed on: March 1, 2007

***

Fog on the Mountain by Frederica De Laguna
Reviewed on: February 1, 2007

****

The Torch of Tangier by Aileen G. Baron
Reviewed on: January 1, 2007

****

A Rumor of Bones by Beverly Connor
Reviewed on: December 1, 2006

**

The Lucifer Gospel by Paul Christopher
Reviewed on: November 1, 2006

***

The Orkney Scroll by Lyn Hamilton
Reviewed on: October 1, 2006

****

The Mask of Atreus by A.J. Hartley
Reviewed on: September 1, 2006

**

Thunderhead by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Reviewed on: August 1, 2006

****

The Dead Sea Codex by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: July 1, 2006

***

The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi
Reviewed on: June 1, 2006

****

More Bitter Than Death by Dana Cameron
Reviewed on: May 1, 2006

***

Tomb Seven by Gene Snyder
Reviewed on: April 1, 2006

*

The Bog by Michael Talbot
Reviewed on: March 1, 2006

***

Stolen Souls by Jeffrey Sackett
Reviewed on: February 1, 2006

**

Frozen by Jay Bonansinga
Reviewed on: January 1, 2006

***

Bound for Eternity by Sarah Wisseman
Reviewed on: December 1, 2005

**

Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs
Reviewed on: November 1, 2005

***

The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters
Reviewed on: October 1, 2005

****

The Moai Murders by Lyn Hamilton
Reviewed on: September 1, 2005

***

Relics by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: August 1, 2005

***

The Codex by Douglas Preston
Reviewed on: July 1, 2005

***

Youth Archaeology Book Reviews by Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: June 1, 2005

Clay Dancers: A Mystery by Cecil Dawkins
Reviewed on: June 1, 2005

**

The Seventh Sanctuary by Daniel Easterman
Reviewed on: May 1, 2005

****

Dead Men’s Hearts by Aaron Elkins
Reviewed on: April 1, 2005

***

The Shape-Shifter by Roy Lewis
Reviewed on: February 1, 2005

***

Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart
Reviewed on: January 1, 2005

****

The Lost Army of Cambyses by Paul Sussman
Reviewed on: December 1, 2004

****

Field of Stones by Marilyn Dungan
Reviewed on: November 1, 2004

**

The Stone Circle by Gary Goshgarian
Reviewed on: October 1, 2004

*

The Plague Maiden by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: September 1, 2004

Monday Mourning by Kathy Reichs
Reviewed on: August 1, 2004

The Magyar Venus by Lyn Hamilton
Reviewed on: June 1, 2004

Guardian of the Horizon by Elizabeth Peters
Reviewed on: May 1, 2004

Good Blood by Aaron Elkins
Reviewed on: March 1, 2004

One Grave Too Many by Beverly Connor
Reviewed on: February 1, 2004

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
Reviewed on: January 1, 2004

Artifacts by Mary Anna Evans
Reviewed on: December 1, 2003

The Merchant’s House by Kate Ellis
Reviewed on: November 1, 2003

The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned by Anne Rice
Reviewed on: October 1, 2003

Past Malice by Dana Cameron
Reviewed on: September 1, 2003

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
Reviewed on: August 1, 2003

Cities of the Dead by Michael Paine
Reviewed on: July 1, 2003

The Sleeper in the Sands by Tom Holland
Reviewed on: June 1, 2003

A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes by Aileen G. Baron
Reviewed on: May 1, 2003

The Cambridge Murders by Dilwyn Rees
Reviewed on: April 1, 2003

The Menorah Men by Lionel Davidson
Reviewed on: February 1, 2003

Grave Consequences by Dana Cameron
Reviewed on: January 1, 2003

The Return by Bentley Little
Reviewed on: December 1, 2002

Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God by Joe Coomer
Reviewed on: November 1, 2002

Burial Ground by Malcolm Shuman
Reviewed on: October 1, 2002

Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs
Reviewed on: September 1, 2002

Nine Lords of the Night by E.C. Gibson
Reviewed on: August 1, 2002

Zadok’s Treasure by Margot Arnold
Reviewed on: July 1, 2002

The Lost Testament by Alan Gold
Reviewed on: June 1, 2002

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
Reviewed on: May 1, 2002

Exit Actors, Dying by Margot Arnold
Reviewed on: April 1, 2002

The Cross Bearer by Roy Lewis
Reviewed on: February 1, 2002

Dead Secret by Roy Lewis
Reviewed on: January 1, 2002

Skeleton Dance by Aaron Elkins
Reviewed on: December 1, 2001

The Last Mayan by Malcolm Shuman
Reviewed on: November 1, 2001

The Eye of Horus by Carol Thurston
Reviewed on: October 1, 2001

Fatal Voyage by Kathy Reichs
Reviewed on: September 1, 2001

The Celtic Riddle by Lyn Hamilton
Reviewed on: July 1, 2001

A Wall in the Darkness by Jon Land
Reviewed on: June 1, 2001

Beat Not the Bones by Charlotte Jay
Reviewed on: May 1, 2001

Temple by Matt Reilly
Reviewed on: April 1, 2001