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
Rise of the Snake Goddess (for young readers) by
Jenny Elder Moke
Reviewed on: October 1, 2024
Past reviews
Excavation by
James Rollins
Reviewed on: September 1, 2024
The Lost City by
Henry Shukman
Reviewed on: August 1, 2024
Curse of the Specter Queen (for young readers) by
Jenny Elder Moke
Reviewed on: July 1, 2024
Cuernavaca by
Richard Perhacs
Reviewed on: June 1, 2024
The Well of the Soul by
Doug Powell
Reviewed on: May 1, 2024
The Sunbird by
Wilbur Smith
Reviewed on: April 1, 2024
Trempealeau by
John T. Umhoefer
Reviewed on: March 1, 2024
Diablo Mesa by
Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Reviewed on: February 1, 2024
The Romanov Conspiracy by
Glenn Meade
Reviewed on: January 1, 2024
Black Acorns by
Vanessa Gordon
Reviewed on: December 1, 2023
Four Thousand Days by
M.J. Trow
Reviewed on: November 1, 2023
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
Indiana Jones and the Army of the Dead by
Steve Perry
Reviewed on: July 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
Cries from the Lost Island (for young readers) by
Kathleen O’Neal Gear
Reviewed on: September 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 Summoning God by
Kathleen O’Neal Gear; W. Michael Gear
Reviewed on: January 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
Twenty Years of Archaeology in Fiction by
Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: May 1, 2021
The Pandora Room by
Christopher Golden
Reviewed on: April 1, 2021
The Scorpion’s Tail by
Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Reviewed on: March 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 Indian Mummy Mystery (for young readers) by
Troy Nesbit
Reviewed on: October 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
Skaar: A Novel of Archaeology, Revolution and Betrayal by
Rowland Reeve
Reviewed on: December 1, 2017
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
The Fifth Codex (for young readers) by
Robert Bresloff
Reviewed on: May 1, 2013
A Room Full of Bones by
Elly Griffiths
Reviewed on: April 1, 2013
Come, Tell Me How You Live: An Archaeological Memoir by
Agatha Christie; Agatha Christie Mallowan
Reviewed on: March 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
Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx (for young readers) by
James Rollins
Reviewed on: December 1, 2011
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
The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid (for young readers) by
Rick Riordan
Reviewed on: December 1, 2010
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
Archaeology in Fiction: A Selected Bibliography by
Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: July 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
Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow (for young readers) by
James Rollins
Reviewed on: May 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
Archaeology in Fiction; the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly by
Bill Gresens
Reviewed on: March 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
Amelia Peabody’s Egypt: A Compendium by
Elizabeth Peters; Kristen Whitbread
Reviewed on: April 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
Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi by
Rob MacGregor
Reviewed on: March 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
Site Unseen: An Emma Fielding Mystery by
Dana Cameron
Reviewed on: March 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
Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory by
Adrian Praetzellis
Reviewed on: August 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
The African Quest: An Archaeology Mystery by
Lyn Hamilton
Reviewed on: March 1, 2001