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

Past reviews

Excavation by James Rollins
Reviewed on: September 1, 2024

*

The Lost City by Henry Shukman
Reviewed on: August 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

****
***

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

Twenty Years in the Trenches: Archaeology in Fiction

William Gresens, longtime MVAC supporter and volunteer, has been writing reviews of archaeological fiction as MVAC’s book reviewer for twenty years.  In this interview Bill shares how he got started writing reviews for MVAC, how the genre has changed, highlights, and his thoughts looking forward. 

Bill Gresen’s Book Review 20th Anniversary

While Bill's reviews go back 20 years now, his relationship with MVAC goes back more than twice that long! The reviews capture some of the things we enjoy most about Bill-- he's perceptive, methodical, a clear thinker, and a whole lot of fun! We look forward to this relationship--and Bill's reviews!--continuing for many years to come.


The March 2021 review marks the 20th anniversary of reviews of archaeological fiction.  It has been my pleasure and great fun to while away the hours reading these books—for the most part, at least—and writing the reviews!  My thanks to MVAC allowing me to prattle on and I look forward to the years ahead.

Bill Gresens