Isolation

June 8, 2015
Archeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth entertains an array of visitors at her home on Joyeuse Island, some more welcome than others, in Evans’s meaty ninth mystery set on Florida’s Gulf coast (after 2013’s Rituals). First, her ex-con father-in-law, Sly Mantooth, arrives, then a hazardous leak brings in the county environmental agency team led by Gerry Steinberg, who’s also a detective for the Micco County sheriff. Later, genealogist Delia Scarsdale and history buff Oscar Croft seek information about Elias Croft, a Union soldier who was Oscar’s great-great-grandfather, and the woman they believe held him captive, Cally Stanton, Faye’s great-great-grandmother. Meanwhile, the murder of Liz Colton, owner of Liz’s Bar and Grill, and attacks or attempted attacks on two other women on the mainland bring trouble to Joyeuse. Evans skillfully uses excerpts from the fictional oral history of Cally Stanton, recorded by the Federal Writers’ Project in 1935, to dramatize the past. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates.

June 15, 2015
A mystery from the past provides just the therapy a grieving mother needs. Archaeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth is in a deep depression after suffering a miscarriage and losing her baby daughter. Her husband, Joe Wolf Mantooth, is holding things together, caring for their son, Michael, and dealing with a visit from his long-estranged father, Sly Mantooth. Faye spends her time aimlessly digging holes on Joyeuse Island, her home off the Florida coast, until one day she digs into an old tank that's releasing some noxious fluid. When the crew from the EPA arrives, they find elevated amounts of arsenic in the soil. On the mainland, Faye's friend Liz Colton has been murdered and a local boat mechanic caught dumping noxious substances in the water. Faye's been trying to avoid Oscar Croft, a wealthy Ohio native convinced that his Civil War officer ancestor was held prisoner nearby by a crazy woman who sent his sword home to his wife. Working for Oscar is Delia Scarsdale, an attractive genealogist determined to track down information on Cally Stanton. Faye's unwilling to admit that Cally is her great-great-grandmother, a former slave who owned Joyeuse and left an unpublished memoir mentioning the Civil War officer. Could the murder, the contamination, and the search for information about the past all be related? Faye, who feels compelled to look for answers, puts her whole family in grave danger, but what she finds turns out to be her salvation. A worthwhile addition to Faye's long-running series (Rituals, 2013, etc.) that weaves history, mystery, and psychology into a satisfying tale of greed and passion.

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May 1, 2015
Archaeologist Faye Longchamp-Mantooth, devastated by a personal tragedy, has withdrawn from her husband and children, spending her days aimlessly digging holes on her family's Gulf Coast Florida island, Joyeuse. Her husband, Joe Wolf Mantooth, is very concerned about Faye, but he is also caring for their young child and is disturbed about a visit from his father, Sly, an ex-con with whom he has had a troubled relationship. When their good friend Liz Colton is murdered, and other women are attacked, Sly becomes a suspect, so Faye works to clear his name. Faye must also deal with other issues: an environmental spill on the island, causing her to fear the prospect of a costly cleanup, and Oscar Croft and his employee Delia, a historian, are trying to prove that one of Faye's much-admired ancestors was a kidnapper who tortured her victim. Faye solves both mysteries, past and present, as she slowly recovers, and her family faces another tragic loss. Well-drawn characters and setting, and historical and archaeological detail, add to the absorbing story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)