Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Burials
Burials
Burials
Ebook359 pages5 hours

Burials

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

Top 12 Mystery Novels of 2017 by Strand Magazine

2018 - Willa Literary Award Finalist, Contemporary Fiction

"Evans' signature archaeological lore adds even more interest to this tale of love, hate, and greed." —Kirkus Reviews

A woman waits under five feet of dirt—a woman who is by now nothing but bones stained the deep red of Oklahoma clay. A delicate silver necklace, a handful of ancient pearls, and a priceless figurine rest with her. Twenty-nine years is a long time to wait for a proper burial.

Faye Longchamp-Mantooth, who runs a small and shakily financed archaeological consulting firm with her husband, Joe, has come to Sylacauga so she and Joe can join his father, Sly Mantooth, in dispersing his mother's ashes. Fifteen years is a long time to wait for a proper ceremony.

Faye has partially financed the trip by hiring on to consult on the reopening of a site closed down 29 years ago when archaeologist Dr. Sophia Townsend disappeared—for good. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation intends to create a park if nothing sacred lies in the soil. What no one expects is the lonely red bones that emerge as the backhoe completes its work. Inevitably they prove to be those of Sophia Townsend. And examination shows Sophia was first killed by a blow to the head.

Chief Roy Cloud of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation's Lighthorse Tribal Police hires Faye, who clearly can't be a suspect, to consult. Which is fine with Faye, who won't rest easy until Sophia's murder is solved. But the investigation comes uncomfortably close to home when she learns that her father-in-law knows more about the dead woman than he is willing to admit. So, it appears, does everyone in tiny Sylacauga.

Dr. Sophia Townsend had possessed a sexual magnetism as forceful as an Oklahoma tornado, and she had never hesitated to use it to manipulate everyone around her, people whose hearts she broke and whose marriages she destroyed. Was she killed by one of her lovers, or by one of their wives? Or by the woman who became enthralled with her? Or maybe Sly Mantooth? Or was something else elemental—greed, buried treasure, fame—at work?

Faye's obsession with this case tests her professional ethics and it tests her marriage. Such was the power of Sophia Townsend that, twenty-nine years after her murder, she wreaks havoc (along with the weather) once again.

2018 - Oklahoma Book Award Finalist, Fiction

2018 - Will Rogers Bronze Medallion Award Winner, Western Fiction

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMar 7, 2017
ISBN9781464207532
Burials
Author

Mary Anna Evans

Mary Anna Evans is the author of the Faye Longchamp archeological mysteries, which have won the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Mississippi Author Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals. The winner of the 2018 Sisters in Crime (SinC) Academic Research Grant, she is an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, where she teaches fiction and nonfiction writing.

Read more from Mary Anna Evans

Related to Burials

Related ebooks

Amateur Sleuths For You

View More

Related articles

Related categories

Reviews for Burials

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Burials - Mary Anna Evans

    3 fbook_preview_excerpt.html}IɑUjU2!9Q`c-OS\!#5(u#\ ۤ**×/O4M^~cT}k_+m%V_1tKx'^&>T_>>?ݾr:sf7q^WS/*ӑ׏nS]o~y)աэ!؟[[mMׇ{IxŶ_Z}럿uV wpnc}xc8a̕w+1>W<>wy|]R=s˧׾m/l?w>;wfR*?pUY%/SNI_ P!0=I~o?WHjY[to?zT[qin x1lK9 UG]r7)_ǡGӀg#CcrO~iW! ·bSNm=!t k8; z͈MHOa/a7TL/;0>l#my9mBq8ol]곀8\11nlN&fDLȸh~n/i|~lc 79~WϿ|#z[-)䘪PwcE~ȉ!bdt D*l3 ퟱiNm \Eq9`oo1!C*MiҜ;2bd\s afJ"BئA$}kCgP Fs`!-&vH7_!A+wCEi9\mo^b~nO5={ ]'~oh B$՛p~hzeHpf0UO`%~8zqJsڸ6/bDwgq ]ΉbWs7-gisSK@Ú=54jێ}#Z8ulN-9d rUw{e?1P=hsjH|$i̙*EC\K0pg<6q8=G QӲ4sx].IĀY/l! @EZ&CL); On;Sl%;O2HO0H, q-"?2{V̢vmn6;|ep Cawa4J Sr%ܹ"qu4"+}}vXЍxu}3ozxmessnjMC:F( f+KGH;UL\$Lsa7`T{' 殱WQJ&bt4q$t~)J&駙k&'~ (Z:ܲɔoi ?4q>X-^%dsN%Pm?cWB.$UI1 ȊyA!@{xT҃aãHIæ'_*)Ԟ?Oitv|TG=-08J1{_t夤x';YGә1·^制p`[[v-خWB l AӕIU.D @|5bOH=mZgzq9 (-tϧNf^I ?wԷ2fTHKA Z#R-jۦUK^F5N4(_W^C?F=.z[w* S0Q38ie/\{2wAfa\6h~5i8(b2|0FsdX Bi_`v93Xfȗ -Ih.܂[zb)Жd1Mmr@78y`&Wiab`~ôK ّ 1d@iS%@:v9ɤC״&xsSHe÷^nձBWzR9JF{ 7>$! `Ȟ$vQ6eb(IOvhnҌaa`Tl<«3q-y~ /^Do[K taۆ\02X O T/ߕgrlqZ@] CEW|S h쒆$-õU tLO„ `ooXLI`~X_Wa-|MȘcrIf6. "ȧV d[B xH ,ɺnIċ%+v! z)m{&]Z.{0!ayޑ(Rt92ְK_7 ro=`q᫱ZhxJۚHl;C,UC47G;:d}e0UHyM~y9o̱b;HHc̍ϕZ@l6FN`a;=_)KLK^$k^-["[4v& NKj)JvS7rVK)C#~ZEiϴVXه1f~4B@90(b2UYZ`acA*#ټ5tg1FAƓ+Nw-dgtCL]K8 GXaBa<>x5D$@8bm:PzpI-J;5/U'Y6%A)' ՟bd$PQK'Eߤz[dSvȠd wGm~ [s,^Eg"5'L{X+LUyu|X֔UT")ɡG2"шgd4s-jE]6ݣDM%)6}3)RQ.~ IlБ=RϲuVQ|CL؛*h0 hLm| Cms q& ?3'0<9档ǍۭZ->X5} FMzV۶il1A, L2nye~ۤݜ)pD>HeJ xT(kưkÒRm:q50yϐv~S4.j]Ee)n ({.!R1 KMq~lf SxvC|ѯ L4b_9f%sYV/n֝ӆqx=–w#)Iҩ*H?] ;pK@-nIeOqc֫,z8 \q=^*ةxhj2XIr2QP; Xe3.06dy+Of JB sBǸ$y'Ϻ`"-1S^ڪ3b66@9AL%U ,>2UXZ/N@ޙ0L ՜',?gcEI펫,rG^T:y.F7c:X'1c2~~U n!+- y2%wuPȩU#-B$ T'9d_ʞWru/9] 6TJ {2t Ui:K;LІ-XrBWuZ٢#;(8/@G^M5R 1,NALU/9B:FDrr[aTKJS2`4.٘Ә[oO\OKrHΞdi0s5 r2Lqg%+ݭ:y[k^6 zbА9>{0U(^JLvNmLT86K )|p{ضl&r79pKtBbB뻢N s^Ӡ YY6{WJWFsjS+s灉1h9;T np`bdhj& vnFr1HOw* '#cPe+ڣئ"K`b䣏n1SFx.n8Z PA[fAx_@vY>׹ : $Ϊذ2Gۇ`dm )sRFřx57,.LRi:oU 6DP?,"G$*mnWB1PGVjgFȭ EG!W_ރSOjÖIcq`3ܱ.^OC\QOh*}!RΆGz6)@Q(pZu:7]g (yi:oX˄D  ^ţjEaXd:U:W̱*?լ]Ze{s6UIXB}+H=Rt>RSWս"2wfТ<0/wDX9%PNM Cc KnWQJvRӂz}m8Sn"W`m%f >&<`Q&km cHYWKՋNXnv 27z83g#2=esX$eu)} TPB.-!Zc&'1Gݩ.1z?ex}Hgk6|aRhZ4WkX<8xL C2+ݬ;=l1W=sﺿLzE?,8W^h =K?YcV7-}JNgd]>v:ahDžrllٗbd mI@yvXW'[>gqbhZ + YR|XweϨ 1?h~sM9?/]`e3 Fl\B2Rސ!̘nyE"E!>p+%p.#EΑ|2ӳk j;`i,tnFN%0VXGCS[v iWh'ixX2 uvoQvR/]5Q44ԥTB f2d[o0LHD;ys+ԦUn//ѳ?nvp*ٺ,ѫRͱ ^MDdh⢥M\0HQ4:WӉeSc]-y{90>j(It-ڦ.[N9D=?ί+o.[eLI/#N&#@\F'|G>h+iwxE=fm =+O˄M!" `35L_U9#3Ƥל3$A@Szm.h87|(gY @'ٗOC]Z<2>۷B,xspOζ;' &dA `[L6?k tso,]U=_pE "?{4|sNy>sX; <*Tsu*Ul#㊕YԎUg džVH4SJN9!Znp>7T55қ]KVj#iOpX_]nxJ"xOUl: mZ,پSSFjț[V>E\W6}(kGeuS㻷4SLIzmӷ{vm *V-LkxavȮA\߲e|xUJY_i]=ˍM$iP""gi:E1}3t_=6uMϚDu+X|YKYϝpG߳0z&4v#{ ڞ<y`sXU5ɷ8]YŇ]~TӜu ɉ0ͩ{VBj&zBG3SFVv2IԻX-SI!yU,o7Jhm"ƗHu<(\Ķ5ȫş[˘ȸbJn(%qƓ:t = 4;VBPéOGE +;Z}iw*[K&JS9؟KAk]Z %7Yrι&Se6\SEN1LM.Ӝʣ%"~2H%,N NOƁ47ͪ9SNQΖ4W2XRܞI1)ڝR$G!:fuRwË< uWO !i`4kY,4$i,YUOUL+) H|r}G0uif m\V>51vX5aue 2.VCo(ǠeQ>`  öŖﶳj`_tvSm[ۙ:cB"j+|ߺY 5^wω [Ynl\ζYLv֓( Te qp,c`ZW|6 "M[].B:e&ռܠ_ CrDV9VG+ wH~?dͱ ᐏ)qhu\6Vm- ;n5'i[m8ZA 97.R_?.h\&LjVe)㱂*M;āIҚQ\(謹#nJ4\fɞ>R!p Z;2Ƈq#ٞBȖ2'2F(15)x򢅡hzOe kq4R ~0rW]cʴPϞdw}A8FMIy  Uz7g^Z#sTޙo)@Vsm:%skp,o&)Fg'Zzka q>vc,( ް}8UebbZh՞ujcJ,It(Җ*7o0';qٛבdE.;'A Z!9s,l$B*ʝm0/IACVTI6nh,^ӕ9:z,;EyvUx|vHsyH ;׮|`f{j|Nd, ` 3AS5C㌽iW|e~nun @? <*9CcsEOyv1&3vO'$6nz.,[ E/o;o,PaaMYBDNp2db{K\JHwbJ'X3tFab!ze[oC4e9mtɉTX;dI2Gפ*-.NwY28"S[LV/+sAIm`+tW}m|W)w4+&³^O HAg)hNzӱ-Ps}K7#UxvoF)*omy=E~5ؐm%䀻fx)u.vB_: uZlRH>mgZIrcWeWzmֱ9R ^TGeqZg$g Oi!W" Rn_N-"gyun:Nƶ%4ZYv(47Ƣ$;u2>IGfl_䭛۾X7LiuZeC6xSj3 @$7׹nm,U,!ϪJ"l&&i]8)mƜsug{n{)):yzU}nH[{ֹW|{u͓L[*;g8Mb:qշ?-G7)wdV?^l]󝌆(q+:]-G' <5p
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1