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Rituals by Mary Anna Evans: A review

This is the eighth book in the Faye Longchamp mystery series. I was interested in reading the series in the first place because of its archeological connection. Faye is an archaeologist. But the series seems to be evolving into an archeological romance/mystery with an emphasis on the romance. While the series in general has been a fairly enjoyable read, I'm not sure I will continue with it after this entry as romance is not really my main reading interest. And there are so many other books on my "to-be-read" list that are demanding my attention.

Rituals finds Faye and her adopted teenage daughter, Amande, in a rural New York town called Rosebower. Faye has been hired to organize her client's amateur museum. The client, Samuel Langley, has artifacts that he believes prove that aliens from outer space long ago landed in New York and that Scandinavians were the original settlers of the Americas.

In evaluating her client's artifacts, Faye discovers documents that relate to the origins of Spiritualism and to the 1848 women's rights convention in nearby Seneca Falls but nothing to support the client's "aliens from outer space" theories. While the documents are of historical significance and interest, they are not what the client had been hoping for.

Of course, there are malevolent interests at work here also and Faye and Amande find themselves in some peril. Interestingly, Faye's husband, Joe Mantooth, has been left at home this time to take care of their young son, but he does make an appearance late in the book.

Overall, these books adhere to a pretty rigid formula of storytelling, and while they are of some interest and do have sympathetic main characters, I think it's probably time for me to wave goodbye to Faye, Joe, and Amande and move on to other entries on that aforementioned TBR list.  

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Comments

  1. Lark September 28, 2023 at 8:36 AM

    Sadly, series don't last forever. I have to admit it's the archaeological element that interests me most about these books. I've never read any of them yet because my library only has e-audio versions of them and I don't like 'reading' books that way.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 28, 2023 at 8:53 AM

      I'm not a big fan of audio books either. I prefer the printed page or, in my case, the printed Kindle!

      Delete
  2. Sam September 28, 2023 at 11:43 AM

    I think most series do tend toward a natural lifespan, and it's always kind of sad and frustrating when authors insist on moving on beyond that point. I think, for instance, that Ann Cleeves feels that hers should run only about eight books before she retires them, and that's worked well for her in the last couple of decades.

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersSeptember 28, 2023 at 12:53 PM

      You make a good point, but as a Cleeves fan, I really wish she would give us more of Vera Stanhope.

      Delete

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