Review: Mystery and Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 1, 2012
'Francie Vasileiou is a graduate student working on her PhD in archaeology in beautiful, culture-rich Greece. Raised by a famous archaeologist father and a famous actress mother, her life was anything but average. In spite of her mother's plans for her future, she chose a life as an archaeologist-- her true passion. Unfortunately, on every dig she is involved with, priceless artifacts have disappeared without explanation, leaving a dark cloud of suspicion on her integrity.Enter Alex Leonidis, a tall handsome private investigator, hired by a wealthy man with interests in the latest dig site. His objective: to observe Francie closely in order to prove her involvement in the missing artifacts. His plan: to go undercover as a Project Director of the dig site. Alex observed her closely all right -- drawn inexplicably to her beauty, her passion and her work ethic. He has a difficult time keeping his mind on his primary objective.But artifacts are still disappearing. Is Francie the culprit? Or is it one of the other crew members -- the old, absent-minded professor, the seemingly inept newbie who is always checking his phone, the crew cook? And what will happen when she finds out he's been lying to her about who he really is?This story is one of those whose plot is so engaging you are drawn immediately in. It's difficult not to want more when it's so good but it ends so soon. As a short story, it can't be judged by the same criteria as a full-length novel (though a longer format would have given the room to flesh out all the details of this amazing story).I would have liked to see more development in the relationship between the two main characters, as most of it is brought about through the internal dialogue of the respective character and not as much through their interaction with one another. But overall, a very enjoyable read. As it is, there is romance, mystery, twists and turns, betrayal, reconciliation, and much more. It's incredible how the author can pack so much into this story.A great book for an afternoon or evening read. You can read it in one sitting, and it keeps you intrigued from start to finish.