This was way too slow, and the way it was weekend was strange. As if it were a directed text, like a testimony, which is what I fully expected it to resolve as. It didn't, so that just made the whole vibe weirder. Why was it written that way? It felt awkward.

The writing is very procedural, in a kind of bland "this happened, then this happened, then this happened" way. I never felt invested in the characters or story. Though it was essentially a murder mystery, I didn't care and ultimately was not very surprised by the ending. I absolutely would not have finished this if it weren't the last book needed for a lengthy yearlong reading challenge.  ( )

This was a great read and Hamilton did amazing work in integrating the archeological/Mayan aspects. I learned a lot, but without the sometimes agonizing attempts to educate the reader through pages of explanatory dialogue that plagues historical fiction. Lara McClintoch is a great character--both relatable in her life challenges (divorce, losing her business, etc) but also a bit of an armchair superhero sleuth, who isn't afraid to put her neck on the line in search of writing rabbits (read the book and that makes sense). Most of the story takes place in Mérida, Mexico, and Hamilton really makes the city come alive. Each chapter is named for a day of the Mayan calendar, but it isn't frivolous--McClintoch knows her stuff (and so does Hamilton). Portents and symbology abound, as do some good old-fashioned murders. While I am no expert in Mayan culture, I did fact check some of what Hamilton offered and it seems legit.
The author died of cancer in 2009, but she managed 11 in the series, and I can't wait to read them. ( )

An enjoyable murder mystery set in the 1990s amidst an archaeological site in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. I found the information about the Mayan culture interesting & not too overdone. There was a bit too much "If I had known what was to happen" in the early parts of the book, but other than that I liked the first person narrative. I did guess one of the guilty parties, partially from clues and partially based on personality... ( )

This book was little more then OK, I didn't care to much for any of the characters, because we hardly got to know any of them and the heroine made way too many bad personal decisions
She blames her ex for her trip to Mexico, and we see by the end of the novel that he is not a sterling character, but she married him and stayed married too long by her own admission. The next guy she gets involved with, I had long pegged as the villain of the book, he tries to kill her, she's saved by this mysterious character Lucas who she now starts a relationship with.

whether it is possible to have a truly trusting and intimate relationship with someone who keeps something very important from you.

So she knows little to nothing about this guy.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, fool me a possible 3 times? The reader becomes the fool.


That plus the mystery was far to easy to solve made for a rather poor reading experience. The background info was interesting and truly that and the setting are the only reasons I finished the book. ( )

I was definitely interested in an archeological mystery so I picked up The Xibalba Murders. Unfortunately, it wasn't exciting or engrossing. Perhaps the series gets better.

Lara, the archaeologist, takes it upon herself to investigate her friend's death in Mexico, apparently over a precious Maya artifact.

I can appreciate the names of the chapters being the names of the days in Mayan and there being a bit of a mystical twist with her dreams of the Lords of Xibalba, but it wasn't enough to make this a really good, interesting story. Perhaps if it had been longer, allowing for more depth of character and plot development, I wouldn't have cringed every time she snuck out of the hotel or broke into the museum like a little kid.

I may or may not read another in this series. ( )