Curses! by Aaron Elkins

Retrieved from: my library
0892962631, 1989
Suggested by: the authors list
My Ratings: 8 Merit, 9 Interest, 7 Fun

Back to the Skeleton Doctor we go. This one follows Gideon and his wife to the Yucatan area where Gideon's mentor is running a dig. This site was originally worked five years earlier but closed down because a valuable artifact was stolen by one of the archaeologists.

Soon after Gideon arrives, an ancient curse is deciphered which threatens anyone working in the area, and things begin to happen that seem to fulfill the curse. It's not until someone is murdered that the pieces of the puzzle begin to coalesce into a coherent whole.

Unfortunately, one of the big pieces of the puzzle, one that is uncovered (literally) late in the story, is telegraphed very early and I spent much of the book muttering about how stupid the characters were for not guessing the right answer.

Not one of the best of the series, although I really liked the Mexican police officer.