Beautiful Sacrifice
If you were curious, or just thankful that another date for the ending of the world has come and gone, you just may want to learn more about the background! One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Lowell, has an excellent novel to not only give you a historical perspective...but just may be one of the sexiest romantic suspense/ thrillers you'll read this year (or next since we're all still here!).
Probably by now you've realized that I enjoy ancient artifact treasure hunts, but this story has a much darker tale to weave, so be prepared. Because these artifacts celebrate the Mayan "god of death, KAWA'IL"
ANCIENT MAYA PROPHECY
If the covenant be kept on the night of December 21,2012,
then the Great Wheel shall grind the old world to dust,
Kukulcan shall blow it behind the Bacabs, and the
followers of Kawa'il will rule in the Age of Kings.
--MODERN TRANSLATION FROM THE LOST
CODEX OF KAWA'IL
Paperback Out December 26, 2012
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| The dancing figures carry what seem to be tri-bladed obsidian knives http://www.authenticmaya.com/Obsidian.htm "If the artifacts came from the same area as the stolen truck ...then the glyph might possibly be related to Kawa'il, a Mayan deity worshipped after the destruction of the Maya rule by the Spanish..." "Kawa'il wasn't a common deity. His worship was confined to small areas of the Quintana Roo and, perhaps, Belize. Many Maya scholars don't even believe Kawa'il existed." "But you do." "Yes. Some glyphs related to Kawa'il have been found on..." Her voice died. "Reyes Balam land." It wasn't a question. "If you already know so much, why mousetrap me into helping you?" she asked sharply. "The presence or absence of Kawa'il was central to the scandal that got your father thrown out of academia..." "If my father knows of these artifacts," she said quietly, I'm useless to you. Philip doesn't confide in anyone, including me."... "I don't believe it. The bunch of fabric," she said, tapping her finger on the photo of the cloth, "could be rubbish or it could be a god bundle. Again, without tests, I can't be more precise." "If it's a god bundle?" "It would be highly, highly rare. Pretty much unique, as far as I know. Such bundles are represented in glyphs and verbal legends, but none have survived to modern times..." "A god bundle was the most sacred of artifacts," Lina said. "It was believed to contain talismans created by the god himself. The talismans were said to literally hold the strength of that god given in promise to the village or city-state that worshiped and was guarded by the god. The bundle was carried in a carved box at the forefront of soldiers going into battle. Capturing a god bundle meant the end of a diety and the people who followed it..." |
A simple robbery and a request to help a friend sent Hunter Johnston (check him out above! Hot, right?!--Hey, I may be old, but I can still appreciate...LOL) to Lina Taylor for help. He knew her as an instructor of classes that he would sit in on whenever he could. But, from the first time he had seen her, he went for a much more pleasurable reason.
Lina Taylor, although an American citizen, worked as an archaeologist and head of Houston's Museum of the Maya. She was, in reality, a descendant from a royal line back to Tah Itza in modern Quintana Roo, and had lived during the time that the Spanish had killed and taken over so much of the land. But her family had made peace with Spain and had been granted a large piece of land that was now still in their hands and was being routinely searched by her father for artifacts and also sold by her mother. Her parents were separated both personally and professionally. There had been a scandal that had affected all of them, including Lina; now she kept her professional life within a rigid set of standards...and, to some extent, also her personal life.
Until she first saw Hunter... Shall we just say that their feelings were mutual and you can enjoy reading about alllll that...
Hunter's best friend was still with Immigration and Customs, where Hunter had once worked. He sought help from Hunter when, via a drug bust, a set of Mayan artifacts had landed in police custody, and then were stolen from the property inventory. His friend had been blamed by his boss who had threatened to fire him if they weren't returned. Hunter immediately turned to Lina for help. She was hesitant, until she saw the pictures of what had been found...
She knew immediately that they were the same artifacts about which her Mother had called her, asking if she had heard any rumors about them.
But this was not just a theft for money or to bid out to the highest fanatic collector...
Because the police were finding that the narcotics gangs had been joined by Mayans who were bringing back the old blood sacrifices--human sacrifices!
There is a reason why Elizabeth Lowell is always on the NYTimes list! I am so happy that she has moved into more depth in her books, bringing in this one, an excellent historical novel in itself! If you haven't read her, start with Beautiful Sacrifice. Soon she will be one of your favorite authors as well as mine!
GABixlerReviews
In 1982, Ann began publishing romances as Elizabeth Lowell. Under that name she has received numerous professional awards in the romance field, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the Romance Writers of America (1994). Since July of 1992, she has had more than thirty novels on the New York Times list, as well as other national and international best seller lists. Her most recent romantic suspense is BEAUTIFUL SACRIFICE.
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