Artifact

A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery, Book 1

By: Gigi Pandian

Narrated by: Allyson Ryan

When historian Jaya Jones receives a mysterious package containing a jewel-encrusted artifact, she discovers the secrets of a lost Indian treasure may be hidden in a Scottish legend. But she's not the only one on the trail.

From San Francisco to the Highlands of Scotland, Jaya must evade a shadowy stalker as she follows hints from the hastily scrawled note to a remote archaeological dig. Helping her decipher the cryptic clues are her magician best friend, a devastatingly handsome art historian with something to hide, and a charming archaeologist running for his life. When a member of the dig's crew is murdered, Jaya must figure out which of the scholars vying for her affections might be the love of her life - and which one is a killer.

©2012 Gigi Pandian (P)2015 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Pandian's new series may well captivate a generation of readers, combining the suspenseful, mysterious and romantic." ( RT Book Reviews)

Fun read

Wonderful characters, not heady just nice and breezy. The alchemist trilogy is my favorite from her so far though.

good story.

little drops of humor in well developed story with perfect character mix. recommend reading this one for light entertainment

Great performance ok story

I normally enjoy Gigi Pandain's books, however the characters in this one weren't relatable. And a bit to much of a stretch, I enjoy fantasy and mystery but this was just out of my realm.

Disappointing Narration

This book is filled with humor and conflicting personalities and mystery and danger.

But only if you READ it.

Allyson Ryan is a conundrum of a performer. I like her speed and diction and tone.

Her voices, though, are inconsistent. As are her accents. The accents didn't bother me much, but then I'm not British or Scots or Indian. I'm usually pretty happy if I can tell who is talking and it's helpful if they sound the same every time they talk.

And they have to connect with the words they are saying.

What really rankled is the complete lack of humor in the read. This book is funny in a lot of places. Except that it isn't.

My mind wandered so often, I played back chapter after chapter. And, in the end, the book ended and I don't know who did it and I no longer care. Listening to this thing turned out to be a chore.

I think Ms. Ryan's voice is pleasant and I wonder if she shouldn't look into non-fiction.

If you are a hardcore fan of Gigi Pandian, then give it a shot. If you are looking for an engaging mystery - I wouldn't venture here.

Enjoyable Intro to a New Mystery Series!

Jaya Jones intertwines Anglo-Indian history with a mystery in Scotland. The characters are engaging and the danger tempered with a hint of romance. Artifact was an enjoyable introduction to what looks to be a series Gigi Pandian can be proud of.

Nice cozy mystery

I love a good cozy mystery to listen to while I do mindless tasks such as weeding, laundry, cleaning, etc.. This was a prefect story to keep me entertained.

Fun ride

This book was an action packed mystery from beginning to end. Well written and performed so you got a good taste of the characters.

narrator sounds like Stewie(on family guy cartoon)

narrator sounds like Stewie(on family guy cartoon) doing a characture of a cartoon British butler. I stuck through an good but not impressive storyline but several times considered stopping due to the narrator. the narrator did fine but two British characters , just caused her to overwork the accent. the story was good though seemed rushed to closure,( like the word quota was achieved so need to close).I may check other books by the author but not by the same narrator, particularly if anything British in the storyline.

Light listening

This would be a great book for those that prefer light and serene content. It was interesting and was not graphic in sex or violence. The language was clean and appropriate for all ages.
I prefer high action thrillers and sci-fi apocalyptic themes but this book was more appropriate for mixed company on a long road trip.
The narrator did a great job keeping momentum to the story. Great character definition and appropriate emotional tone for situations.

A great intro to a new series

Having read Book 1 of a different series by this author I wanted to give a new storyline a chance.

I have to say, Pandian does her research. Everything from the history and even lore of another country are detailed and engaging. The characters are interesting, though it's always clear there is something going on that Jay misses until later on. But, it's never a cheap surprise. It's more that she didn't realize how important a detail was until after the fact. I may have gone "Wait... that's not normal." Only to have it confirmed, it wasn't normal but there was a story reason for it.

I like that Jaya makes mistakes and needs others. The different characters all add to the story and there was even a point when I wondered if we weren't about to experience a genre shift. But the book stays true and during the "Who Done it" parts, I was guess and guessing wrong right along with the main characters.

Every chapter ends with something that makes me want to keep going. Overall, this is my favorite book from this author so far and I'll be getting the second one for sure.