Archeological Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Lara McClintoch Archaeological Mysteries Books

The “Archeological Mystery” Series is a set of novels by the archeological mystery author Lyn Hamilton. Lyn Hamilton made a name for herself for writing intriguing mysteries featuring Lara McClintock, a feisty antiques dealer that is the lead in her most known series. Lyn was a late bloomer as it was not until she was in her fifties that she started writing crime capers. However, once she got going, she became prolific, penning a new book every year between 1997 and 2007. Lyn was a lifelong Toronto resident, where she was born, went to school, worked, and lived until she died in 2009. It was while he was studying physical and cultural anthropology at the University of Toronto that she got interested in archeology and ancient civilizations. However, she never had the patience to work in archeology and hence he decided to be a student of the craft. She pursued her lifelong interest in archeology by visiting heritage sites across the globe and taking a range of courses that made him moderately knowledgeable. The traveling and learning went on for several years before she became interested in becoming an author. While she had been doing archeology for fun, once she decided to write a novel, writing about archeology seemed like a very good idea.

Lyn Hamilton’s day jobs have also been instrumental in shaping her writing career though some of them were totally unrelated to archeology. Some of her jobs included communications and public relations for corporations, governments, and not for profit organizations. She was also involved in a domestic violence public service campaign that won several awards. However, the most significant job that led her down the path of becoming an archeological mysteries author was when she worked for the Ontario government. For six years, she worked for the Cultural Programs Branch of the Ontario government as a director, where she got to come into contact with all manner of antiquities. She was in charge of heritage conservation support programs, the museum in addition to all archeological licensing. With such a role, she had access to all manner of museum and archeology professionals and communities that provided access to their labs and digs. This access helped her get more knowledge on the more esoteric aspects involved in archeology. She has always been passionate about the preservation of cultural and physical heritage for what it can teach the modern generation about its history and culture and for its intrinsic value. This is a theme that is common in all of her works.

Lara McClintock, the lead character of the “Archaeological Mystery” Series is a wandering antique dealer who travels the world. However, the author has said that her lead is a better looking, braver, younger, and smarter version of herself. Lara also happens to be a lot more impulsive and curious which often gets her into a lot of trouble. Just like her creator, she lives in Toronto though unlike her she does not dream of having an antiques shop but rather has one. She sells beautiful and rare objects that she finds and buys on her travels across the globe. From her shop in Yorkville that serves as a base, she goes on a range of sleuthing missions in Canada and across the world. She is not the ordinary traveler as she often discovers bizarre mysteries including murders. Her travels take her from elegant living rooms to desert landscapes, from spooky site graves to windswept cliff sides, from underground caves to towering cathedrals. Along the way, she makes many friends including those from her hometown in Toronto who are willing to stick with her through all the exciting and sometimes hard times. The characters add to the charm of the story and while she always finds a refuge back home in Toronto there are times when she has to deal with crime even before she boards the plane.

“The Xibalba Murders” which is the debut novel of the “Archaeological Mystery” series introduces recently divorced Lara McClintock. She gets a mysterious phone call from an archeologist friend in Mexico that invites her over for something hot. With her antiques business sold, and her divorce concluded, nothing is holding her back and she heads off to Mexico. The friend had hinted that he was chasing some archeological mysteries of the Maya and gave her the address for a meetup. But once she landed, the friend called her to postpone the meeting and then disappeared. She knows things are not so good in town when bodies start dropping off even as she is intrigued by the handsome guys, terrorists, and local politics. With corruption all over the place, she is unsure of whom to trust and afraid of the police. Deciding to investigate on her own she unearths some clues that point to zealous revolutionaries and black marketeers. The trail then leads her to bustling streets of a Mexican town, lush jungles, and remote archeological ruins. It is a beautiful mystery ass Lara gets into a thrilling battle of courage and wits, trying to stop a tomb raider and unmask a killer in the dangerous world of Xibalba.

“The Maltese Goddess” the second novel of the “Archaeological Mystery” series opens to the lead character spending some time in Malta. She needed some time in the Mediterranean sun where she can rest far away from the Canadian winter after resolving a bizarre murder in the first outing. But then she found a stiff in an antique chest and another dead body that had been killed using an ancient sword she believes once belonged to some knight. Lara teams up with an RCMP officer and together they try to foil an assassination plot and solve the murders. Much of the novel is about the investigation as well as Lara’s involvement in some stage production, their son, and the caretaker’s residence. The story is set against the fascinating history of Malta and includes references to the Knights of St John and their legendary exploits that shaped the history of the island.

The third novel of the “Archaeological Mystery” series “The Moche Warrior” continues with Lara’s story. Lara’s former husband has decided to spite her by setting up a business right across the street. As expected, she is annoyed but gets even angrier when she goes to an auction house and the man outbids her for some exotic looking glasses. Clive wants to give them to a client of his that he wants to lure away from Lara. In revenge for the slight, Lara decides to outbid everyone for a box of junky stuff that Clive and a stranger were hoping to buy. But things take a turn for the worse as a store is set ablaze and Alex who is her employee and neighbor is hit on the head while the man that had been bidding against Clive for the junk box is found dead. The police believe Alex is the prime suspect in the murder and arson with Lara an outside suspect too. Lara is forced to call up her ex-lover in Mexico to get her a passport, driver’s license, and a job on the archeological site where the junk box supposedly came from. It does not get better in Peru as Lara’s efforts to unravel the mystery puts her in a lot of danger.