ARTIFACT by GIGI PANDIAN

"I found out about Gigi Pandian's Jaya Jones series via Goodreads and thought I'd give it a try - I'm always on the lookout for a good 'treasure hunt' book. In 'Artifact', art historian Jaya Jones receives a supposedly mythical piece of ancient Mughal jewellery from an ex-boyfriend who has been recently killed in an accident that may not be an accident. Jaya finds herself embroiled in a treasure hunt and becomes the potential target of a murderer..."

"Enjoyable story with twists to keep you engaged and entertained. I lost many hours sleep reading this book. Gigi Pandian weaves a good tale with intrigue. I do like her subtle romantic undertones in the style of many of the great mystery writers ..." "This book is about Professor Jaya Jones who lives and works in San Francisco. One day she receives a mysterious bracelet from her ex-boyfriend with a cryptic note about it being an artifact and he needed her help. She soon finds out that her ex died in a car accident shortly after mailing the package from Scotland. Jaya doesn't believe that this is a coincidence, especially when someone breaks into her apartment and she feels like she is being followed. To get herself out of danger and prove her ex was murdered, Jaya must solve the riddle of the ruby bracelet..."

여주인공의 이름이 'Jaya Jones' 라는 점이 '인디아나 존스'를 생각나게 하고 역사학을 전공한 젊은 여성이 고고학적 유물을 찾는다는 점에서  '톰 레이더'의 '라라 크로프트'를 생각하면서 이 책을 읽기 시작했다. 너무나 단순한 비교라는 것은 읽어 보면 금방 알 수 있다. 사실 앞에서 언급한 다른 작품들에 비해서 재미는 없다. 끝에서 밝혀지는 범인 빼고는 글의 전개나 인물들이 너무나 전형적이다. 이야기의 전개가 충분히 예상 가능하고 인물들의 행동도 큰 변화가 없는 다른 작품들에서 흔하게 등장하는 전형적인 인물들이다. 특이한 점은 여주인공인 인도계 미국인이라는 점이고 그녀의 전공이 'British East India Company'와 관련이 있다는 것이다.