Book Impressions: Artifact by Gigi Pandian

Artifact by Gigi Pandian was one of those "hmm, haven't heart any buzz about this but it sounds potentially fun/interesting" books I sometimes come across on NetGalley, and treasure hunt adventure is a genre I enjoy sometimes, so I figured I could just as well request it. And I'm pretty glad I did, as it's just the kind of book that is exactly what the blurb promises - no more but also no less - and definitely a fun read when one is in the mood for that kind of book.

Artifact

Gigi Pandian

***

When historian Jaya Jones receives a mysterious package containing a jewel-encrusted artifact from India, she discovers the secrets of a lost Indian treasure may be hidden in a Scottish legend from the days of the British Raj. 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.

I'm not exactly original in saying this, but Artifact is very much a story in the vein of Elizabeth Peters' Vicky Bliss mysteries, combining adventure with treasure hunt, murders, academics, humour and a dash of romance.

Is it as good? Hmm. The Vicky Bliss stories I've read so far aren't my favourite Elizabeth Peters books (that honour goes to her Amelia Peabody series), but they're nice, entertaining, fun reads, and Pandian's Artifact is much the same.

I found the pacing pretty good, the research & historical detail interesting (it was obvious the author had either done considerable research into the chosen topics or rather already wisely based the action/mysteries in a field she's familiar with), plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep me guessing (some of the twists I could predict, others not). The cast of characters was interesting and varied enough and the dialogue flowed reasonably well.

I also liked that the romance, the implication of which was there from early on, never overtook the plot. I'm not sure I quite cared for how easily Jaya trusted Lane or how quickly that romance seemed to develop, perhaps because I prefer a bit more than "he has gorgeous cheekbones" to go on, but it wasn't really any worse than in most books with some romance.

My main issue was that I felt there was comparatively a little too much telling and too little showing for my taste. The parts with action - the parts where Jaya and Lane actually got up to stuff - were good and well-paced, but there were perhaps a few too many (and too long) parts where one or another character simply told others (and the reader) things we needed to know, whether background, exposition, or simply "what happened before". Some of this is of course needed and useful, but I'm not sure the balance was quite perfectly captured in Artifact.

This is also why I'm rating this three stars ("I liked it") and not four ("I loved it"). I did enjoy the book, and may well be interested in reading the next one.

* ARC of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley. Thanks!