Look What the Wind Blew In: A Dig Site Mystery, Book 1

"Look What the Wind Blew In" is the first book in Ann Charles' new Dig Site Mystery series. Her readers enjoy a great plot and equally great characters. Charles gives her readers a new group of characters and plot inviting to join Dr. Angelica Garcia's Architectural dig, regardless of location.Quint Parker, Violet Parker's brother, is the male protagonist of Charles' first book of the series. Charles informs her readers of Parker's history including his multiple reasons for being at the dig site. Readers get to see what going on and know what he is thinking as they are inside Parker's head. His agenda includes helping his childhood friend Jeff Hughes and his mother find answers to questions they have about Dr. Henry Hughes' disappearance. As the plot picks up its pace, Charles adds more information about Quint's role and enhances what readers are seeing from Quint's perspective. Readers feel and see why there is a change of direction of the storyline.The female protagonist is Dr. Angelica Garcia, the lead archeologist for the dig. Readers are given details of her back story as well as information about her ex-husband Dr. Jared Steel. As Charles is continually enhancing Angelica's character, readers are seeing events through her eyes and learn how Quint see AngelicaThere are support characters helping Quint and Angelica maintain enhancement of the storyline keeping readers aware of what is going on as the plot changes directions or new problems develop causing problems for the protagonists. In addition to working to maintain a schedule, Angelica and her father are dealing with strange events or occurrences being blamed on a curse. Angelica doesn't believe in curses or coincidences as each new accident causes members of her crew to leave.Jared Steel is the main antagonist as he makes an appearance at the dig site flexing his muscle and trying to make things difficult for everyone. He dislike of Quint Parker is apparent as he tries to force Angelica to remove him from the site. Steel's motives for disrupting the work at the site and his dislike of Parker will be able to welcome the characterThis new series is a unique combination of all of the humor and drama Charles has given her readers in her other series. "Look What the Wind Blew In" involves readers in the fast moving ever changing plot, introducing them to a cast of unique characters. Each of the characters is well defined and believable. Charles helps readers understand their role in the entire story. The action starts on page one and continues to keep readers interest until reaching the surprising ending. "Look What the Wind Blew In" is a must read and I am happy to give it a 5 star ranking.

This first book in Ann Charles' Dig Site Mystery Series takes place in the Yucatan of hot and steamy Mexico. In this book we meet Dr. Angelica Garcia, her father Dr. Juan Garcia (who we met briefly in The Great Jackalope Stampede), and finally Quint Parker (the brother of Violet Parker from the Deadwood Mystery Series who gave Violet her purple boots).Angelica is the head archeologist on a dig site in Mexico where she works for the Mexican government. Her father, Juan (also an archeologist) is there helping with funding from the University of Arizona, but his funding could be cut when Angelica's ex-husband shows up attempting to blackmail her back into his life. Angelica and her father are working to find proof to the theory that made her mother the laughing stock of the archeological community.Quint is a photojournalist who is on a mission to solve the mystery behind the death of his best friend's father. He is surprised to learn that Angelica is the archeologist in charge, not Juan, and that she is nothing like he imagined the ex-wife of former rival Jared Steele.The race is on to determine whether the theory is true, whether Dr. Hughes' death was an accident or murder, and whether all of the havoc at the dig site is the result of a curse or someone with a more sinister plan.This book has everything I love to read in a book...humor, mystery and romance. I giggled, snorted and laughed out loud all the way through this book. If you are already a fan of Ann Charles, this book will not disappoint. If you have never read one of her books, I would highly recommend ANY (actually ALL) of them.

Another great read by my absolute favoritest author. This is a bit different from the Deadwood and Jackrabbit Junction series if you are a reader of those books. This one is set in the jungles of Mexico, where the food and relationships are spicy and even the nights get sweaty..... in more ways than one! Archaeologists Angelica and Juan Garcia (a father/daughter team) are exploring a dig site opened years ago by another noted archaeologist who was killed in a plane crash, or was he? His family doesn't think so, and has enlisted the help of the globe-hopping photojournalist Quint Parker to poke around at the dig site and see what he can uncover. How fortunate that Juan has engaged Quint to document the work at the dig! Then there's a cutie patootie wild piggy pet, Rover, plus a super assortment of secondary characters (and I do mean characters). And in case this gets too tame, enter Angelica's unwelcome ex-husband, who has both the authority to cut off funding for the dig, and a history with Quint and the deceased archaeologist. Hmmmm, do we really believe he's there to win Angelica back? There are stories within stories in this one, folks! Will Angelica solve her own mystery and restore her mother's scholarly reputation? Will an ancient Mayan curse decimate the entire dig staff? Will Rover abandon Angelica for Quint? Will Angelica and Quint learn to trust each other before the sparks between them cause them to spontaneously combust? The fun, dear Reader, is in the unfolding of the story. So jump in and hang on. The ride, as always in Ann Charles Land, is worth the price of admission!

The author has spent a great deal of time fleshing out the cast of secondary characters, so Look What the Wind Blew In is more than a mystery; there is comedy, drama and romance as well - the other characters still manage to have independent lives and dramas, without the facts being recounted through the two leads. On a similar note; I like how humorous the book is, and how smoothly the laugh-out-loud comments and scenes flow; they don't read like they have been inserted forcefully into the plot, just for the sake of a cheap giggle. It makes a perfect inclusion for preventing the pace from dragging at certain points.I really want to give Look What the Wind Blew In the full five stars since it is such a entertaining read, but I can't as I felt that the plot does move slowly for the first third of the book. This is the first book in a series, so the author does spend a large part of the book introducing characters and describing their work and Mayan culture in general. I like all of the characters, so I enjoyed getting to know everyone, but if you don't take to any of the characters you'll find the pace frustrating.

It was a good read. Would have liked the story to focus more on the Mayan history and archeology rather than Angelicas romantic interests. This is my first Anne Charles book so not sure if that's a consistent theme in her books.

This has violets brother from the deadwood books as the hero, found the book a bit too repetitive, kept going over the same plot points, made me feel a bit like groundhog day. But the characters are good and as with deadwood you get the humour. Looks like it may become a series.

Couldn’t put it down

Not as enjoyable as the Deadwood books but still held my interest. The funny lines that are a usually, a great feature of Ann Charles books, were sadly missing. However, I read it to the end and found it mildly enjoyable.