4.5 stars
Mayan Mendacity is the second book in the Dr Pimms, Intermillenial Sleuth series by Australian author, L J M Owen. After a separation of almost two years, Dr Elizabeth Pimms, archaeologist, paleo-geneticist and librarian is very much looking forward to a joyous reunion with her boyfriend, Luke. And maybe an extra nice surprise involving a ring? So when things turn out very differently, Elizabeth is determined not to wallow in self-pity, but instead, throw her energies into analysing the Mayan skeletal remains he has brought from Guatemala.

Director of the site, Diane Marsh is demanding, but Elizabeth is confident she can meet her high expectations. But what she doesn’t count on is distractions: younger brother Matty’s surgery causes life-threatening complications; Mai, a colleague at the library, makes disturbing claims about Elizabeth’s father; and someone is interfering with the bones in the lab. At least she can rely on certain friends and on her family to support her.

Once again, the narrative is split between two time periods: seventh century Mutul and Sa’aal in Guatemala are the setting for significant events if the life of Lady Six Sky, descendant of the Lady of Tik’al; present day Canberra is where Dr Pimms tries to unravel the mystery of sixty sets of remains from a Guatemalan sacrificial well.

Readers may have to suspend disbelief just a little at the amazing efficiency with which Dr Pimms manages to examine such a large number of bones, the rather lax security at the laboratory, and maybe also her incredibly close, harmonious and supportive extended family… As before, certain questions remain unanswered, ensuring plenty of scope for further books in this cosy crime series.

Owen’s characters develop a little more in this instalment: Elizabeth has certainly matured a bit, although still making the occasional naïve choice. Her phrenic library adds a quirky aspect: perhaps its purpose will be revealed in the next book? A wealth of information about archaeology, the Mayan culture, glyphs and genetics is fairly seamlessly incorporated into the story, there are a few intriguing mysteries and there is an interesting twist.

Owen kindly includes a glossary of technical terms, a lexicon of foreign language phrases, historical notes and book club questions, as well as six pages of mouth-watering recipes. This follow up is possibly even better than the debut novel of the series, so readers are bound to look forward to the next instalment, set in Egypt: Alexandrian Athenaeum.