Treasure hunts seem to find History professor Jaya Jones. This one involves an old treasure map that appears to be of San Francisco's Barbary Coast written in the Indian dialect of Tamil and a familial connection to the mapmaker for Jaya.
The man who brings her the map is brutally murdered. Soon she is on the trail of the treasure. From San Francisco to India, Jaya pieces together the puzzle of this revered treasure while dodging a killer.
The book painted an interesting picture of what India was like back in the day as well as San Francisco just prior to the Great Earthquake. The details about the different cultures were great. My only wish was that some of the parts that were set in the past were longer.
Chapters alternate between past and present. Present day chapters also can't help but have information on culture since Jaya is half Indian and the mystery involves India and her family's past. The present day chapters are also told in her voice. This narration works well.
The mystery itself was handled well for the most part. I found, however, that I wasn't really satisfied with the resolution. I don't want to say more than that because it would be a spoiler.
There is a bit of a love triangle developing in this book, but it is not really a major issue yet. It's introduced and left to brew. It will be interesting to see what happens with it in the next book.
The quality of the writing up until the end was 4 stars, but the ending made me bring it down half a star. So, I gave this book 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
