Rituals

Faye Longchamp #8

by Mary Anna Evans

"A suspenseful crime story with just a hint of something otherworldly." ― Booklist Faye Longchamp doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's an archaeologist―dead people are her life. While working in Rosebower, a rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by people who talk to the dead on a regular basis. So when influential Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune with the dead, she can't say no. An hour after Tilda's crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says someone trapped Tilda in a small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire. There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda did. How? And why? Anywhere else, these people would be dismissed as crazy. But in Rosebower, "normal" is relative. As Faye watches psychics and charlatans jockey for power, Tilda's sister, Myrna, is slowly dying. Will Rosebower reveal its secrets before more goes up in flames?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Archaeology, Cozy Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

250 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Mary Anna Evans is an award-winning author, a writing professor, and she holds degrees in physics and engineering, a background that, as it turns out, is ideal for writing her new book, The Physicists' Daughter. Set in WWII-era New Orleans, The Physicists' Daughter introduces Justine Byrne, whom Mary Anna describes as "a little bit Rosie-the-Riveter and a little bit Bletchley Park codebreaker."

When Justine, the daughter of two physicists who taught her things girls weren't expected to know in 1944, realizes that her boss isn't telling her the truth about the work she does in her factory job, she draws on the legacy of her unconventional upbringing to keep her division running and protect her coworkers, her country, and herself from a war that is suddenly very close to home.

Her crime fiction has earned recognition that includes the Oklahoma Book Award, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, the Mississippi Author Award, a spot on Voice of Young America’s (VOYA) list of “Adult Mysteries with Young Adult Appeal,” a writer’s residency from The Studios of Key West, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Florida Historical Society’s Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals.

In addition to writing crime fiction, she writes about crime fiction, as evidenced by the upcoming Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie, which she coedited with J.D Bernthal.

For the incurably curious, Mary Anna’s first published work, her master’s thesis, was entitled A Modeling Study of the NH3-NO-O2 Reaction Under the Operating Conditions of a Fluidized Bed Combustor. Like her mysteries, it was a factually based page-turner but, no, it’s not available online.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAnnaEvan...

Twitter: @maryannaevans

Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/maryannaevans/

BookBub: @maryannaevans

Reviews

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

..
Faye Longchamp-Mantooth and her daughter, Amande, are contracted to curate a small museum in a spiritualist town Rosebower, in New York. The museum owner, Samuel Langley, has pieces that he is convinced are genuine artifacts that prove aliens inhabited the earth prior to humans. Faye has to call on Joe's expertise to try to convince him otherwise.


"A suspenseful crime story with just a hint of something otherworldly." —Booklist



Faye Longchamp doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's an archaeologist—dead people are her life. While working in Rosebower, a rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by people who talk to the dead on a regular basis.

So when influential Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune with the dead, she can't say no. An hour after Tilda's crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says someone trapped Tilda in a small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire. There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda did. How? And why?

Anywhere else, these people would be dismissed as crazy. But in Rosebower, "normal" is relative. As Faye watches psychics and charlatans jockey for power, Tilda's sister, Myrna, is slowly dying. Will Rosebower reveal its secrets before more goes up in flames?

Faye and Amande soon meet two elderly women, Tilda and Myrna Armistead and Sister Mama; Antonia Caruso “Toni The Astonisher”), a magician who is in town to research information to expose psychics and other Spiritualists as fakers; and Adel, the state fire inspector, whom they instantly become friends with. The elderly women become targets of a murderous creep.

My deep intrigue with natural medicine made the story very interesting indeed. This was a very good read and I am grateful it was available to me from my local library. I could hardly put the book down, even to sleep. I hope she continues to write more in this series. So, of course, I would recommend it to anyone interested in mystery and suspense.

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Rituals
(Faye Longchamp Series Book 8)
Kindle Edition
by: Mary Anna Evans
Print Length: 284 pages

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the eighth book in the Faye Longchamp mystery series. I was interested in reading the series in the first place because of its archeological connection. Faye is an archaeologist. But the series seems to be evolving into an archeological romance/mystery with an emphasis on the romance. While the series in general has been a fairly enjoyable read, I'm not sure I will continue with it after this entry as romance is not really my main reading interest. And there are so many other books on my "to-be-read" list that are demanding my attention.

Rituals finds Faye and her adopted teenage daughter, Amande, in a rural New York town called Rosebower. Faye has been hired to organize her client's amateur museum. The client, Samuel Langley, has artifacts that he believes prove that aliens from outer space long ago landed in New York and that Scandinavians were the original settlers of the Americas.

In evaluating her client's artifacts, Faye discovers documents that relate to the origins of Spiritualism and to the 1848 women's rights convention in nearby Seneca Falls but nothing to support the client's "aliens from outer space" theories. While the documents are of historical significance and interest, they are not what the client had been hoping for.

Of course, there are malevolent interests at work here also and Faye and Amande find themselves in some peril. Interestingly, Faye's husband, Joe Mantooth, has been left at home this time to take care of their young son, but he does make an appearance late in the book.

Overall, these books adhere to a pretty rigid formula of storytelling, and while they are of some interest and do have sympathetic main characters, I think it's probably time for me to wave goodbye to Faye, Joe, and Amande and move on to other entries on that aforementioned TBR list.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've just read the latest in the Faye Longchamp mystery series, a series I've enjoyed for quite some time as it meets my need for some bits of archaeological discovery, a who and why dunnit, as well as the developing story of the growing Longchamp-Mantooth family.

This time Faye is involved with curating a small museum in a spiritualist town in New York, Rosebower. This is a town of Victorian homes and a long history of psychic practices now being threatened by more crass development. Someone seems willing to take very drastic steps to move the town forward...if indeed it is forward.

Once again, Evans gives much background on her subject along the way of her story, providing details of the Spiritualism movement as well as the women's suffrage movement that occurred nearby in the 19th century. By the end, I had a fairly good idea who the killer was but not all the pieces that had to be brought together. Even learned a bit about herbal medicine!

Recommended to mystery readers who like something a little different with each book in a series.

4*


Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

[Lisa Shower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite

I love this series but not this entry in it. This one was just a bit too bizarre for me. Let's get back to the archeology and history I loved in the previous books!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating plot!

[VickiLee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel takes place in a fictional town rooted in the Spiritualist movement. Faye Longchamp and her adopted daughter are there working through the holdings of a locally owned museum. They get involved with some local folk, seances, and a root doctor. I enjoyed parts of the novel but found the story somewhat fragmented and the character development limited.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Faye Longchamp doesn't believe in ghosts, but she's an archaeologist -- dead people are her life. Yet while working in Rosebower, a rural New York town founded by Spiritualists, Faye is surrounded by people who talk to the dead on a regular basis. When influential Spiritualist Tilda Armistead invites Faye and her daughter to commune with the dead, Faye can't say no. She's just too curious.

"Then a hour after her crystal ball shows Faye things no rational mind can explain, Tilda is dead. The evidence says that someone trapped Tilda in a small room, nailing its one door shut before setting her house afire. There is no possible way for her to have escaped the blaze, let alone drive for miles before finding Faye and dying in her arms. Yet Tilda did. How? And why?

"It seems Rosebower is full of people who had reason to kill Tilda. Tilda's estranged daughter is the heir to the Armistead fortune. That daughter's husband is a stage magician with a long history of making things vanish. Against Tilda's wishes, a rich developer would like to turn Rosebower into a Disneyland with real ghosts. And then there is the famed root doctor whose mysterious herbal potions are consumed by everybody in town.

"Anywhere else, these people would be dismissed as crazy. In Roseboweer, 'normal' is relative. As Faye watches the psychics and charlatans jockey for power, Tilda's sister, Myrna, is slowly dying. Will Rosebower reveal its secrets before more goes up in flames?"

Another excellent foray into the carrefour between archaeology, the dead and murder. Interesting insights into the world of spiritualists and magicians, and a normal excursion into the all too normal world of greed and its offspring ... murder.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy this series. I love Faye and her family, and Amande is a good addition. The spiritualist setting of this book was interesting. In fact, my favorite thing about this series is the various settings that Faye travels to for her archeological work.

The Narrator, Cassandra Campbell, does a fantastic job.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read.

[Kat Lebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rituals (A Faye Longchamp mystery)
By Mary Anna Evans

Spoiler near the end, so beware…

I’ve read all of the books in Evans’ Longchamp series, and have enjoyed each one immensely. Evans has a wonderful ability to weave historical facts into her fiction seamlessly. I’ve often looked things up online, just to double check, and she’s always on the money with her facts. Usually, her editing/proofreading is stellar too. Certainly, her characterizations are vibrant and have the ring of real people. The reader can easily identify with and either love or hate, trust or distrust with ease.

I thought this episode a little different than most of the others. In this one, the job for which Faye and her adopted daughter, Amande, are hired isn't the usual digging in the dirt archeological expedition I expect from this series. Instead, the only dirt Faye is digging in involves the mysterious goings on in the fictional small town of Rosebower, New York, one of the home bases of the Spiritualism movement from the late 1800s/early 1900s. Faye and her daughter have come to town at the behest of Samuel Langley, owner of a small museum. He’s hired them to sift through his collection, ascertain authenticity, and organize everything properly.

Faye and Amande aren’t the only newcomers to the community. Antonia Caruso (“Toni The Ashonisher”), a magician who has dedicated a good deal of her life to exposing psychics and other Spiritualists as fakers, has come to town to do research for a book she plans to write on Rosebower and its Spiritualist history. There’s also Gilbert Marlowe, who has plans to build an amusement park-like complex just outside of town, exploiting Rosebower’s Spiritualism fame, while ruining it’s quaint though eccentric small town feel. To do so, he needs to acquire land currently owned by three of the town’s old guard in Spiritualism, Tilda and Myrna Armistead, and Sister Mama. When Tilda perishes as the result of a mysterious house fire, just hours after Faye and Amande visit there, and when Tilda’s sister, Myrna begins failing, and Sister Mama’s weakened condition begins to deteriorate rapidly, Faye knows she’s in the middle of another dangerous situation. Add in the State fire investigator, Faye’s Creek husband, Joe, and a bevy of colorful Rosebower residents, and one dandy mystery is off and running.

One of the things I like most about this author is her wrap-ups, where she gives information about what led her to the story idea, how she researched it, and where the reader can go to find out more information on the subject matter. Another is her ability to spin a believable tale and to insert information the reader needs to stay connected in the story at just the right places. The books in this series are always enjoyable reads.

Does that mean there is never a problem with the books? Of course not, errors pop up even in the most experienced of authors’ works.

In this novel, I only found one misspelling (location 649 on my Kindle), where Langley’s artifact, the Rosebower Spear, is spelled Rosebower Sspear.

Near the end, however, there was a bit of jarring description involving the villain’s demise. The villain has long blond, near white hair. The villain is wearing a black catsuit that includes a cover for the head. The villain is setting fire to the house where Myrna, Faye and Amande are participating in a séance run by Tilda’s daughter, Dara. In the struggle between the villain, Joe, Faye, Avery, and Toni, the villain is knocked down, becoming covered in the gasoline he is using as an accelerant. At 4187 we find this description:

“Amande, Myrna, and Dara scrabbled out of the room on their hands and knees, just in time to see (the villain) roll over onto his belly. He was too stunned from Faye’s blow to do more than raise his torso and prop himself on his elbows. His white locks, no longer sleek, were matted into the dirt and gasoline that coated the old wooden floor.

In a deadly act of sleight-of-hand, he made a match appear in his right hand. Then he struck it.
******
…And (the villain’s) hair was serving as a long and beautiful wick, drawing fuel from the puddles on the floor to feed the flame.”

At 4201, there is this:

“Marlowe, Dara, Amande, and Myrna stood behind him, thunderstruck by the sight of a man erupting in flames.”

Yet at 4208 there is this:

“Amande, Myrna, and Dara scrabbled out of the room on their hands and knees, just in time to see (the villain) roll over onto his belly and peel the black hood off his head. He was too stunned from Faye’s blow to do more than raise his torso and prop himself on his elbows. His white locks, no longer sleek, feel into the dirt and gasoline that coated the old wooden floor.”

Umm, didn’t we just see this same description a few paragraphs back, after which the villain ‘erupted’ into flames? Yes, my hated “it stopped me and took me out of the plot” has occurred, and here it happened at the worst possible time: the story’s climax.

So, yes, that frustrated me. However, I got over it and finished the last few sections. I have only the Kindle digital edition, so I have no way of knowing if this is a problem in the printed version, or if there was some sort of mix up in the transfer to digital. However, while the two paragraphs are very similar, they aren’t exactly the same, which makes me think the author moved the description from the latter spot to the earlier spot and it somehow didn’t get erased from its original spot. And then, that repeated description got missed in proofreading and editing. A shame, really, because the overall book is excellent. Did that little hiccup put me off the series? Heck no. I’ll be happily awaiting Evans’ next installment in this very interesting series.

[James A. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Charming but Deadly Town

Adventure and danger seem to follow our favorite archeologist no matter where she goes. When she and her recently adopted daughter travel to a small town in western New York to sort and catalogue the collections of a small private museum they expect it might be a bit boring. That changes quickly when they meet two elderly sisters whose family played a major part in the town's history. The night they attend a seance conducted by one of the sisters her historic house is swept by fire. She mysteriously escapes a room with the only door nailed shut and manages to drive to our heroine just before succumbing to smoke inhalation. Before Faye can sort out the twisted secrets of this lovely hamlet she and her daughter are caught in a similar trap. This is another adventure that will keep you turning the pages until the end!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye Longchamp is in western New York at the invitation of Samuel Langley to organize his amateur museum. Samuel believes that he has artifacts which prove that Scandinavians were the original settlers of the Americas and that aliens from space made a long ago landing in New York. What Faye finds are documents relating to the origins of Spiritualism and the 1848 women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls. Although there is not much archaeology in the story, the history is quite interesting. However, the series has become quite formulaic. The author inserts suspense into the story by putting Faye and at least one of her family members in peril. And it seems that the only way to maintain the level of tension is to escalate the risk and cruelty with each new book.

[Lisa Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had never heard of this author or the faye longchamp mysteries before I started this book but I enjoyed it so much I am looking for the rest of the series. Taking a look into the spiritualist movement and those who investigate it (in this case a female magician looking for the tricks of the trade) Throw in some old photos and a museum badly in need of a curator and you have a very interesting read. While Amande and Faye Longchamp are in the book they are not exactly the central characters and I gather their stories are told in earlier books in the series, so this was a highly unusual book to read, even more unusual the police woman involved in the story is not even given a real introduction and only really features in the last few chapters of the book

[Gail Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faye Longchamp and her daughter Amande are in western New York State examining and assessing all the varied items stored in a small town museum. Many of the inhabitants of the town make their living as Spiritualists or promoting them. When Faye and Amande are invited to a seance, they agree to attend -- and later that evening the spiritualist is dead and her house has burned down. As Faye continues her work, she also consults with the local fire inspector and eventually brings her husband Joe to town to help the client understand that his artifacts don't prove that Europeans were in the Americas before Columbus.... I love these mysteries, but this was not the best for me.

[Anna Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye is in NY to do a job for a small museum in a historical spiritualist town. This time the dying person trys to get to Faye for her help apprehending the killer. There are quite a few subplots and interesting characters to make finding the murderer more interesting. Greed as well as the other deadly sins and plenty of more modern ones like ageism.

The town isn't real but is based on one that does exist and of course the historical information is thought provoking and still relevant today. The characters are really relatable and believable so you can enjoy hating the evil ones. Again the title has many different relevances in the book.

[Sandra L. Devonshire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Return to Faye Longchamp

I have been away from Faye Longchamp books for a while and did not realize there were so many more in the series. Unfortunately, while the characters are still here, I did not relish this book as much as the early ones. It may be that I am in a different place in my life. It may be I have become jaded. It may be that the focus of the characters has changed. So I am going to go back and pick up the missing stories and see if that doesn't change my perspective.
I adore mysteries with an archaeological bent so I have not given up on this author. To be continued.....

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure why I purchased this; I do sometimes like books with some magic. I liked it more than I thought I might. Because it is the first in this series I have read, I had to work out the family relationships through hints and suppositions. I have to say that the background of the protagonist and her family seem like gimmicks to me, and that face lessened by enjoyment of the book. The setting is somewhat near where I grew up, so many references were familiar, which was pleasant. However, the actual mystery was predictable. And, really, there was not enough magic! (So, maybe a 2.5.)

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faye is in rural New York for this adventure. She is not digging, but is organizing materials for a museum of Spiritualism. Though she doesn’t really subscribe to them, she agrees to attend a seance. Bad things happen, and Faye calls on Joe to come and help her sort out the problems. I didn’t like this book as much as I have the others, but look forward to the next one as I love the writing and characters created by Mary Anna Evans.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not realize when I picked up Rituals by Mary Anna Evans that it was number 8 in a series. I would not have read it if I had known. That said, I don’t believe not knowing about the past experiences of the characters made any difference in this story. The book is okay, not great, but okay. I liked the mystery, characters, and setting. This book is not great, but it is okay.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the always entertaining series about Archeologist, Faye Longchamp- Mantooth and her family searching for answers to another murder mystery. In this case the death of a famed Spiritualist and historical small town in upstate New York. Town was actually based on a very local historical town near where I live, known for its Spiritualist culture.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This eighth in the series is a bit different. Faye is doing more archival work rather than digging archaeology. Although, archival work is pretty much archaeology of documents. During the job, Faye and her family must solve a murder, of course, amidst spiritualist religious beliefs, magic, and greedy real estate developers.

[Arizonagirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye Longchamp series, book #8. Faye is working in a small town, Rosebower, that is the Spiritualist capital of the world. Has a spirit come back to commit murder or is someone taking advantage of the gullible nature of the people of Rosebower?

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Audiobook) This wasn't one of my favorites, mainly because keeping everyone straight took a bit of time. It also seemed a little too split between the job Faye is hired for and the spiritualism of the town.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one of the series, instead of concentrating on archaeology, centers on spiritualism (and the religion it has served) and fakery, resulting in murder and mayhem that requires Faye to sort it out, despite the jeopardy it brings to her and her husband.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faye encounters practitioners of hoodoo

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a favorite

[Susan Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another interesting story.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 8th book in the Faye Longchamp series. Faye and her daughter Amande travel to New York for the latest archaeological project. Interesting characters. Enjoyable.

[Jerri Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another GREAT book in the Faye Longchamp archeology mystery series. I love these.