Book Review: Pirate Vishnu by Gigi Pandian (Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters, fun and complicated mystery

Cons: I didn’t hunt up any serious cons

The Bottom Line:

Jaya’s next treasure

Has family connection

Book’s fast paced and fun

Jaya’s Second Treasure Hunt Hits Very Close to Home

I’ve been making a point over the last couple of months to go back to series I have started but not continued.  When I was looking at the list, I realized that I somehow let two years go by since reading the first book in Gigi Pandian’s Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt series.  I had to fix that, and I’m glad I finally read Pirate Vishnu.

As this book opens, it’s only been a few days since Jaya, a history professor specializing in the history of India, has returned from the trip that was her first adventure.  The resulting news articles have made her a bit of a celebrity, although she is expecting her 15 minutes of fame to die down soon.

What she doesn’t expect is for a man to walk into her office with another treasure map and a wild tale about a treasure hidden in Jaya’s San Francisco by her great-granduncle.  Even though Jaya never met the man, who died in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, she has heard many stories about him from her mother, who learned about him from her own grandfather.  But none of those stories involve a treasure.  What is the truth of her family’s past?  A dead body only makes Jaya more determined to find out what is going on.

Time and time again, I talk about enjoying breaks from the traditional murder mystery formula, and this book is a perfect example.  Yes, there is a murder, and who did it and why plays a significant part in the plot.  Yet the treasure and the sudden mystery from Jaya’s own past takes up just as much if not more page time.

The result is a fast-paced story that kept me engaged and the pages turning.  The further I got into the book, the more hooked I was as we got several surprising and fun twists.  I will say one twists stretched believability for me, but it was a minor point, and everything made logical sense by the time we reached the climax.

The book is filled with fully realized characters, which help pull us into Jaya’s world.  Her love life takes some unexpected turns this time around, and I’m very curious to see how things are going to shake out as the series progresses.  The suspects are very strong, and the series regulars are lots of fun.

Anyone looking for adventure will be glad they picked up Pirate Vishnu.  Time spent with these characters is fun as they navigate another great adventure.  I need to make sure I visit Jaya again soon.

Here are the rest of Jaya’s adventures in order.