Sheila Ramsay is an Egyptologist, but when she meets a specialist in pre-Columbian culture, she begins to take an interest in the subject. Sheila works in a museum and jumps at the chance to courier a valuable book to Mexico -- with hopes that she can meet up with her specialist, Jeremiah Elliot -- but the trip puts her in the middle of international intrigue and ends up putting her life in danger.

Author Carolyn Hart is a master at creating atmosphere. When I think about CRY IN THE NIGHT, I think of shadowy and oppressive nights and too-bright, colorful days. Hart's vivid descriptions captured the look and feel of the Mexico of my imagination; perhaps that's partly because my images of Mexico come from a day-trip across the border in 1987 and this novel is set in 1982.

Sheila Ramsay struck me as being a realistically strong heroine; she's not always proactive, but she handles everything from the titular scream in the night to a hail of bullets at a historic site without having a complete breakdown. The other characters are well-drawn individuals. The mystery was compelling and kept me guessing throughout.

I call this gothic, because it really hearkens back to some of my mom's romances that I read in the late 1970s. This has all the elements -- a woman alone in a new place, a creepy mansion, mysterious figures and noises in dark, and a couple of intriguing men that bring danger and the promise of love into her life.

I recommend CRY IN THE NIGHT for people who enjoy gothic romances and mysteries and to readers with an interest in archaeology and the antiquities trade.

Book Summary

The national bestselling author of What the Cat Saw delivers an all-new mystery of intrigue and danger in the shadowy world of international art theft.

Egyptologist Sheila Ramsay develops a newfound interest in MesoAmerican affairs after meeting an outspoken—and attractive—Mexico City curator, a harsh critic of museums that deal in stolen art. And her own museum gives her the perfect opportunity to see him again: a valuable Aztec manuscript needs to be returned to its rightful owners, the wealthy Ortega family.

But things don’t go as planned for Sheila south of the border. An anonymous note threatens her with death if she remains in Mexico City. The curator she longed to see treats her with contempt. And the Ortegas are as mysterious as they are charming. What Sheila has stumbled into is much bigger—and more deadly—than she ever dreamed. And amid the splendor of Mexico’s ancient ruins and treacherous hillsides, Sheila will realize that there’s no one she can trust…

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