A 2019 Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize finalist.
A botched execution. A reverend on the run. Can she solve the mystery before she’s caught in the crosshairs?Reverend Cici Gurule went to the sacred Chaco Canyon in search of a sign. She’s been offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a megachurch, but taking the position would mean abandoning her Southwestern home and the man she’s grown to … abandoning her Southwestern home and the man she’s grown to love as much more than a friend. She’s so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn’t realize when she stumbles upon a group of heavily armed operatives on the verge of an execution.
Soon, Cici’s dodging bullets and scaling mesas with the mysterious man she saved from certain death. With a little help from her twin sister’s ghost and restless ancestral spirits, they venture deeper into the maze-like rocky terrain. But her new companion’s deadly aim makes her wonder if she can afford to trust his side of the story.
To make it out of the canyon alive, Cici must unearth the true story behind the man and a sacred Navajo artifact before the next bloodshed on sacred ground is hers.
An Artifact of Death is a standalone novel in a series of high-octane mystery thrillers. If you like fiery heroines who break the mold, top-secret missions, and colorful depictions of the American Southwest, then you’ll love J. J. Cagney’s action-packed adventure.
★ WHY READERS CAN’T PUT DOWN REV. CICI GURULE’S MYSTERIES ★
“The prose is…sublimely concise. An exhilarating entry in a thoroughly enjoyable series.” — Kirkus Reviews
Hold on to your hat, this story is fast paced and really gets your blood moving. – Joanne Hampton, Goodreads Review
“Oh my goodness. I absolutely loved this story. I couldn’t stop reading. Cici always manages to find trouble…” – Bec, Goodreads Review
“This story is filled with what makes the dessert Southwest so beautiful and terrifying. Truly one of the best books in the series.” – Suzy Sims, Goodreads Review
“I love the Character Cici. This Author really knows how to deliver a thrilling read.” – Nanajoesten, Bookbub Review
“You’re not going to find this kind of absorbing, engaging, enticing suspense anywhere else, so grab this one today!” – BookAddict, Bookbub Review
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Hold on to your hat, this story is fast paced and really gets your blood moving. Cici has found trouble again and her dead twin helps her out. Action abound with bad guys with guns blazing are after Cici and the spy agent. Cici is hoping for her friend Sam to save them. This book makes you turn the pages faster and each book in the series just gets better and better!. A great read.
This is a fantastic read. Its fast paced and action packed. Its an edge of your seat, heart pounding read. It started out great and kept me inthralled with the whole read. I love the Character Cici. This Author really knows how to deliver a thrilling read. This one is definitely a home run. A definite must read.
Shauna Joesten
Cecilia Maria Gurule, called Cici, went to Chaco Canyon National Park to think about a bunch of things and her life:
to accept the new job as reverend in Portland, the man she like Sam, her dead identical twin sister Anna Carmen, her father.
It seems she couldn’t have a 3 days holiday alone to think.
she was rape and strange dangerous events occured.
The book is action packed, adventure, fast to read, adrenaline and curios, nice.
What if your life’s work, down to your very soul, was to honor all of God’s creation, yet you were forced to fight for your life? This is the dilemma Reverend Cici Gurule finds herself facing in “An Artifact In Death,” and the hits just keep on coming as Cici finds herself right in the middle of international espionage in the New Mexican desert involving guns, sacred ruins and way too many bad guys. Padgett really turns up the tension with heart-pounding, non-stop action, breath-taking suspense, a disquietude of faith, and a flawless touch of supernatural.
I was very fortunate to read an early copy of this book, and nothing I say will begin to do it justice. Padgett is an author who has proven herself time and again, whether it’s contemporary romance or intense, driving suspense like the Cici Gurule series. After each book in this series I read, I wonder how Padgett will manage to top herself in the next, and somehow she does. Every single time. This is her most spellbinding, riveting, compelling book yet. It shocked me, arriving at the end of this book, to realize the very short period of time it covered. I was glued to the page and barely set the book down. I also learned an important lesson about warning family about interruptions ahead of time so I wouldn’t go full-out psycho on them. Sorry family. But this book is just that good, and I vehemently resented being pulled out of it.
Although this is part of a series, Padgett does a great job of filling in the blanks, so you could conceivably read this on without reading the previous books. But, trust me on this, there’s so much delicious previous buildup that plays into this book that your experience will be much richer reading the rest of the series. One thing is sure. You’re not going to find this kind of absorbing, engaging, enticing suspense anywhere else, so grab this one today!
*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.