An Artifact of Death

J. J. Cagney

May 2019 · A Reverend Cici Gurule Mystery Book 3 · Sidecar Press, LLC

About this ebook

A botched execution. A reverend on the run. Can she solve the mystery before she's caught in the crosshairs?

The third installment in the Kirkus Reviews, National Indie Excellence Awards, and Publishers Weekly award-winning series by J. J. Cagney:

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 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 blood shed on sacred ground is hers.

"An exhilarating entry in a thoroughly enjoyable series." ~ Kirkus Reviews

Ratings and reviews

Reverend Cici is in the sacred Chaco Canyon in search of a sign to help her with a big decision. But as her luck goes she stumbles across armed operatives in the middle of a crime and now she's on the run with the victim she saved. I really enjoyed reading this mystery and it's full of action, suspense, intrigue, and a paranormal twist that had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Wow! A suspense book that will definitely keep you reading through bedtime! This is the third book in the Cici Gurule series and, once again, she gets mixed up in murder and mayhem. Cici is on a mini vacation to try to find the answer to a job opportunity when she discovers herself in the middle of a Russian mob meeting. All she can do is run for her life and, somehow, she finds herself with a passenger. Is he a good guy or part of the mob chasing them? J. J. Cagney weaves a suspenseful tale about stolen artifact from Native American burial grounds and the length some people will go to gain more power. A 4 1/2-star book that will have you up all night! I small deduction because ... Warning: there is a cliffhanger!

About the author

J. J. Cagney is the mystery/thriller pen name of USA Today bestselling author Alexa Padgett. Her debut mystery, A Pilgrimage of Death, was named to Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Books of 2018 and Goodreads Best Mysteries of the 2010s. 

Cagney holds a bachelor’s in international marketing and spent part of her twenties as the marketing director for an elite sports management firm. And, yes, she did her requisite stint with a dotcom back in the that early 2000s, first as a marketing coordinator and then as a content manager. She’s penned work for a variety of websites and magazines, and she worked as a literary agent for Irene Webb Literary. 

She lives in northern New Mexico with her husband, children, about a million fish, and their Great Pyrenees, Ash. Kirkus Reviews called Cagney’s latest mystery, An Artifact of Death, “An exhilarating entry in a thoroughly enjoyable series.”