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The Visitant [Hardcover]

Kathleen O'Neal Gear (Author), W. Michael Gear (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 1, 1999 Anasazi Mysteries/Kathleen O'Neal Gear, Bk 1
An all-new series, featuring a seamlessly integrated blend of ancient history and intriguing mystery that could only come from the international and USA Today bestselling authors of The First North Americans series.

Award-winning archaeologists Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear have enriched and entertained an avid international audience of millions with their rousing historical epic of the pre-Columbian peoples of North America.

Now these master storytellers turn to the American Southwest, to one of the most enigmatic people to ever inhabit this continent--the Anasazi. At its pinnacle in A.D. 1150, their empire was vast and sophisticated, unequaled until the arrival of the Europeans.

Dr. Maureen Cole, one of the world's foremost physical anthropologists, has been called in to examine and evaluate a mass grave discovered in New Mexico. The burial site contains only the shattered skulls of women and children.

Dr. Cole is appalled at the find and begins working immediately to unravel the mystery of these deaths. But as she works, strange things begin to happen around her. Little incidents at first, then her generator quits, and she begins to hear whispering voices emanating from the plastic bag of bones.

In the nearby canyons, just a scant few moments ago in geologic time, a series of brutal murders has terrified the Katsinas' People. Their war chief, Browser, wanders the canyon rim at night, alone and terrified, searching for the killer.

Eight women have been savagely murdered. Their bodies were dragged through the village, then disappeared. Browser desperately turns to the crazy old man they call "Stone Ghost." They say he has powers, but Browser has secrets he dare not allow anyone to reveal--even if it means that everything and everyone he loves will fall in the path of a ruthless murderer.

Is the barrier between one time and another merely a construct of perception originating in the human mind? Whatever it is that separates the past and the present has grown perilously thin as a killer stalks helpless victims in two different centuries.



Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the upper Sonoran desert of present-day New Mexico, a charismatic yet troubled archeologist named Dusty Stewart is unearthing a mystery that began about A.D. 1200. While excavating a site of the Chaco Anasazi Indians, Stewart and his team discover mass graves containing the bodies of young women, all with their skulls smashed. Using flashbacks to merge past and present into a relatively seamless tapestry, the Gears depict an ancient, waning Anasazi people plagued with drought, declining resources and rampant tuberculosis. Ash Girl, the wife of the tribal war chief, Browser, has been found deadAher head crushed and a wolf mask at her side. Young girls continue to disappear from surrounding villages, and Browser, with the aid of his shrewdly eccentric uncle, searches for a serial killer. Meanwhile, in the present, a team of archeologists and anthropologists, most notably Dr. Maureen Cole, who's the heroine of this series launch, are also trying to solve the puzzle of the graves, using not only 20th-century technology, but, in addition, extrasensory perception that links them to the spirits of the past. Breathtaking descriptions evoke the harsh beauty of the desert in both winter and summer, while the lucid, erudite historical perspectives are informed by the authors' own extensive archeological experience. Yet the mystery is needlessly complex, and the enormous cast is unwieldy. For all its considerable strengths, this first book in the Anasazi mystery series falls a notch below the level attained by the Gears in their First North American historicals. $125,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Things begin to get eerie as an archaeological team starts excavating an ancient civilization in the sweltering New Mexico heat of 1999. First, the team begins to uncover an alarming array of shattered Anasazi skulls alongside the usual shards of old pottery; soon mysterious, impossible things start happening around the dig. In this, the latest installment in the popular "First North American" series, the authors weave together two suspenseful, haunting stories. Along the way, they ask meaningful questions about the relationship between science and religion, history and time, as the anthropologists grapple with their own beliefs and emotions. Readers will enjoy the wide range of characters and thick suspense. Highly recommended for all public libraries.ASusan A. Zappia, Maricopa Cty. Lib. Dist., Phoenix
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (August 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312865317
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312865313
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #851,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

58 Reviews
5 star:
 (32)
4 star:
 (10)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (58 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Suspenseful Glance At History, January 2, 2000
This review is from: The Visitant (Hardcover)
A woman screams in the night as her attacker uses what could only be called inhuman force. Where are we?...Central Park in modern New York? No, we're in prehistoric New Mexico with members of the Anasazi in the Gear's latest contribution to Native American fiction, "The Visitant".

This book accomplishes two things. One, it presents an excitong detailed murder mystery that leaves you guessing untill the last page. Second, it paints a picture of Native Americans that is less idyllic than most. Essentially, we see a group of prehistoric peoples who suffer from grief and tragedy, just like us. The Gear's accomplish this with copius research and an understanding of the timeless complexity of the human soul...whether it be in 1256 A.D. or present day.

The amount of names can become confusing so just make sure you pay attention because you will be rewarded with the final ghostly laughter that made me look over my shoulder.

Overall: I can't wait until the next book in the series comes out.

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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Visitant by Kathleen and Michael Gear, June 21, 2000
By 
Carol Austin (Lakeland, Florida) - See all my reviews
It was a nice change to read a mystery with over 300 pages. It was a delightful mix of history, archaeology, and mystery. Many of the Gear books are very long and chocked full of interesting history. Being a history teacher it's nice to read authors who provide so many historical facts that I can share with my students. I enjoyed seeing the contemporary archaeologists piecing together the pieces of the puzzle surrounding a serial killer from the past.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow...great views., June 12, 2000
This book has a great attitude towards mysterious life. I mean, the imagery is very real and intense. When the author describes Fire, you can FEEL the fire. When it goes into the darks of the desert, you can almost feel a cool breeze blowing through your room, giving you chills. And it depicts ancient life so marvelously, making it true and yet tantalizing to everyone. Through this, one can really get a good interest going in ancient life and culture.
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marsh hawk, silk moth, spirit helper, wading bird, turquoise wolf, burial ladder, buffalohide cape, corpse powder, warming bowl, buckskin cape, plaza fire, yucca blossom, roof entry, war walk, shell bells, gourd cup, sun cycles, coughing sickness, feathered cape, excavation unit
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Stone Ghost, Flame Carrier, Michael Gear, War Chief, Talon Town, Little Bow, Ash Girl, Hillside Village, Hail Walking Hawk, Grass Moon, Father Sun, Corn Mother, Land of the Dead, First People, Aunt Hail, Fire Dogs, Park Service, Wind Baby, Water Skimmer, Blue God, New Mexico, Frosted Meadow, Two Hearts, Wind Born, Evening People
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