by John E. Scherber (Author)
The Fifth Codex It's a routine job for painter Paul Zacher, now getting a reputation for his abilities as a detective. Simply facilitate the authentication and transfer of what could be a genuine Mayan book (codex) from the 1500s, of which only four others are known. But when the book's inflammatory message proves to be at the core of a three-way struggle among the Mexican government, the rebels of Chiapas, and a private collector with deep pockets, the conflict escalates. Kidnapping follows murder as the three forces compete for possession, until Zacher commits what looks to everyone like an act of coldblooded execution. The survival of the Zacher Agency and Paul himself are gravely in doubt in this, the second of the ten books in the Murder in Mexico mystery series.