Six months ago, museum curator Deborah Miller had never heard of Ek Balam, an
obscure Mayan archaeological site known for its carved figures. Now here she is,
having traded Atlanta’s urban jungle for a remote village in Mexico’s Yucatan,
tasked with overseeing Ek Balam’s excavation. But when a sudden rainstorm causes a
partial collapse at the site, an unexpected treasure is unearthed: a collection of
rough-cut rubies hidden from the world for hundreds of years-and very out-of-place
in the Yucatan. It is a find of immeasurable value, one that Deborah vows to
protect-and yet is powerless to prevent from being stolen soon after its discovery.
Determined to retrieve the stones, she sets out to trace their complex history
across four centuries and two continents, from Mexico to northern England where the
jewels once played a harrowing role in the Lancashire witch trials of 1612. But
Deborah is not the only one searching for the stones; close on her heels are
archaeologists, occultists, and one very determined arms dealer, all of whom will
stop at nothing, not even murder, to claim the prize for themselves.