Tractrix by R.J. Archer

[Seeds Of Civilization]

First in his series, Tractrix demonstrates Archer's interest in real-life archaeological mysteries. The adventure, however, is pure fiction and traces a mysterious glyph-inscribed sphere from Seattle to Las Vegas to the Maya ruins in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. In the end, the characters come up with an explanation for the Maya's understanding of mathematics and astronomy and SciFi lovers are left with a tantalizing theory about the origins of civilization itself.
The sequel, Tsubute, takes archaeology underwater at the site of a submerged monument off the coast of a tiny island in Japan's southernmost chain. A real-life mystery discovered barely more than a decade ago, the origins of the monument are still disputed. Is it natural or man-made? Does it point to a civilization more than 12,000 years old? If you love both scuba and SciFi, you'll love this page-turner.

In his novels, Archer supplies lots of information about select cultures and their histories, in quick-read format...which makes the novels favorites for plane rides, short vacations or any time readers have a short span of time on their hands. You won't want to put them down. Plus, you'll feel like you actually visited these remote exotic locations. And the reasons might be both his attention to detail and his believable characters. Not super-heroes, they could be your neighbors and friends.

What would you do if you had $86 million in lottery winnings and no reason to keep your job? Archer's lead character chooses to explore the unexplained. There's more mystery in the Caribbean awaiting you. Stay tuned for novel three in the series which should come out by end-of-year.