4-STAR REVIEW: THE LIGHT BESIDE THE SEA by Connie di Marco

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About The Book

The Zodiac Mysteries: Book 5
Publication Date: May 6, 2024

So many deaths . . . An elusive shaman, a creature of the underworld, Here to unleash evil? Or bring justice to the wronged?

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti has been haunted for years by the hit and run death of her fiancé, Michael Sefton. The driver of the vehicle was never apprehended. The lone witness to the accident spoke to no one and now is dead. Even the cold case detective assigned to the case died before any resolution was found. Every time Julia thought she might be getting close to an answer, each clue led only to a dead end.

Michael, a graduate student, had just returned from an archeological dig in Guatemala when he was killed. But why did he mail his journal to Julia for safekeeping before his return home? What was he afraid of? Why did another graduate student fall to his death on that trip? And now, another man connected with that journey has been murdered closer to home. And the murderer hasn’t finished.

When Julia finally finds the courage to delve into the journal Michael sent to her years before, she learns of the undercurrents, jealousies and anger between members of the group. She begins to understand the pressure and fear her fiancé was coping with and his suspicions of their University mentor who was most likely engaged in unethical and illegal behavior.

But events soon take a darker turn when Julia finds a likeness of the Maya god Hunhau, god of death and the underworld, on her doorstep. A strange man covered with markings and tattoos keeps appearing to her but no one else seems to see him. With guidance from another professor she’s introduced to a world she never knew existed.

Is the man she sees human? And is he under the sway of the Maya god of death?

Will he unleash evil or is he here to right a wrong done to his people?

Julia must move quickly or her death will be the next.

The Review

Astrologer Julia Bonatti uses her skills to minimize fears for her customers, but she’s having trouble moving on after the death of her fiancé, Michael.

What was initially deemed a hit-and-run accident becomes more sinister when another person who had been on a Guatemalan trip ends up murdered.

This sets the stage for the fifth installment of the Zodiac Mysteries series by Connie di Marco. The Light Beside the Sea once again features Julia as the main character. While the book can easily be read as a standalone, mystery readers may enjoy reading in sequence to see Julia’s character develop.

The focus shifts to questions surrounding the trip to Guatemala and Michael’s journal. It takes a sinister dive with a Mayan image left on Julia’s doorstep and visions of a strange man. The clock is ticking as Julia tries to decipher the meaning.

The Light Beside the Sea serves up a mystery featuring an ancient religion, murders, and one woman with the skills to solve it. Buy Links