Publisher Description

For centuries, explorers and scholars of the New World have been captivated by a legend involving the tragic life of a king, a witch, and a giant blue jade stone of intoxicating beauty and immeasurable magic—a talisman rumored to bestow a life filled with power upon whomever possesses it. It is the Queen Jade. . . and archeologist Juana Sanchez believes she has discoverd the key to unlocking the stone's mystery. Setting off into the jungles of Guatemala, she promises her daughter, Lola, that she will soon return with the secret. But a fierce hurricane strikes before Juana returns—a tremendous storm that exposes a mine of blue jade the size of Rhode Island in a mountain range known as Las Sierras de las Minas. Lola knows others will soon be coming to find the precious gem . . . men who will stop at nothing to get what they want. With time running out, the determined young woman sets out to find her missing mother—and wild odyssey that will become the adventure of a lifetime.

Author Biography

Yxta Maya Murray is the author ofThe King's Gold and The Conquest. She was chosen as a Barnes and Noble Discover pick for The Conquest, and won a 1999 Whiting Award for fiction. She teaches Law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

Review

"Meticulously researched..." -- Kirkus Reviews"Murray has fashioned a good old-fashioned lost-treasure tale fleshed out with plenty of action, intrigue, and romance." -- Booklist"In the finest tradition of adventure yarns...A rip-roaring page-turner that concludes with a satisfying twist." -- Booklist"You'd better get comfortable before you pick up this estrogen-laced Da Vinci Code: It's a blood-pumping adventure you'll read straight to the thrilling end." -- Glamour"An exciting novel of archaeology and adventure." -- Library Journal"'The Queen Jade' is an enjoyable escapist voyage into one of Lola's novels on her bookstore shelves, but its strong female characters and Murray's thorough historical research places the book in a more prominent literary category." -- El Paso Times"...It's strong female characters and Murray's thorough historical research places the [The Queen Jade] in a more prominent literary category." -- El Paso Times"A breath-stopping, muscle-straining journey through the jungles of Central America ... Murray is quickly becoming to the action/adventure genre what Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin are to science fiction." -- El Paso Times

Long Description

There is a legend of the New World that has endured for centuries: the strange, tragic tale of a King, a Witch . . . and a blue gem of intoxicating beauty said to grant extraordinary power to whoever possesses it. Archaeologist Juana Sanchez, convinced that she's discovered the key to unlocking the mystery of the fabled Queen Jade, ventures into the Central American jungle alone--just ahead of the relentless pounding fury of Hurricane Mitch. When the terrible storm is over, Juana is gone, and an ancient, long-buried jade mine has been uncovered in the mountains of Guatemala, giving new hope to all obsessed seekers of the legendary stone. But it is a different obsession that plunges Juana's daughter--scholar and bookseller Lola Sanchez--into the remarkable adventure of a lifetime. For only by following the Queen Jade's perilous, cursed trail can Lola hope to find her vanished mother . . . if it isn't already too late.

Review Quote

"You'd better get comfortable before you pick up this estrogen-laced Da Vinci Code: It's a blood-pumping adventure you'll read straight to the thrilling end."

Details