DEAD DINOSAURS

Rating:
Summary: Humourous, cynical mystery sequel.
Review: "Dead Dinosaurs" is a bit of a letdown. It is as cynical as the first of the Balam series, but it is just a rung below in quality. This time, Luis Balam, tour guide and propriator of the Black Coral is solicated by his two friends, Hector the mostly Honest cop, and Ricky, the Desi Arnez look-alike. Luis has a client from each, a lottery winner on the run from an ex-con and his two wives, and a slick operator who claims to want to build a cultural theme park in Ho-Keh, Yucatan. Luis smells a rat and investigates both of their backgrounds. Eventually, the two clients are introduced by chance, and the ex-con is found murdered. Luis and one of the Lotto winner's wives race against time to find both men, and the climax happens at Chicken Itza. Good writing in it, as Luis cites more 1974 World Almanac statistics and we see Mexico as it truly is.