Beautiful Sacrifice: A Novel

“This author delivers pure, undiluted excitement."
—Jayne Ann Krentz
 
“Romantic suspense is her true forte.”
—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
 
“Elizabeth Lowell’s keen ear for dialogue and intuitive characterizations consistently place her a cut above most writers in this genre.”
—Charlotte News & Observer

Perennial New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell boldly puts the romance back into romantic suspense with Beautiful Sacrifice—a story of passion and intrigue centered around the ancient Mayan prediction of the apocalyptic end of everything.  Lowell’s thrillingly imaginative tale unites a dedicated female archaeologist with a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer on a mission to recover priceless South American artifacts that could bring deadly chaos into our world. Beautiful Sacrifice is action, suspense, and love on a bestselling par with Lisa Gardner, Linda Howard, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Nora Roberts…and exactly the sort of romantic adventure that inspired Johanna Lindsey to declare, “Lowell is great!”

Archaeologist Lina Taylor has devoted her life to studying ancient Maya artifacts, splitting her time between digs in the Yucatan and teaching in the college classroom. Burying herself in her work, Lina has had little experience handling men—especially one as fascinating, headstrong, and exasperatingly secretive as Hunter Johnston. A former immigration and customs enforcement officer—a lone wolf used to calling the shots—Hunter bursts into Lina's world after some important, extremely valuable Maya relics have gone missing. To recover them, he'll need the beautiful, brainy archaeologist's help . . . and in the process, he sets her structured academic life spinning wildly out of control . . .

Because finding the missing artifacts is only the beginning of a mystery that will plunge two unlikely partners into adventure, romance, passion, and danger more thrilling, sensual, and deadly than either of them could have ever imagined . . .

“Elizabeth Lowell’s keen ear for dialogue and intuitive characterizations consistently place her a cut above most writers in this genre.” - Charlotte News & Observer

“Elizabeth Lowell is incomparable.” - Romantic Times BOOKclub

“Suspenseful ... Engrossing storytelling.” - Booklist

“[Her] fabulous talent . . . dazzles the imagination and bewitches the heart.” - Rave Reviews

“ Lowell delivers a taut, enjoyable read. - Fresh Fiction

“As Lina and Hunter dodge bullets and trade wisecracks across the Southwest, Lowell (Death Echo) deftly incorporates creepy basement corpse discoveries, sleazy antiquities dealers, crumbling jungle tombs, charmingly sinister relatives, fascinating archeological elements, and a well-realized, completely invented Mayan god.” - Publishers Weekly