The Death Relic (Payne & Jones)

The New World, 1545: Vanquished by the Spanish Empire, little remained of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. From the ashes of their cities, a unified legend emerged: their conquerors possessed a mysterious object, an artifact so powerfulso deadlythat it came to be known as the Death Relic.

Yucatan Peninsula, present day: When Maria Pelatis research team disappears in Mexico, she calls Jonathon Payne and David Jones, who embark on a perilous mission to find the missing archaeologists. They soon realize that Marias research may hold the key to solving one of the darkest mysteries of the New World. But their quest to learn the truth about the Death Relic may end up costing them their lives.