NEW YORK, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- "For those people making long-term plans, note this: the end of the world as we know it will be on December 21, 2012 - at least, that's if you believe the Mayan calendar." So reported National Public Radio ... and now, as earthquakes and other natural disasters rock Mexico (and other countries around the earth), timing seems apocalyptically perfect for the release of New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Lowell's newest book, Beautiful Sacrifice (William Morrow, on sale 5/22/12). The savvy writer, who often weaves current news into her best-selling novels, realizes that the worldwide excitement over this impending "Armageddon" would, in fact, be perfectly suited for fiction.
This year, on the Winter Solstice, the Maya's "Long Count" calendar resets, marking the end of an era that has spanned more than five millennia. And this event has led many theorists to tout that the end is near. Lowell is banking on the fact that the sun will keep rising. But she couldn't help but wonder, "What if a group of people really believed that the end of the world would happen on December 21, 2012? What would those believers do to assure a place in the new world to come? How would the actions of the believers echo through the larger world of unbelievers?"
All interesting questions ... and the basis for Beautiful Sacrifice, which recently received a rave review from Publishers Weekly: "Lowell 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." The novel centers upon archeologist Lina Taylor and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Hunter Johnson. The two team up to locate stolen Mayan artifacts, but their search for the priceless relics leads them straight into a deadly snare. The intrigue and action keep ratcheting higher as they encounter narco lords engaging in ritual killings, cultists dabbling in ancient blood sport, and the black market dealings of Lina's own patrician family in Mexico's Yucatan.
Beautiful Sacrifice is action, suspense, and romance on 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!"
About the author: Elizabeth Lowell's many remarkable historical and contemporary novels include New York Times best-sellers Death Echo, Blue Smoke and Murder, Innocent as Sin, The Wrong Hostage, Whirlpool and Always Time to Die. Amber Beach, Jade Island, Pearl Cove and Midnight in Ruby Bayou were also instant New York Times bestsellers. Lowell has more than 20 million books in print, and lives in Nevada with her husband, with whom she writes mystery novels under a pseudonym.
Book Cover: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2012-Beautiful-Sacrifice.jpg
For more information, please visit http://www.elizabethlowell.com.
She is also online at http://Facebook.com/ElizabethLowellFans.
Publicity Contact: Pamela Spengler Jaffee, 212.207.7495, pam.jaffee@harpercollins.com
This press release was issued through eReleases(R). For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCEWilliam Morrow
