The Death Mask Murders by Gabriel Farago

Book number 7,  The Death Mask Murders, in Gabriel Farago's series about journalist, author and international adventurer Jack Rogan is out, and it is an exciting journey he takes us on. 

"Seven brutal murders. A cursed Inca burial mask. A lost treasure. One deadly game.

Drawn into a web of hidden clues pointing to an ancient mystery, celebrated author Jack Rogan decides to investigate. When convicted killer Maurice Landru reaches out from a Paris prison and asks for help to prove his innocence, Jack cannot resist. Joining forces with Francesca Bartolli, a glamorous criminal profiler, Mademoiselle Darrieux, an eccentric Paris socialite, and Claude Dupree, a retired French police officer, Jack enters a dangerous world of depraved cyber-gambling where the stakes are high, and the players will stop at nothing to satisfy their dark desires.

Following his ‘breadcrumbs of destiny’, Jack soon comes up against an evil genius who terminates his enemies without mercy and is prepared to risk all to win.

On a perilous journey littered with violence and death, Jack uncovers dark secrets of a murky past of ruthless conquistadors, bloodthirsty pirates and shipwrecked priests, all pointing to a fabulous Inca treasure, waiting to be discovered.

Can Jack expose the mastermind behind the horrific murders and retrieve the legendary burial mask before it falls into the wrong hands, or will the forces of darkness overwhelm him and destroy everything he believes in?"

What I love about Farago's books is the each book is based on a historical mystery. A mystery that puzzles people even today. This time it is a matter of a lost Inca treasure and a professor, Maurice Landru, who by chance finds documents that might show where the treasure is buried. He is not alone in his search, and the other person interested is a powerful international criminal who stops for nothing in order to get what he wants. He directs events from a hidden place in the mountains. 

Landru was innocently accused of a couple of gruesome murders seven years earlier. He has now found a clue to what happened and wants the help from Jack Rogan. Here starts a new adventure for our hero and he involves old friends and colleagues in the quest for an answer. I really enjoyed the interaction between Landru and Rogan. 

Things go from bad to worse and the group trying to solve the murders are exposed to powers, almost beyond their means. It gets more and more exciting as the hunt proceeds, and as we near the end, it is impossible to put down the book. 

I especially enjoyed the historical story in this book. It is very exciting and has unexpected turns. I am thinking this could be a book in itself. What I don't really enjoy, and which has been a feature in the latest novels about Jack Rogan, is that the bad guys are so evil and the murders are quite violent. They are not overly described, but hints are sometimes enough. Having said that, I still enjoyed reading this latest adventure of Jack Rogan and his friends. It takes you on a roller coaster of travels, adventure and hidden secrets.