The Meriwether Murder — Malcolm Shuman

GRAVE MISGIVINGS
Alan Graham probes the past. As the head of Moundmasters, a Baton Rouge-based contract archaeology firm, the historian butts heads with developers who want to recklessly rip apart Louisiana's landscape for their own greedy purposes. On a previous dig, Alan found a kindred spirit in archaeologist P E. "Pepper" Courtney. Now the two join forces again to work on the exploration of decaying Desiree Plantation.

In the burial plot, a tombstone labeled simply "Louis" piques their curiosity about the dead man's identity, and the estate's owner gives them a three volume diary written by her ancestor. Tracing through the journals, Alan ascertains that Louis may actually be the great nineteenth-century explorer Meriwether Lewis. But before Alan can begin to investigate, he receives a nasty threat telling him to stop asking questions, followed by an urgent call from the plantation's caretaker. Alan and Pepper arrive back at Desiree just as the main house bursts into flames. To unravel the truth about Meriwether Lewis's burial site and solve the murder, Alan follows the explorer's final trail -- hoping that the clues from the past will stop a contemporary killer.