The manuscript of Ancient Laws was completed on February 4, 2008. It is the 8th thriller in the Laws series and the first one set totally outside Denver--in Paris, Cairo and Luxor. It also introduces Paris detective Fallon Le Rue, who will branch out into her own series.
Laws readers who have come to expect a white-knuckle, hold-on-tight thriller from start to finish will be blown away by this book. Bryson Coventry is at his absolute best.
Back Cover Copy: Denver homicide detective Bryson Coventry tracks a killer to Paris, expecting a dangerous but straightforward hunt. What he doesn’t foresee is that he and a strikingly beautiful French detective would be pulled into a deadly game—a game that would stretch from Paris to Cairo to the Valley of the Kings; a game rooted in ancient tombs, archeological murders and lost treasures; a game that started thousands of years ago but is not over yet.
HERE'S WHAT THE REVIEWERS ARE SAYING SO FAR.
"Jim Hansen just keeps getting better and better. Once again, Jim deliveres a sexy, nail-biting thriller with layers of mystery that keep you turning the pages. Denver, Paris, Egypt, murder, money, sexy women, danger, ancient tombs, archeological treasures, and mystery, mystery, mystery -- what's not to love? Ancient Laws takes homicide detective Bryson Coventry from Denver to Paris where sexy French detective Fallon LaRue joins his search for the psychoic murderer of beautiful young women. From there, the story launches into a dangerous adventure in Paris and Cairo's Valley of the Kings as Coventry and LaRue hunt down the killer. If you love memorable characters, plot twists that can give you whip-lash, and non-stop suspense, you'll love Ancient Laws." -- L.B. Cbb, author of legal thrillers Splendor Bay and Promises Town
"In this new book of author, Jim Hansen's Law series, we find our beloved Denver homicide detective, Bryson Coventry in France. Coventry desperately seeking a killer, one who through a blunder of his own, has taken another young girls life. making this personal. He only hoped the police in Paris would cooperate with him.
We meet Jade Lafayette, a 23-year old beauty who works for France's largest law firm. At least she does until she is pulled into a quest to help uncover the secret her uncle had found. This is when she meets the beautiful Alexandra and her life is changed forever. Her uncle, Remy, an archeologist has been murdered and buried with him is the answer to a find worth an incredible amount of money and historical value. A find that many would kill to have,and do. Nicholas Ringer is introduced to us, a man with money, a man with power, a dangerous man. One who will play a cunning part in this adventure.
Fallon Le Rue is a beautiful woman, and is the detective that our beloved Coventry is put in contact with in Paris. Sparks fly between them from the beginning. Together Coventry and Fallon piece together information from the murders in America and the ones happening in Paris to see if the killer has come to France. It appears he has. One girl is missing and the hunt is on to find this invasive killer. Coventry and Fallon come up with a plan to use Fallon as bait, but will that also cost her her life, as it did with another young woman? The plot thickens.
We meet other unsavory characters such as Marcel Durand, a private investigator, but one who appears to have many dark secrets. What part does he play in the darkness that is weaving its web. Our author takes us to Egypt where Jade and Alexandra search out the secret that Remy had found, but they are not alone and they battle man and reptiles for their very lives. Creepy. What a ride.
Mr. Hansen, in only the way he can, pulls the events happening with Jade and Alexandra into the killing of young Amanda Peterson and Tracy White. It is amazing how expertly our author is able to weave together so many characters, so many events in so many places, and keep the story flowing. You find yourself whirling around trying to piece together the information given to you to solve the layers of mysteries that are within this read. Just how do they connect? Where and what are the missing links? As always, I found this to be a top-notch read, with characters that lure you in, mysteries that run deep, and romance over the top. Definitely a book you do not want to miss reading. Thanks Mr. Hansen for another one of a kind." --Shirley Johnson, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
"In this latest crime solving adventure, Bryson Coventry a Denver homicide detective finds himself in Paris hunting a killer he has been after for a long time. The killer had killed a young woman, gouged out her eyes and then placed then back in her head facing her brain. There had been a witness and now she was dead, in Paris, with her eyes gouged out and replaced facing her brain. Bryson rushes to Paris where his secret witness had moved in her own witness protection program. But where is her roommate? Did the killer take her as some sort of hostage or game? Bryson meets with his French counterpart, a very beautiful and sexy Detective, Fallon Le Rue. Fallon is willing to help Bryson in anyway, but she has her own agenda and is seeking a cold case, that of the murder of call girl who had been smothered with a plastic bag.
Back in the States, Jade Lafayette a young woman who works in a law firm receives news that her uncle Remy, an archeologist has been murdered, supposedly in a home invasion. Then her home is ransacked. That’s when she meets Alexandra who whisks her away to save her life. Who is Alexandra and what does she want? Who killed Remy and why?
Bryson updates an old sketch of the killer and Fallon as bait. Will they catch the killer? Did Fallon make a mistake putting herself out as bait? What secret is Fallon hiding? And what does Jade have to do with Bryson’s case?
Bryson travels the world in an attempt to catch a killer. To find out if he is successful, and the answer to these questions you’ll have to read ANCIENT LAWS.
Jim Michael Hansen has created a fascinating series for his lawman Bryson who pushes the envelope at times, follows his own rules, yet cares about the people he deals with. Bryson is the kind of guy that if you met him at first you’d be put off but then you adore him. His flaws grow on you till they become lovable character traits and you realize as flawed as he is, he has the best interest of others at heart, Mr. Hansen’s other cast of characters are colorful and not easily forgotten. His descriptions are vivid; their behaviors are distinct and purposeful.
Mr. Hansen’s writing is so strong and vibrant you feel as if you are right there with his characters. For example, as you read you can feel the ever so slight sway of the houseboat. You can hiss of a snake.
Once again, Mr. Hansen has written an excellent book! On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it a 5." --Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D for Mystery Lovers Corner
"There are a lot of ways to describe Jim Michael Hansen’s ‘Laws’ series, but the best one is intriguing. “Ancient Laws” is the 7th book in the series. None of the luster from the earlier editions has been lost.
As always, the story revolves around Denver Homicide Detective Bryson Coventry. He is chasing down a killer who had eluded him in Denver. Coventry does not like loose ends. So much so, he puts himself on a plane to Paris. A similar type of murder has occurred there recently. (Coventry hates flying as much as he loves coffee – he can’t survive without coffee.) Arriving at the Paris Police Department, he meets Detective Fallon Le Rue. Lucky for the Denver cop, Le Rue does not mind bending the rules a bit - especially if it solves a case.
As the two search for clues to find Coventry’s killer, it comes to light that the Paris victim was the witness in the Denver case. Not only that, but the victim’s roommate is missing. Now the two Detectives head into a complicated quagmire that leads them all the way to Cairo and back.
This has to be one of the best novels in Hansen’s Bryson Coventry series. The intrigue starts at page one, then twists and turns to the end. So much so, that for most of the book, I thought that the author had changed his style a bit, and I was actually reading three individual thrillers. There were of course times I would tell myself that that is just not the way Hansen works, but then reading on a for a few pages, again I would think that none of the situations playing out before me were connected.
In keeping with past novels, Hansen’s characters and dialogue are very real. There is one difference, though. In this story, we find that Conventry has to take a backseat to another detective. He gets to plan strategy, but he cannot take the lead. Well, not at first, anyway.
Overall, this is another great crime thriller. All I can say is…just keep em’ coming!" --Kathy Martin, In the Libarary Reviews
"Life is anything but boring for Denver Homicide detective Bryson Coventry. In the 8th installment of the thrilling Laws series, Coventry travels to Paris to pursue another dangerous killer in ANCIENT LAWS. To help him with his investigation, Coventry meets his match in the alluring Fallon La Rue, a Paris police detective. Hansen plans to spin off La Rue into her own series called the EDGE SERIES
Can you find good coffee outside of Denver? ANCIENT LAWS is the first in the LAWS series to be based entirely outside of the United States. The main story line takes place in Paris and leads to places in Egypt and the famous archeological sites in the Valley of the Kings. Coventry is in pursuit of a murder who may be involved in murdering people around the world. The only description of the killer, he looks like a caveman, offers up a lawyer, a cab driver , a club dj and an archeologist. As Coventry and La Rue soon find out that their investigation is not new. The ghosts of the past are finding their way into the future. This is much more than a standard thriller, there is an age old mystery to solve that drives all the characters to risk it all and find their fate.
Hansen’s new creation, Fallon La Rue, is serious and dedicated detective. In many ways she is very similar to Coventry. She is insightful and calculating and is not ready to let anyone close to her. She thinks about the investigation first and herself second. Then, there are the differences: what is desperately trying to conceal about her life? Coventry falls for her instantly. There is infatuation, lust, desire, and then he sees her intelligence. She has the cold, cunning skills to trap a killer. Coventry has never been more confused in his life.
ANCIENT LAWS is the type of mystery/thriller that makes for a great summer read. Hansen is his best when developing the back story and having his characters face their desires and fears. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the series so far is how the secondary characters help tell the story and let the reader try to figure out what is happening. The red herrings are plenty in the novel and Hansen has you guessing up to the end. As many of the treasures in this book have years of dust covering their value, Hansen has created a pager burner of a story that won’t collect any time soon." Aldo T. Calcagno (Mystery Dawg) for Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine, FMAM.biz
"ANCIENT LAWS by Jim Hansen: (2009) I have been a fan of the Laws series from the outset. Business interests and relatives in Denver have permitted me to spend enough time there that I feel I know the city. (If you visit the city, get someone to direct you to Gordo’s for great Mexican food served family style.) Situated between the fertile flat farmlands and the United States version of the Alps, Denver has always been a quirky place where women wearing boots attract less attention than men wearing ties. Jim Hansen has managed to capture this spirit completely. Bryson Coventry, his 34 year old serial womanizing, pickup truck driving, coffee drinking fanatic head of Denver’s homicide unit fits perfectly into the local scene. In this, the 8th of the Laws series, however, Coventry is away from his native Denver tracking a lead on a year-old murder. In Paris, he meets detective Ja'Venn Le Rue, whom Hansen advises will ultimately be the subject of her own Edge series. If they come even close to the quality of Laws, they will be great. In the meantime Coventry and Le Rue are pulled into a deadly game that will lead them from Paris to Cairo to the Valley of the Kings, a game involving ancient tombs, lost treasures, and archeological murders." -- Jack Quick, Bookbitch Reviews
"When it comes to thrillers filled with suspense, nobody weaves together a crime novel as richly as Jim Michael Hansen. His remarkable talent is so entertaining, he continuously leaves the reader wanting more." --Wanda Maynard, Simegen Reviews
"Author Jim Hansen has become a master storyteller, writing tales that rival the best. His latest book, Ancient Laws, will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very last word. I was impressed with his newest creation and am wondering what this author has up his sleeve for his next novel." --Patricia A. Rasey, author of Fear the Dark and Facade.
"Another winner! For thriller and dark mystery fans, talented author Jim Michael Hansen has produced a story you won't be able to put down until you turn that last page.
A weird murder takes Bryson Coventry to Paris to see if their weird murder is the work of the same killer. He meets French detective named Fallon Le Rue and falls head over heels into lust once again.
Together they chase down clues to a killer who looks like a caveman. One such man is a lawyer who turns up to convince them of his innocence. Another is a D.J. and a third is a cabdriver and sometime hitman. The fourth is an archaeologist. Will one of them be the killer Coventry seeks? The question is which one.
Added complications deepen the mystery in the persons of two women, Jade and Alexandra, who work together to find a lost pharoah's treasure and the man who murdered Jade's uncle for information to the treasure.
Are the two cases related? How? What do they have in common besides all four and a killer arrive in Luxor.
An exciting tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat as vipers make attacks on visitors to thier valley, an airplane goes into the river, and a thousand thrills will permanently fix goosebumps to your skin.
A well told tale with a masterful blend of intrigue, murder, greed, lust, and that little touch of horror will keep you reading. You'll want to read all of this author's tales. They get better and better."
Enjoy. I certainly did." --Anne K. Edwards, New Mystery Reader Magazine
