Seven Cities of Greed by Jean Sheldon is a light-hearted Indiana Jones type mystery. A group of friends from Chicago come into possession of a seemingly valuable journal, pointing the way to lost Aztec treasure. The journal is also being sought by a greedy, arrogant man who will do anything to get his hands on it. Thus begins a chase across the American southwest to find this treasure.  The Chicagoans will soon learn that their lives are at risk as long as they have the journal, for someone in the shadows is controlling events.

Is the journal genuine or merely a fabrication? It may cost the Chicagoans their lives to find out. I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. It’s a quick read, not so quick as to be boring but short enough to finish during a short trip when you need to occupy your time in some way. This would definitely fall into the category of “cozy mystery, “which describes mysteries with very little violence involving very normal people. I have always enjoyed novels which weave historical fact with fiction and this book is an excellent example of this. The plot moves swiftly and there is good character development.  I enjoyed reading it quite a bit and give it 5 out of 5 stars.