Jaya Jones first appeared in Artifact and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Jaya.

What is your name?
Jaya Jones

How old are you?
31

What is your profession?
Historian

Do you have a significant other?
I do.

What is his name and profession?
Lane Peters. The question about his profession is more complicated. He’s an art historian, but before that, he was an art thief.

Any children?
No kids yet.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
One older brother, Mahilan.

Do your parents live near you?
My mom passed away when I was a kid. My dad lives nearby in Berkeley.

Who is your best friend?
Sanjay Rai, a stage magician who performs as The Hindi Houdini.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
The sad truth is that I’ve been traveling so much that I can’t even keep a house plant alive these days.

What town do you live in?
San Francisco—but I’ll share a secret with you. I might be moving. It’s a big step for me. . . and I need to make the decision soon.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I rent a studio apartment on the top floor of a Victorian house.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
It’s one big room with vaulted ceilings, so there’s not a lot of space. But I love standing in the kitchenette window with a steaming mug of coffee. Does making coffee count as cooking? Coffee is the one thing that I make in my kitchenette.

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I love anything that the head chef at the Tandoori Palace cooks for me. The spicier the better for a meal, and the sweeter the better for dessert.

Favorite hobby?
I play the tabla drums.

Favorite color?
My favorite color to wear is black. I grew up wearing far too much color, courtesy of my dad who favored tie-dye.

Favorite author?
Thriller author Rick Coronado. That’s why it’s such an honor that he’s writing a new Gabriela Glass novel in honor of me, because of the historical treasures I’ve discovered. Only, things have gotten strange lately, which is why I’m about to get on an airplane to find out what’s happened to him.

Favorite vacation spot?
I haven’t taken a proper vacation in years, but I travel a lot. I’ve rescued lost treasures in Scotland, India, France, Italy, Japan, and now I’m in search of one from Cambodia.

Movies or Broadway?
Movies

Are you a morning or a night person?
Night

Amateur sleuth or professional?
I’m a professional historian. I never meant to become a sleuth, but because my knowledge of India’s colonial history helped me find one lost treasure, I’ve been pulled into solving present-day crimes involving more historical treasures.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
I’m lucky to have an amazing group of friends, and each of them has their own unique way of looking at a challenge. Librarian Tamarind Ortega is the stealthiest researcher you’ll ever meet. Stage magician Sanjay creates misdirection for his stage show, so he’s good at seeing through misdirection in real life as well. Art historian and former thief Lane Peters knows about an area of history I don’t, plus he has real world experience with art crimes—from both sides of the law.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
After going on a run and having coffee and a breakfast sandwich from my local coffee shop, I head to my university to teach class, hold office hours, and do the research expected of a history professor. At least that’s how my life is supposed to work. But it rarely does. And that’s why I’m throwing clothes into my backpack and am about to head off on another adventure. Wish me luck!

You can read more about Jaya in The Glass Thief, the sixth book in the “Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt” mystery series, released November 12, 2019.

A locked-room mystery at a Paris mansion. A supposed ghost haunting a French family who looted treasure from Cambodia.

A reclusive thriller author writing a novel in honor of historian Jaya Jones–is it a work of fiction or a devious device to lure Jaya into solving a chilling mystery?

Three unsolved murders spanning seventy years have befallen the same French family, each taking place two nights before Christmas at their Paris mansion–and blamed on the family ghost.

When Jaya realizes the truth hits closer to home than she realized, she must risk everything as she flees San Francisco for France and Cambodia to find a missing sculpture known as the Serpent King and stop a flesh and blood killer.

Purchase Link
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About the author
USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Gigi Pandian is the child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India. She spent her childhood traveling around the world on their research trips, and now lives outside San Francisco with her husband and a gargoyle who watches over the garden. Gigi writes the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt mysteries, the Accidental Alchemist mysteries, and locked-room mystery short stories.

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All comments are welcomed.