Dead Dinosaurs

Sacrifice. Balam, full-blooded Maya and part-time detective outside Cancun, is approached by an American, Vance Dugdale, to help set up a theme park called Dead Dinosaurs near Balam's Yucatan village. The PI also hires on as bodyguard for Bob Chance, an American lottery winner who is being chased by a friend who disputes Chance's ownership of the $3-million ticket. Dugdale's park proves to be a front for a fly-by-night gambling operation; the pursuing friend winds up dead in Chance's hotel room; and Chance turns out to have two ex-wives (with no legal divorces) in pursuit of a piece of his winnings. The plot lines advance at a leisurely pace, giving Alexander ample opportunity to offer wry observations on American society's fascination with (and abundance of) money. Balam and his friends, lawyer Ricardo Martinez Rodriguez and police Inspector Hector Salgado Reyes, effectively play with and against perceived stereotypes (the Latin lover; the corrupt policeman) as Alexander maintains an entertaining mix of seriousness and humor. (Oct.)