From publisher burb: The Golden Lady: Professor Mathias, a senior member of the Smithsonian staff, was recently presented with a gold statue found in the darkest jungles of the Amazon. This statue was intriguing in that it depicted an Amazon warrior, stereotypical in every way except for a: the fact that she wore a jaguar skin cloak, clearly depicted, and b: the statue turned up half a world away from Greece. Professor Mathias lobbied the Smithsonian for funding and put together an expedition into the Rio Negro region of the Amazon, where the statue was found. That was 90 days ago and no one has heard from him. When the Smithsonian sent people to check on him they found the camp empty, apparently simply abandoned by the Professor and his troupe.