Scuba diving adventure author Eric Douglas’ latest novel, Heart of the Maya, is now available. It is the fifth in the Mike Scott dive adventure series.

In this story, murder, kidnapping and the theft of an ancient Mayan statue, both 500 years ago and today, and diving in cenotes on the Mayan Riviera all come into play. Speaking at his alma mater, Mike Scott learns that the death of a friend 25 years before might not have been an accident. That discovery, and the revelation of who was behind the murder, sends Mike on a hunt to find a missing Mayan statue that contains the “heart of the Maya” before a lunatic drug dealer with delusions of grandeur kills a friend and corrupts the Mayan people.

“I’ve always been intrigued with the Mayan history and the fact that “Mayan Civilization” died out after the Spanish invasion, but there are still millions of Mayans all over central and South America. This was a great opportunity to talk about the conflict that comes about with indigenous peoples in the modern world as people struggle to reconcile that history with present-day reality,” Douglas said. “I really like this story as it combines history, intrigue, really-bad-badguys and diving in cenotes in Mexico and in caves in West Virginia. You just never know where you’re going to stumble across history.”

Douglas has authored four other novels in the Mike Scott series: Cayman Cowboys, Flooding Hollywood, Guardians’ Keep and Wreck of the Huron. He is a regular columnist for Scuba Diving Magazine, writing the Lessons for Life and Ask an Expert column. Douglas also writes non-fiction, including Keep on, Keepin’ on (with Jean Hanna Davis), Common Valor and Scuba Diving Safety (with Dan Orr).

You can find out more about Heart of the Maya, or Douglas’ other books at www.booksbyeric.com.