Inspired by the 1995 Sampoong Department Store collapse in South Korea, EXCAVATIONS perfectly blends history, mystery, and family secrets into a captivating narrative following a former journalist turned stay-at-home mom who ventures to find her missing husband. I'm blown away by Michell's skill in crafting an absorbing mystery about the dark underbelly of Seoul while creating vivid and realistic characters for which I grow to root. While there's a little bit of everything, the angles of student protests post WW2, rampant corruption in a capitalist country, and the secrets we keep in the name of protection are all deeply explored. EXCAVATIONS is the perfect read that will surely bring you out of a reading slump.