You know that feeling when you’ve been waiting to read the next book in a series but you have to wait to get to it because of other commitments? And then when you can FINALLY let yourself curl up with the novel and enjoy the series and the characters you have grown to love? That is literally what happened to me with this book. I’ve been holding off on reading this novel until I got a chance to really savor the action and I finally got the opportunity to do so. Anyways, let me not prattle on… here is my review:
When reports of madness in a remote monastery high in Nepal reaches Lisa Cummings, she doesn’t hesitate twice to investigate what is happening. But when she discovers the Buddhist monks turning to cannibalism and torture, she realizes that this may be more than she can handle. Now she is a target of a brutal assassin working for a clandestine group that wants to hide what is happening at all cost. Lisa has only one ally – Painter Crowe, director of SIGMA Force, who is hiding as a pilgrim in the very same monastery.. and who is now showing signs of the baffling malady that was infecting the minds of the monks.
Meanwhile, Grayson Pierce is scouring bookshops for rare books that have started to gain a great deal of international attention from the wrong sort of people. When he discovers Charles Darwin’s Bible, he thinks it is only an interesting artifact. Apparently, it is worth more than that, as assassins commit arson and murder in order to get their hands on this book.
With the SIGMA force under attack on two different continents, it will be up to Commander Gray Pierce to piece together the connection between the Bible and the monks in Nepal so that he can save Painter Crowe and Lisa…. before he is too late.
In truth, this novel was not as great for me as the other two books. I was glad to see the characters of Pierce and Crowe emerge and I liked that there were two separate events happening that would eventually meet. But I didn’t really like HOW they met. I know it is science fiction and meant to be far-fetched but at some point, it becomes a bit TOO far-fetched. I wish the story had been a little tighter in terms of the connection of the Bible with the events of the monastery. But maybe I’m asking for a lot… maybe it was perfectly cohesive after all! One thing I enjoyed about this novel was its mix of physics and biology; although I am well versed in biology, my knowledge of physics is embarrassing so I definitely felt like I learned a lot! I also enjoyed the chemistry and bonds between the different characters and how it painted them as more than just members of an elite task force – it gave them substance, depth, a LIFE! I’m most likely going to continue reading the rest of the books in the series because this novel was still quite good … but hopefully, the next one is a bit more tight!
Have you read anything from this series? If you’ve read this novel, what did you think? Did it flow well? I would love to hear your thoughts!
Happy reading ~