Raymond Khoury

Most novelists with robust sales in their rear view mirror stick rigidly to the tried-and-true format that earned them their past successes. In the highly competitive arena that is modern fiction book publishing there's nothing inherently wrong with a writer clinging tightly to formula, particularly when that formula has resonated with readers and the people cutting his royalty checks. It happens all the time. So it's both noteworthy and laudable when an author with Raymond Khoury's show more estimable track record not only probes a new path, but does it with a result as satisfying and enjoyable as his new thriller, "The Devil's Elixir."

Khoury burst onto international bestseller lists in 2006 with his blockbuster novel, "The Last Templar." "The Last Templar" and the three books that followed it have been translated into dozens of languages, and have charted in scores of countries. If any bestselling novelist could rest on his stylistic laurels and adhere to formula, it's Khoury. Kudos to him for choosing instead to present something a little different in his latest release. For the legions of ardent fans of Reilly and Tess there are no worries, because the engaging duo are back in "The Devil's Elixir." However, in this breakneck thriller the whirlwind plot (excepting the prologue) unfolds entirely in the present day, as opposed to interweaving with a historical adventure as in Khoury's previous works. And while Khoury's prose gets better and more engaging with every book, with this release admirably continuing that trend, for the first time in any of his novels Khoury elected to write a large part of the book in (Reilly's) first-person narrative. Given his prior triumphs, Khoury certainly didn't have to craft the book that way. That he did speaks well for him spreading his wings as a writer, and also enhances the immediacy and impact of the story for readers. Yet while exploring narrative techniques unprecedented in his earlier books, Khoury still delivers what his fans have rightfully come to expect -- a gripping plot with astonishing twists, consistently alluring protagonists, and a really nasty villain who earns his menacing epithet, El Brujo ("The Sorcerer"), many times over during the novel's course.

This is Khoury's best book to date. It will please his steadfast fans, and it will gain him many new ones. show less

Very exciting read in the vein of Dan Brown's Da Vinci code. It starts with the opening at the New York Metropolitan Museum of an exhibit from the Vatican. Four men on horseback ride out of central park dressed as Templar knights. The media thinks it's part of the opening ceremonies until the knights crash through the doors and begin shooting and looting the exhibit. One knight however takes only one thing - a decoder made by the Templars. Archeologist Tess witnesses this and questions why, show more with all the gold and gems available, he would take this relatively worthless item. Why indeed?
Tess tells her theory to FBI special agent Sean Riley, and together (and sometimes not) they chase down leads which lead from the bowels of New York to Turkey and the Agean Sea. They are searching for an artifact so crucial that, if real, would spell the end of the Catholic church and all of Christianity.
I don't believe in the premise here, as well as the Da Vinci code, but it was an interesting idea and a well written and exciting story. show less

The question for thriller fans isn't, why read Raymond Khoury's new novel, "Rasputin's Shadow"? But if it was, you could risk your skin asking for a recommendation from the rogue FSB agent the Kremlin dispatched on a clandestine mission to New York. He's a brutal assassin only known as "The Deathless," who would enjoy killing you far more than exchanging pleasantries. Or, you might pose your inquiry to certain shady CIA operatives and “security contractors” whose allegiances are at least show more as shaky as their slim ethics. Still unsure? You could see what the Psy-loving gang of Korean carjackers has to say, or perhaps the opinion of one of those nightclub-dwelling Russian "Mafiya" mobsters might suit you. But then, any or all of them will probably be too busy to answer, since they're battling the others in a murderous chase to grab an infernal machine whose twisted provenance dates back to Rasputin and the last of the Russian Tsars. The machine can turn an entire city into a bloodbath with the mere flick of a switch, and FBI special agent Sean Reilly is running out of time to save countless lives in New York and Washington from horrific carnage in Khoury's well-written and fast-paced new novel. In the world of modern thrillers tightly braided with historical mystery, this book is as good as it gets. And so clearly the question for thriller fans is, why would you not read "Rasputin's Shadow"? show less

This book is fairly obvious in its attempts to cash in on the The Da Vinci Code popularity by cloning the formula, complete with historical secret that will destroy the Catholic Church and fanatic Catholic hitman. The action is fairly by-the-numbers with the author throwing in just about every cliché he can think of, including the storm of the century just as the treasure is to be recovered. The romance is completely tepid and unbelievable...sort of, "Yeah, I know you drove off and left me show more at the mercy of the sniper so that you could become famous, but let's not let little things come between us." The moralizing interrupts the plot just as tediously as it does in Dan Brown's book—the only difference being that we get both sides of the argument and, thus, twice as much.

The ending of the thriller is not very fulfilling. Of course, given the previously-mentioned moral debate that occupies so much of the novel, it's hard to see the author ending with anything other than the very predictable resolution. The actual ending of the book in the epilogue was, however, enjoyable.

Even the basic premise of the plot...that exposing the Catholic Church as a fraud would somehow cause all mankind to abandon religious squabbling and unite in a rationalist world...somehow overlooks the fact that many of the world's religions would feel quite vindicated if this were so and redouble their fervor.

I did, however, enjoy the brief flashbacks to the Templars who fled the fall of Acre.

Another commuting audio book: Richard Ferrone was only fair as the narrator. He's one of those who thinks melodrama in the voice heightens the story. In my opinion, he was mistaken in this thought. show less