Chris Kuzneski

Oh dear ... what a disappointment. The previous two books ['Sign of the Cross' and 'Sword of God':] were formulaic but had a certain raw energy and innocent paciness that made them enjoyable. Chapters were short and ended on a high note so you wanted to keep turning the page even though you knew that you were just munching on boy-chocolate.

This one is formula without the energy, too long and leisurely, with dull plot McGuffins, hackneyed characterisation and an excessive use of cut-and-paste show more wiki-description of the sites (a fault of the first books, overlooked by the fact that things actually happened faster in the scenery). Halfway, I was dying for one of the heroes to make a pass at the Barbie-blonde Alison just to relieve the tedium.

Here's a tip to the author. Get a new Editor, someone prepared to do one of two things - either cut the book by a quarter and keep to the formula or able to stand up to you and say the formula is no longer working. Penguin are getting lazy and are doing a disservice to their author.

One of the interesting aspects of the two previous two books was a totally politically incorrect and wonderfully naive approach to Catholicism in the first book and Islam in the second. I yearned for a first strike at Tibetan Buddhism or Judaism (and outrage in California or a court case in Germany), but instead we get a half-hearted false reading of the Orthodox Church and of Heinrich Schliemann's archaology and a reading of Spartan culture straight out of a dumbing down of '300'. Ouch!

Not recommended even if you expect to be bored on a long journey. Shame though - the first two in the series were mad, rollicking adventures and this third suggests that there should not be a fourth. show less

Have you ever had that experience that occurs when people find out that you're a reader and so the next time they see you, they're clutching a book in hand that they force upon you and insist that you read it? They look so damn hopeful that you, too, will love it that you just can't say no. That's how I came upon this little turd-nugget of a book. This is one of the most pitifully written books I've ever read. Every other chapter ends with a statement like, "Little did he know that in two show more hours, he would be dead" or "Little did she know that she held in her hands a secret that could destroy history." Gee, foreshadow much? It reads as though it was written by a testosterone fueled 13 year old boy who just can't stuff a story with enough oozing blood, explosions, high tech weaponry, fast cars, and macho banter between two special ops characters. Now mind you, I'm all for the mindless bit of entertaining fluff as long as it's well written. However, this is so terribly written that I found myself groaning aloud and longing to fling it across the room. But I couldn't, because I have to return it and, with a forced smile, say it was entertaining and that, no, I have far too many books to read, so I really can't accept another. show less

The Death Relic is the latest Payne and Jones thriller from Chris Kuzneski. It’s an exciting page-turner with an interesting backdrop.

One of the things I like best about the Payne and Jones books I’ve read is the extensive research that goes into the setting and the story. In this book, it’s the Maya and Aztecs as well as the Spanish conquer and rule of central and south america. The characters are a lot of fun too, particular Payne and Jones as well as their historian and antiquities show more friend, Petr Ulster. The non-stop banter between Payne and Jones is entertaining, if a little sophomoric. The action sequences and battle scenes are exciting and well plotted.

While the background for the story is well-researched, the information is not always interjected smoothly into the story. Kuzneski often conveys this information in lumps or lectures that don’t flow well with the story. This was more noticeable early in the book than in the latter part. Kuzneski also feels a need to explain simple concepts, like what a “benchwarmer” is in a sports setting that makes it seem like he’s talking down to you and had me rolling my eyes in a few places. There were also a couple of scenes where Payne became angry for reasons that did not seem to make any sense and took me out of the story for a while.

The Death Relic is another entertaining chapter in the Payne and Jones series and a very quick read. There are a couple of minor annoyances in the story, but if you can overlook those it’s a lot of fun. Recommended read. I was fortunate to receive an early review copy of this book. show less

For the first time Chris Kuzneski has left me disappointed. Most of the book, though certainly well written, felt like a prelude. At the moment I finally thought, "Yes! Now we are on track..." the book ended abruptly and with little grace. Overall this book left me wondering if it's merely a placeholder for whatever comes next.