William Petre

Daniel Knox is an outcast archaeologist and part-time dive instructor working in Egypt when a piece of gallantry suddenly means that he must go on the run to Alexandria to avoid painful and probably deadly retribution. At the same time an ancient tomb possibly linked to Alexander the Great is uncovered in Alexandria. This attracts some pretty unsavoury Macedonian separatists who wish to recover Alexander's body for their own nefarious motives.Knox begins to work on the site of the tomb but show more soon finds that he has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Having read some of the other reviews for this book I feel that some of the readers seem to have extent missed the point. This is a 'thriller' and as such it is meant as an entertainment,a page turner rather than some great,in depth literary masterpiece. In many respects the plot does what it is meant to do, with short punchy chapters it motors along quite merrily to a reasonable climax which I personally found all the more pleasing as the good guys don't necessarily win and although Knox does escape from some pretty precarious situations how he does so is reasonably plausible and not as far fetched as say the Indiana Jones movie franchise. On the whole I felt that the character of Knox was well drawn. He is knowledgeable about Egyptology without knowing absolutely everything ala the insufferable Robert Landon,despite the predicaments he finds himself in he is no real muscle bound hero wreaking mayhem wherever he goes and he is generally likeable with a core of common decency. In fact most of the male characters are well drawn even if their female counterparts,especially Gaille,are vague to put it mildly.In particular I liked the little side story of Mohammed and his daughter which was a nice touch. The author has obviously done his research and the factual background to the overall story is informative to a novice without being too bookish.

That said it isn't without its problems but on the whole the book does what it is meant to do,it opens a window of another realm away from the routines of daily life without being too taxing on the little grey cells. show less

If you are looking for a fun read full of ancient Egyptian history, this mix of adventure and romance is a rollicking good time. The second book to feature archeologist and adventurer Daniel Knox, and his partner Gaille Bonnard by Will Adams is that rare instance where what we read between the binding actually lives up to the fun promised on the cover.

Unlike books in this genre with a more serious vibe — or perhaps pretension — the reader isn't really meant to take all this too show more seriously. Once you realize this, it's easy to suspend belief and just gobble it down as you would enjoyable junk food.

When Egyptologist Knox comes across a lid being offered in an Alexandrian marketplace the fun begins. The Dead Sea Scrolls come into play, as does the mystery surrounding the Exodus. There is more, but to reveal that might ruin some surprises the for the reader. There are plenty of good guys and bad guys, and enough historical speculation — as mentioned, not to be taken too seriously — to make this a fun time.

Our hero, Knox, soon finds himself on the run from a bad Egyptian cop named Khaled, and a twisted preacher protecting an ancient dig. An Egyptian policeman named Naguib whose wife and child act as his conscience when a young girl's body is found at a dig, will try to discover what's going on before it is too late for both Knox, and his love Gaille. Khaled's character has echoes of those 1930's adventure films. Though set very much in the present, the entire book has that same feel.

You'll have to read this crackling adventure to discover how a hoax which might have an unexpected basis in truth — fictional truth, of course — play out in an Egypt full of ancient secrets. Knox's pal Augustin is on hand, and might find a romance of his own in this one, while Knox finally realizes that his feelings for his mentor's daughter are much deeper than he'd been aware.

There is both excitement and danger here on the level I've described, with just the right dash of romance thrown into the pot. A quick and entertaining read you can relax with at home, or on the beach. show less

Daniel Knox is a down on his luck archaeologist stuck in Egypt where he’s radioactive and cannot work on any dig. So he takes a job as a dive instructor for a notorious gangster so he can earn enough money to pursue his own quest for anything having to do with Alexander.

When Knox, knowing better but doing it anyway, defends a young woman from the gangster he suddenly finds himself pursued across Egypt.

Meanwhile, several other people suddenly come upon clues that might lead them to show more Alexander’s tomb. Knox, hiding out with an old friend in Alexandria, passes himself off as a diver gets a low level job at the dig.

Certainly not fine literature but this is the sort of thriller I really enjoy. Archaeology, ciphers, clues and a race to find a tomb.

I couldn’t put it down and will definitely try book two of the series. show less

Although I read the first book of the series almost 9 years ago and had this book on my TBR for 7.5 years, I was in the mood to read something about the middle east, something that had a little action, and when I went to my bookcase, with so many unread books, it was the book I wanted to read. (Even though it is a book that might be good for a lot of the challenges I want to accomplish for 2018.)
This time, the book is 3.5 stars (I wish once again that Goodreads could give us this option) show more because of the pacing; everything was rushed, maybe because of things that happen during the book, and the characters are in danger.
With this series, you learn about ancient Egypt and intersections during ancient times and all the nations that passed through. Still, you also learn about Egypt, the bureaucracy, the bribing mentality, and how life is there.
Another issue shown in this book is about religion and how it interacts with other fields like history, archaeology, and even science. I loved how the chapters are written; the book has different plot lines that, in the end, all intertwine. Each chapter is divided into 4-5 parts with a little bit of each plotline. The sensation of reading those chapters is like watching a movie with different scenes.
I would suggest this book to people like suspense, like archeological and historical information if you are willing to read open-mindedly about the religious conspiracy.

A quote I take from this book is "...And if not them, then perhaps the people of a future age. A more rational, enlightened age maybe they'd appreciate the wisdom of the walls, not hate and vilify it." (page 3-4). show less