William Petre

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

If you love archaeology as well as a great mystery and a lot of suspenseful intrigue, "The Exodus Quest" by Will Adams is the book for you. This is in fact Adams’ second novel, and the second featuring Egyptologist Daniel Knox.

After gaining fame for discovering the tomb and body of Alexander the Great (in the first book, "The Alexander Cipher"), Knox accidentally runs afoul of a quest to discover the true nature of the biblical Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Before he’s done, he and show more others have discovered possible links between the monotheistic Pharaoh Akhenaten, the Essene and Pythagorean sects, and Moses — all of which could potentially blow biblical history and assumptions to smithereens.

This book has everything: a fanatical Christian preacher eager to “do the Lord’s work,” even if it involves murder and the destruction of inconvenient historical evidence; a narcissistic documentary producer advancing another wild historical theory that may have more truth to it than anyone guesses; corrupt cops trying to get rich by tomb-robbing; and a wild, dangerous race from ancient site to ancient document to ancient site, as Knox tries to figure out what’s going on before he and his partner Gaille Bonnard get killed.

The exciting action begins quite early, and from that point on is almost non-stop. The very style of the book keeps it constantly fresh, as Adams switches from scene to scene and moves between characters at a fast pace.

Occasionally this constant switching can be a bit of a problem, though. There are so many different cops from different jurisdictions that once in a while you find yourself trying to remember who this or that police officer is, and whether this is one of the bad ones or the good ones. And you know, as you’re coming to the end of each scene, that it’s likely to leave you with another mini cliff-hanger, which can get old after a while. Nor is it always easy to remember all the tidbits of archaeological information that are revealed from scene to scene.

But those problems are relatively minor. As you read, you are swept along by both the intriguing archaeological information and the action.

I’ve tried to find information about the author, Will Adams, beyond the very brief blurb on his official website, but I haven’t been successful so far. My main reason was to try to discover whether he knows enough real archaeology to write it with authority. In the acknowledgements of the novel, he does mention certain books that support the theory and events he writes about, but that’s the extent of it.

In the end, that doesn’t really matter. The theories seem plausible within the narrative itself, and I loved that ancient history and archaeology — two of my favourite things — were combined so well into such a fast-paced, exciting book.

Now I need to read the first novel! And I hope to goodness Mr. Adams is working on another one. show less

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

The book was interesting but it lacked the suspense factor that would have made it an outstanding book. I liked the character of Daniel Konx and I believe he will develop over time...but the majority of the characters were just a little too much on the unrealistic side in their reactions. Fans of the thriller genre with an interest in Egyptology and Alexander The Great will find that there is a great deal to like here...but those of us that seek more action and adventure in our books will show more find they are bogged down in too many subplots and historical facts. show less