This is the second book in a series that stars archaeologist Daniel Knox. The first was called "The Alexander Cipher." Adams does a great job with his series of melding Indiana Jones and Robert Langdon into a single character. With this novel, evidence pops up that might totally redefine Jewish history while also exploring the most controversial of the Egyptian pharaohs, Akhenaten.It all stars when a mysterious lid comes into Knox's hands while he is in Alexandria. It is clearly of historical value, but the black market seller that approached him insists the lid was found near Lake Mariut, which seems totally off-target when considering the style of the lid. Knox is not one to pass up a good mystery so he starts to sort out the truth. In the process, he meets up with a number of other histories, religious leaders, and archaeologists, all with their own views about the topic. Through them, he learns about a number of different theories, which our not really all that new in our world, about the Exodus and Akhenaten's potential ties to it in the role of Moses himself!To make matters even more controversial, the evidence also seems to tie the lid specifically to the Essenes or Gnostics, a group that is usually tied to Qumran ... nowhere near Lake Mariut. This brings the the adventure right into the center of the controversies tied with the Gnostic books. It is this level of controversy that place Knox and his friends in serious danger.This really is a fund suspenseful adventure story with a lot historical curiosities at its cure. Like most of these stories, the action builds in intensity to a big "groundbreaking" conclusions. And that definitely happens with this novel. The ending results in a major archaeological find and one that should redefine so much in the area of religious history.These books are great at really highlighting many of the alternative research that is found with regard to the various eras of ancient Egyptian culture. I do have to admit that they are not as complex or deeply drawn as other books in the genre, but they are definitely loads of fun. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. I know that it has already been published in England, but I don't think it has come out here, yet. I stumbled upon this book in the local dollar store, of all places, and for the price I figured I couldn't go wrong. About fifty pages in, I thought, wow, the thinking man's Dan Brown. About 100 pages in, I thought, this is silly, I should read the first book in the series first. Off to the library, and I came home with The Alexander Cipher (which I'll review separately). I finished that book in a day, and resumed this one.This is thriller with an added bonus for Egyptology geeks like me. I really enjoyed the pacing, and I felt that the author had done his research properly - there wasn't an agregious error that Google or Wikipedia might have fixed, unlike The DaVinci Code. These types of books aren't meant to be historical, but if the basic framework has holes that you can drive a VW through I get annoyed. In classic thriller style there are multiple plot lines and character POVs that ultimately converge onto our hero. Daniel Knox is an appealing character, kind of a combination of Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon, and Rick O'Connell, but a bit more human and vulnerable. Unlike The Alexander Cipher, there is a clearly defined villain in this book, as well as the antagonism that isn't necessarily focused on Knox but conspires against him nonetheless (sure, pile on the tension and conflict - this is a thriller, after all).I was a little disappointed that the books ends with the discovery of yet another fabulous archaeological treasure (that doesn't exist), since it seemed a mite pat and certainly stretched my credulity. (I'm not a big fan of National Treasure, needless to say.) But it was great fun and kept me turning the pages, and I've already been hooked thoroughly enough to order the next two Daniel Knox books as well.
Do You like book The Moses Quest (2008)?
Incredibly obvious plot and writing...not as spell binding as he obviously thinks he is.
—charlfrankie96
I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars. So more like 3.5 stars?
—lesharny
