Helpful Score: 2
Zoe Dmitroff is a San Francisco attorney whose grandmother was just found murdered. Zoe learns that she is the new Keeper of the Altar of Bones, a real-life fountain of youth deep in the wilds of Siberia.
Ry OMalley is a DEA agent whose brother was just found murdered. Ry learns that he is closely related to the person that really killed JFK.
Thrown together in a race for their lives, Zoe and Ry must trust each other if theyre going to be able to save themselves and the whole human race.
Altar of Bones by Philip Carter is James Bond meets the Amazing Race and the ultimate prize is life everlasting. Meticulously researched and vividly described, this fast paced page turner is definite edge-of-your-seat excitement.
Suspense, espionage, romance, mystery...the list goes on and on. Altar of Bones has something for everyone!
4 ½ stars
(Received complimentary copy for review purposes only.)
Ry OMalley is a DEA agent whose brother was just found murdered. Ry learns that he is closely related to the person that really killed JFK.
Thrown together in a race for their lives, Zoe and Ry must trust each other if theyre going to be able to save themselves and the whole human race.
Altar of Bones by Philip Carter is James Bond meets the Amazing Race and the ultimate prize is life everlasting. Meticulously researched and vividly described, this fast paced page turner is definite edge-of-your-seat excitement.
Suspense, espionage, romance, mystery...the list goes on and on. Altar of Bones has something for everyone!
4 ½ stars
(Received complimentary copy for review purposes only.)
Helpful Score: 2
On the back cover, it states that Philip Carter is a "pseudonym for an internationally renowned author". Apparently not one with much experience as an author. This book was not bad, but it could have been better. It is obvious that Mr Carter wrote this with a movie in mind because he spends a good portion of the book describing chases and violent fights that would take up no time in a movie, but while reading it can get old. The book has an interesting twist on an old conspiracy theory (can't go into detail or I would ruin the book for other readers) and the style is reminiscent of Dan Brown's books without so much information. Too bad the editor did not suggest some of the chases be trimmed down (or downright eliminated) to make this a tighter book.
This is a good read, grabs you from the start to the end. Lots of tense action! I must admit that the ending left me with a question, but it didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book.
Action-packed whodunit. A kind of mix of James Bond and Indiana Jones.
This is an interesting mystery involving the KGB, CIA, FBI, FSB and, of course, a lot of conspiracy theories that would make the day of Oliver Stone (although I'd say my fave movie was more of Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman). Oh yes, there are at least 3 major conspiracy theories (one of them having to do with Russia and the Mad Monk, the others are totally American) and a few minor ones which make this whole aspect of finding out what the altar of bones was much more fun.
The altar does take center stage throughout the theories, action and mystery but so does Zoe. The last Keeper of the secret. She doesn't even find out about the secret until she is faced with a mystery given to her by a grandmother she never knew. Zoe's character was also further enhanced by her earlier experiences with family and her job. Her mother became the head of the Russian mafia in her area when she was just a child, and her job helps domestic violence survivors escape their dangerous lives. This made her ability to handle all the dangers believable while solving the mystery. I also enjoyed the characters of Ry who became a partner in solving the mystery as well as a great romantic interest.
I give this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the adventure even though it felt like it was taking so many turns you weren't sure if the mystery of the alter would be solved. The characters in this book were well interesting. Even though there were more villains than good-guys in this story, they also added a needed dimension in the book.
The altar does take center stage throughout the theories, action and mystery but so does Zoe. The last Keeper of the secret. She doesn't even find out about the secret until she is faced with a mystery given to her by a grandmother she never knew. Zoe's character was also further enhanced by her earlier experiences with family and her job. Her mother became the head of the Russian mafia in her area when she was just a child, and her job helps domestic violence survivors escape their dangerous lives. This made her ability to handle all the dangers believable while solving the mystery. I also enjoyed the characters of Ry who became a partner in solving the mystery as well as a great romantic interest.
I give this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the adventure even though it felt like it was taking so many turns you weren't sure if the mystery of the alter would be solved. The characters in this book were well interesting. Even though there were more villains than good-guys in this story, they also added a needed dimension in the book.
I took a chance on this book written under a pseudonym by an "acclaimed" bestselling author. The title seemed hokey, like a cheap knockoff of "The Davinci Code". However, I think this book is totally different and I was pleasantly surprised. The book is fast-paced and action packed from the very beginning. As you read, you can see the action being played out on the big screen. The author had the opportunity to put a great Stephen King style twist to the ending but played it safe. That is my only real criticism. If you like 'em fast and furious, you will like "Altar of Bones".
I got this book because I liked the cover art and it seemed interesting. I like how action-packed it was, but I'm not sure I like the ending.
First Line: Rosie knew the stranger had come to kill her as soon as he walked into the circle of light cast by their fire.
Starting with an escape from a Siberian prison camp in 1937, Altar of Bones travels to the present day in a non-stop deadly quest for two items that several groups will stop at nothing to possess. San Francisco lawyer Zoë Dmitroff receives a letter from the grandmother she never knew telling her that she's the "keeper" of an ancient secret concerning a Siberian cave known as the Altar of Bones. At his father's death, government agent Ry O'Malley learns that the old man knew the location of a film that would rock the entire country. The two team up to stay alive and to get their hands on the secrets that others are killing to find.
This is the type of book that is difficult to review without giving things away, so I'm heading straight for my reactions. The first two thirds of the book was an endless chase scene involving our two intrepid heroes, and the fact that stealth was not in the bad guys' vocabularies bothered me a bit. These people were conducting high speed chases at all times of the day and night firing endless rounds of ammunition from an assortment of guns. They did not care how many witnesses were around or how high the body count was. (Perhaps they counted on local police departments' budgets being cut so drastically that there would be no investigations.)
I tired of the chase, primarily because of the psychotic conducting most of the chasing. At this stage of my life, my tolerance for fictional characters who love inflicting pain and death is practically nil. They turn my stomach, and they make me extremely angry. (I may seem to be a mild-mannered book blogger, but I do have a very nasty temper.)
I was also amazed at how lucky Zoë was. She headed to Europe, using her credit cards all along the way, and wondered how the bad guys always knew where she was. She may not watch much television or read much crime fiction, but she specializes in defending battered and abused women and getting them away from their boyfriends and husbands. She knows something about flying beneath the radar. The relationship between Zoë and Ry was inevitable and made parts of the book sound like an erotic romance. However, even though characterization is not the prime directive in a thriller, Zoë and Ry were well-drawn enough for me to care about what happened to them.
Even though I tired of the bad guys and the drawn-out chase scenes, I found that Zoë, Ry, and the dual prizes of the Altar of Bones and the film kept a grip on my imagination through to the end of the book. Hopefully the author's next thriller will contain a little less formula.
Starting with an escape from a Siberian prison camp in 1937, Altar of Bones travels to the present day in a non-stop deadly quest for two items that several groups will stop at nothing to possess. San Francisco lawyer Zoë Dmitroff receives a letter from the grandmother she never knew telling her that she's the "keeper" of an ancient secret concerning a Siberian cave known as the Altar of Bones. At his father's death, government agent Ry O'Malley learns that the old man knew the location of a film that would rock the entire country. The two team up to stay alive and to get their hands on the secrets that others are killing to find.
This is the type of book that is difficult to review without giving things away, so I'm heading straight for my reactions. The first two thirds of the book was an endless chase scene involving our two intrepid heroes, and the fact that stealth was not in the bad guys' vocabularies bothered me a bit. These people were conducting high speed chases at all times of the day and night firing endless rounds of ammunition from an assortment of guns. They did not care how many witnesses were around or how high the body count was. (Perhaps they counted on local police departments' budgets being cut so drastically that there would be no investigations.)
I tired of the chase, primarily because of the psychotic conducting most of the chasing. At this stage of my life, my tolerance for fictional characters who love inflicting pain and death is practically nil. They turn my stomach, and they make me extremely angry. (I may seem to be a mild-mannered book blogger, but I do have a very nasty temper.)
I was also amazed at how lucky Zoë was. She headed to Europe, using her credit cards all along the way, and wondered how the bad guys always knew where she was. She may not watch much television or read much crime fiction, but she specializes in defending battered and abused women and getting them away from their boyfriends and husbands. She knows something about flying beneath the radar. The relationship between Zoë and Ry was inevitable and made parts of the book sound like an erotic romance. However, even though characterization is not the prime directive in a thriller, Zoë and Ry were well-drawn enough for me to care about what happened to them.
Even though I tired of the bad guys and the drawn-out chase scenes, I found that Zoë, Ry, and the dual prizes of the Altar of Bones and the film kept a grip on my imagination through to the end of the book. Hopefully the author's next thriller will contain a little less formula.
This is a great book. Well worth the read.
Grabbed me right from page 1. Unexpectedly good read. Material is engaging. Be prepared to go from start to finish in 1-2 readings, if you have time like t hat.
This is a great book. Well worth the read!
