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The Lost Goddess
From the internationally bestselling author of The Genesis Secret comes a seductive, exotic new thriller
In the silent caves beneath France, young archaeologist Julia Kerrigan unearths an ancient skull—with a hole bored through the forehead. After she reveals her discovery, her mentor is brutally murdered. Deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, photographer Jake Thurby is offered a mysterious assignment by a beautiful Cambodian lawyer who is investigating finds at the two-thousand-year-old Plain of Jars—finds that shadowy forces want kept secret.
From the temples of Angkor Wat and the wild streets of Bangkok to the prehistoric caves in Western Europe, what links Jake’s and Julia’s discoveries is a strange, demonic woman whose unquenchable thirst for vengeance—and the horrors she seeks to avenge—are truly shocking.
Readers have become enthralled by Knox’s vivid blend of buccaneering modern adventure, gothic horror, and grand intellectual puzzles. The Lost Goddess is his most exciting novel to date.
In the silent caves beneath France, young archaeologist Julia Kerrigan unearths an ancient skull—with a hole bored through the forehead. After she reveals her discovery, her mentor is brutally murdered. Deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia, photographer Jake Thurby is offered a mysterious assignment by a beautiful Cambodian lawyer who is investigating finds at the two-thousand-year-old Plain of Jars—finds that shadowy forces want kept secret.
From the temples of Angkor Wat and the wild streets of Bangkok to the prehistoric caves in Western Europe, what links Jake’s and Julia’s discoveries is a strange, demonic woman whose unquenchable thirst for vengeance—and the horrors she seeks to avenge—are truly shocking.
Readers have become enthralled by Knox’s vivid blend of buccaneering modern adventure, gothic horror, and grand intellectual puzzles. The Lost Goddess is his most exciting novel to date.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2011
52 people are currently reading
3223 people want to read
About the author
Tom Knox
22 books223 followersSean Thomas is a British journalist and author. As a journalist he has written for The Times, The Daily Mail, The Spectator and The Guardian, chiefly on travel, politics and art. When he writes under the name of Tom Knox, he specializes in archaeological and religious thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
December 23, 2011
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy through Goodreads' giveaways program. I'll refrain from any commentary on the formatting or syntax, since it is an unproofed copy and will inevitably change shape come publication.
As the book description outlines, The Lost Goddess takes Julia Kerrigan, an archaeologist working in France, and Jake Thurby, a photographer in Southeast Asia, through a harrowing journey of ancient mysteries, genocide, and murder. It is a thriller, fast-paced, and grim. It is dark, very dark, both in tone and content. In many ways it is an answer to Dan Brown's novels, this one tying together ancient Angkor Wat mysteries with modern Khmer Rouge atrocities. But this time religion isn't on trial. Rather, Communism, specifically Communism as practiced in Asia, is.
For me the book came to a proper surprise ending. I didn't predict how much of it turned out. Given the tone and themes of the novel, the ending(s) seemed appropriate and were very thought provoking.
Perhaps Knox's greatest strength, aside from his in-depth research into the history of the cave paintings in France and the ancient civilization of Angkor Wat, is his ability to sit the reader in the setting. Knox has obviously traveled the places he describes, and it shines through in every sentence. I could picture the standing stones in France, feel the waters of the Mekong, and appreciate the majesty of China's remote Himalaya regions.
My only reservation with recommending this book is its very dark themes, gruesome scenes, and sexual content. It's a shame really, because such content (though it could have been much worse) limits Knox's audience. Regardless, I intend to read his other novels (and I'm a bit of a prude).
As the book description outlines, The Lost Goddess takes Julia Kerrigan, an archaeologist working in France, and Jake Thurby, a photographer in Southeast Asia, through a harrowing journey of ancient mysteries, genocide, and murder. It is a thriller, fast-paced, and grim. It is dark, very dark, both in tone and content. In many ways it is an answer to Dan Brown's novels, this one tying together ancient Angkor Wat mysteries with modern Khmer Rouge atrocities. But this time religion isn't on trial. Rather, Communism, specifically Communism as practiced in Asia, is.
For me the book came to a proper surprise ending. I didn't predict how much of it turned out. Given the tone and themes of the novel, the ending(s) seemed appropriate and were very thought provoking.
Perhaps Knox's greatest strength, aside from his in-depth research into the history of the cave paintings in France and the ancient civilization of Angkor Wat, is his ability to sit the reader in the setting. Knox has obviously traveled the places he describes, and it shines through in every sentence. I could picture the standing stones in France, feel the waters of the Mekong, and appreciate the majesty of China's remote Himalaya regions.
My only reservation with recommending this book is its very dark themes, gruesome scenes, and sexual content. It's a shame really, because such content (though it could have been much worse) limits Knox's audience. Regardless, I intend to read his other novels (and I'm a bit of a prude).
March 10, 2012
I hated giving this even one star because it doesn't deserve it. What a muddled mess this is. I love well-done sci-fi and fantasy a lot and this is not either.
Bigot alert- the author comes from the point of view that it is preferable to believe in religious mythology and that Atheists are mentally ill and have problems with leadership. As a lifelong Atheist who has dedicated my life to helping others less fortunate including victims of domestic violence, at-risk kids, Downs Syndrome kids and adults, AIDS victims, elderly shut ins, elderly people dumped in nursing homes, abused animals, and more including personally helping people I don't even know, I resent the bigotry of suggesting that all Atheists are wicked and evil while the religious are golden light. Imagine if this author wrote a book showing Jews, blacks, gays, etc as wicked and evil and you'll see what I mean. It is ignorantly labeling Atheists in a negative way. Essentially Atheists are evil because we have no belief in imaginary gods and goddesses as if that somehow makes you a good person when in fact it means you are ignorant of real history and science and so gullible you just believe what you were told without deep research.
I don't like fiction that comes from a bigoted point of view whether against women, Jews, blacks, Atheists, Wiccans or whoever. This left a bad taste in my mouth. The topic had enormous potential but this freak show in a box falls very short even beyond the hateful bigotry it espouses.
In interviews, the author has made a point of saying that our brains are wired to ignorantly believe in religious mythology and that Atheists are not quite human and are mentally ill and demented.
Bigot alert- the author comes from the point of view that it is preferable to believe in religious mythology and that Atheists are mentally ill and have problems with leadership. As a lifelong Atheist who has dedicated my life to helping others less fortunate including victims of domestic violence, at-risk kids, Downs Syndrome kids and adults, AIDS victims, elderly shut ins, elderly people dumped in nursing homes, abused animals, and more including personally helping people I don't even know, I resent the bigotry of suggesting that all Atheists are wicked and evil while the religious are golden light. Imagine if this author wrote a book showing Jews, blacks, gays, etc as wicked and evil and you'll see what I mean. It is ignorantly labeling Atheists in a negative way. Essentially Atheists are evil because we have no belief in imaginary gods and goddesses as if that somehow makes you a good person when in fact it means you are ignorant of real history and science and so gullible you just believe what you were told without deep research.
I don't like fiction that comes from a bigoted point of view whether against women, Jews, blacks, Atheists, Wiccans or whoever. This left a bad taste in my mouth. The topic had enormous potential but this freak show in a box falls very short even beyond the hateful bigotry it espouses.
In interviews, the author has made a point of saying that our brains are wired to ignorantly believe in religious mythology and that Atheists are not quite human and are mentally ill and demented.
July 9, 2011
Full video review http://mysterythriller.tv/bible-of-th...
As always, I can’t resist anything remotely connected to religion and this book was especially interesting because it is mainly centred around Laos, and I don’t know much at all about that area. I love to learn as I read these thrillers so I was fascinated by the history and the travel writing as the characters move through the landscape.
I would say this book has elements of horror. It is quite graphically violent in part and there are some occult, nasty objects like the smoke babies which could give you nightmares as well as the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge, descriptions of torture and a gruesome monkey lab. The book is very dark, and a lot of times I didn’t actually want to read on but the story kept me reading which is testament to the author, I think.
There are two parallel stories, the first starts in a cave in France where Julia, a young archaeologist discovers skeletons with strange holes in their skulls. Then her professor and friend are killed in a horrific manner and she has to track down the remaining scientists who know about bones before they too are massacred. The other starts on the Plain of Jars in Laos where similar skeletons are found on a site still protected by Communists. The body count starts to mount up pretty fast from then on. The main protagonists are Jake, a down and out photographic journalist and Chemda Tek, a Cambodian scholar researching the mystery at the Plain of Jars. The Communists try to protect the secret of the plains by killing the remaining scientists and Jake and Chemda go on the run. The story basically follows their journey across Cambodia and how their relationship develops under the pressure of being pursued by her family, and the powerful communists. Even the ending is dark so I recommend it with a warning for the more sensitive reader.
Why keep reading:
You want to know why these skulls are protected and what is the mystery behind them, and then how Chemda and Jake will escape the bad guys. It’s definitely fast paced as well so it keeps you engaged. We learn that Chemda’s grandmother willingly underwent the procedure and how it affected her and others who aimed to change human behaviour. I enjoy psychology so the frontal lobe science background was interesting
You are definitely horrified by the lengths that people will go to in order to protect the information and there was also a lot about how the Khmer Rouge treated people, killed millions and how life was for the Cambodians. I didn’t know much about this time of history or the country, so I read on to learn more, as well as to absorb the story.
As always, I can’t resist anything remotely connected to religion and this book was especially interesting because it is mainly centred around Laos, and I don’t know much at all about that area. I love to learn as I read these thrillers so I was fascinated by the history and the travel writing as the characters move through the landscape.
I would say this book has elements of horror. It is quite graphically violent in part and there are some occult, nasty objects like the smoke babies which could give you nightmares as well as the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge, descriptions of torture and a gruesome monkey lab. The book is very dark, and a lot of times I didn’t actually want to read on but the story kept me reading which is testament to the author, I think.
There are two parallel stories, the first starts in a cave in France where Julia, a young archaeologist discovers skeletons with strange holes in their skulls. Then her professor and friend are killed in a horrific manner and she has to track down the remaining scientists who know about bones before they too are massacred. The other starts on the Plain of Jars in Laos where similar skeletons are found on a site still protected by Communists. The body count starts to mount up pretty fast from then on. The main protagonists are Jake, a down and out photographic journalist and Chemda Tek, a Cambodian scholar researching the mystery at the Plain of Jars. The Communists try to protect the secret of the plains by killing the remaining scientists and Jake and Chemda go on the run. The story basically follows their journey across Cambodia and how their relationship develops under the pressure of being pursued by her family, and the powerful communists. Even the ending is dark so I recommend it with a warning for the more sensitive reader.
Why keep reading:
You want to know why these skulls are protected and what is the mystery behind them, and then how Chemda and Jake will escape the bad guys. It’s definitely fast paced as well so it keeps you engaged. We learn that Chemda’s grandmother willingly underwent the procedure and how it affected her and others who aimed to change human behaviour. I enjoy psychology so the frontal lobe science background was interesting
You are definitely horrified by the lengths that people will go to in order to protect the information and there was also a lot about how the Khmer Rouge treated people, killed millions and how life was for the Cambodians. I didn’t know much about this time of history or the country, so I read on to learn more, as well as to absorb the story.
June 1, 2011
Implausible plot, so many explanations of what things are that you expect a pop quiz at the end; almost instantly forgettable and yet I couldn't put it down.
Also, some of the most convoluted similies I've ever read: [on Chinese air travellers]
Also, some of the most convoluted similies I've ever read: [on Chinese air travellers]
"like nouveau riche Italians with tuberculosis"
April 24, 2012
Pretentions of being literature when it's really just a thriller. Knox used the word oleaginous twice in 30 pages to describe the same character. Why not just say he was an untrustworthy man? His overuse of unnecessarily complex words like that put me off. There's nothing wrong with the language, per se, but I found it annoying rather than compelling in this context.
April 10, 2012
The third in the Knox collection had its moments, from interesting to historical, to dull, and rounded out with highly philosophical. We steer clear of the 'hidden messages in the Old Testament' and move on to the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime of Pol Pot and ancient mysteries surrounding the area. Toss in some highly disturbing plans that Stalin had for his military and you have the crux of the book.
I found myself interested in most of what Knox discussed, from a historical point of view. While the name POL POT is synonymous with pain and horror, I know little about the happenings during his regime. I was shocked and highly surprised by some of the things they got away with and how Western governments stood by and watched. I found myself also interested (as one is in the crash site of a horrific auto crash) in the plans Stalin had to make super-soldiers and how he thought he could do this through genetics. (I shall not ruin it for anyone). Alas, the description and seemingly overly minute detail of Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese travel of the characters made for some dull sections of the book.
The latter chapters open up an interesting debate on religion and other ideologies, and how the brain sorts them. I am glad I stuck it out, as Knox proffers some interesting ideas about it all, but again I will leave it to you to get there.
Good work, Mr. Knox. Your latest book is good so far, so I hope to have a great review of it soon!
I found myself interested in most of what Knox discussed, from a historical point of view. While the name POL POT is synonymous with pain and horror, I know little about the happenings during his regime. I was shocked and highly surprised by some of the things they got away with and how Western governments stood by and watched. I found myself also interested (as one is in the crash site of a horrific auto crash) in the plans Stalin had to make super-soldiers and how he thought he could do this through genetics. (I shall not ruin it for anyone). Alas, the description and seemingly overly minute detail of Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese travel of the characters made for some dull sections of the book.
The latter chapters open up an interesting debate on religion and other ideologies, and how the brain sorts them. I am glad I stuck it out, as Knox proffers some interesting ideas about it all, but again I will leave it to you to get there.
Good work, Mr. Knox. Your latest book is good so far, so I hope to have a great review of it soon!
March 19, 2012
I really did'nt care for The Lost Goddess, even though there was the essence of a good story. I simply don't care for Knox writing style. Although the second half of the book was better, I had to struggle to get through the first half. He seems to believe that if one adjective or adverb is good, several would be better and his use of them ranged from florid to totally meaningless. Then there was the pretentious diction - guess we were supposed to be impressed with his perspicacity and erudition. Others seem to have liked it OK, just wasn't my cup of tea.
December 7, 2011
Got this book as a proof. I like Tom Knox's books anyway, in fact I love 'religious thrillers' anyway, so maybe I was predisposed to be favourable. But this was a great read, fast-paced with layers of history and mystery. And the idea at the end - the twist - is stunning.
December 7, 2011
Compulsive.
December 8, 2011
If you're looking at this book and expecting a read along the lines of Dan Brown or James Rollins, look elsewhere. While Knox does try to expand on the wildly popular idea of the anthropological thriller, he fails to deliver the compulsive read his fellow authors have managed to bring to the table.
Now I do have to give credit where it's due. Rather than attempt to bring out the same ideas that have already been well trod, Knox manages to find a historical mystery that nobody seems to have written about yet: the Hands of Gargas and the Plain of Jars, two fascinating anthropological and social finds that are woefully underused in the world of fiction. In this aspect, Knox did a good job since these are things that would make for a good anthropological/sociological thriller.
However, where Knox flounders is in his penchant for overstating to the point of tedium. We're given themes, histories, and info dumps, which I admit are unavoidable in any book, but we're browbeaten by these elements until we're rolling our eyes at the occasionally overly dramatic and unnecessary prose. A good example would be how Knox uses the horrific atrocities that the Khmer Rouge made against the people of Cambodia. These elements are stated time and time again, occasionally at the expense of character development. We're told how communism is bad and how horrible the Khmer Rouge was, meanwhile the main characters seem to be little more than a platform for these views. While these viewpoints are valid, they just kept me from getting as invested in the characters as I'd wanted to be. That the plot jumps between different groups of characters doesn't help out either.
Then there's the ending. I won't elaborate, but I'll just say that the message in the end will be controversial to some readers. If it wasn't as subtle as Gallagher smashing a watermelon, Knox could have gotten away with it to where I don't believe anyone would have complained. Sometimes less is more and a briefer revelation with less exclamation would have driven the point in more than pages of exposition. It just diluted everything and made it more overzealous and annoying than thought provoking, making the ending (and the book in general) more of a chore to read than a joy.
Now, it isn't all bad. There are some good scenes in here and the general idea of the book is pretty darn intriguing. If Knox could have gone back and eased up on the overstating of ideas and focused more on the character development, this would have been an amazing read. It could have had at least 40-60 pages shaved off to make a tighter narrative. It's just that the book failed to deliver on its promise and while it might make for an OK library read, Knox still has a long way to go before he gets to Douglass and Preston levels.
1.7 out of 5 stars
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
Now I do have to give credit where it's due. Rather than attempt to bring out the same ideas that have already been well trod, Knox manages to find a historical mystery that nobody seems to have written about yet: the Hands of Gargas and the Plain of Jars, two fascinating anthropological and social finds that are woefully underused in the world of fiction. In this aspect, Knox did a good job since these are things that would make for a good anthropological/sociological thriller.
However, where Knox flounders is in his penchant for overstating to the point of tedium. We're given themes, histories, and info dumps, which I admit are unavoidable in any book, but we're browbeaten by these elements until we're rolling our eyes at the occasionally overly dramatic and unnecessary prose. A good example would be how Knox uses the horrific atrocities that the Khmer Rouge made against the people of Cambodia. These elements are stated time and time again, occasionally at the expense of character development. We're told how communism is bad and how horrible the Khmer Rouge was, meanwhile the main characters seem to be little more than a platform for these views. While these viewpoints are valid, they just kept me from getting as invested in the characters as I'd wanted to be. That the plot jumps between different groups of characters doesn't help out either.
Then there's the ending. I won't elaborate, but I'll just say that the message in the end will be controversial to some readers. If it wasn't as subtle as Gallagher smashing a watermelon, Knox could have gotten away with it to where I don't believe anyone would have complained. Sometimes less is more and a briefer revelation with less exclamation would have driven the point in more than pages of exposition. It just diluted everything and made it more overzealous and annoying than thought provoking, making the ending (and the book in general) more of a chore to read than a joy.
Now, it isn't all bad. There are some good scenes in here and the general idea of the book is pretty darn intriguing. If Knox could have gone back and eased up on the overstating of ideas and focused more on the character development, this would have been an amazing read. It could have had at least 40-60 pages shaved off to make a tighter narrative. It's just that the book failed to deliver on its promise and while it might make for an OK library read, Knox still has a long way to go before he gets to Douglass and Preston levels.
1.7 out of 5 stars
(ARC provided by Netgalley)
August 14, 2013
Avoid, avoid, avoid. The plot leaps beyond stupid, dashes past the absurd and comes to such a car crash of an ending that when I closed the cover I found that I was angry that not all of the characters had shot themselves in the head and jumped off that cliff.
I have never done this before, but I actually binned this book to prevent others having the misfortune of reading it, rather than donating it to a charity shop.
I have never done this before, but I actually binned this book to prevent others having the misfortune of reading it, rather than donating it to a charity shop.
December 6, 2011
Really shitty.
August 11, 2020
This book should be rewritten by someone that actually belongs to the Angkor/Cambodian culture or just not written at all. The plot started out okay, but quickly spiraled. The writing was tautological and the adjective choices were ridiculous. Pretty sure homeboy’s favorite words are nihilistic and primeval. Both were featured several times throughout the book. He also put in gratuitous plot points that were beyond disturbing. They had no higher purpose other than shock value. Keep the fantasized beastiality, attempted rape, and Oedipus-esque situations to yourself, bruh. This book grossed me out in every possible way. His description of the Thai Trans sex workers pissed me off. Don’t even get me started with Soriya’s back story. It is not okay to use the following: “He-she” when referring to trans people, the “r” word when referring to people with cognitive disabilities, or the “m” word when referring to people of short stature. Who gave this wannabe white savior trash a green light? Every time I read any dialogue from any of the Cambodian, Thai, Chinese, or Laotian characters, it made me cringe. Not to mention his penchant for referring to all females in the book as “nubile,” EVEN WHEN THEY ARE PRACTICALLY CHILDREN. Ugh. 🤮🤢 The author’s whole point of this book was to try to prove that atheism is a form of mental dysfunction. How do you write an entirely sacrilegious book to prove that if you don’t believe in a higher being, you must have a brain deformity. The contradiction in that alone blows my mind. To take some other culture’s painful history and come up with this drivel, I just can’t. Unless you would like to be angry with me, don’t read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2011
3.7 stars.
I was drawn to this title because of the archeological sources, then the adventure.
There is a lovely use of words and phrasing, which I really enjoy, ie: "The only exit from childhood is survival", and "scorpion of fear".
The characters deal with trial and hardship and still try to find meaning in their lives.
There was a great comparison of the characters escaping their memories by possibly escaping to another country. These countries are another world far away from my own. They've endured inhuman atrocities, uncovered by scientists, journalists, and photographers. Many of these atrocities were promoted and begun by scientists and 'evil', powerful leaders. Many grotesque studies began in underprivileged countries all over the world with tragic outcomes that led to crippling guilt and pain. This book touched on that guilt and the possibility of freedom from that guilt. What would we do if we could choose that possibility?
Another idea presented here was that 'a healthy mind truly believes'. Atheism can be a sign, a sort of prognosis, a form of dementia, a mental illness that alerts us to problems with leadership.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read. The reason I didn't give it 4 stars was a small problem, for me, with some of the language.
I was drawn to this title because of the archeological sources, then the adventure.
There is a lovely use of words and phrasing, which I really enjoy, ie: "The only exit from childhood is survival", and "scorpion of fear".
The characters deal with trial and hardship and still try to find meaning in their lives.
There was a great comparison of the characters escaping their memories by possibly escaping to another country. These countries are another world far away from my own. They've endured inhuman atrocities, uncovered by scientists, journalists, and photographers. Many of these atrocities were promoted and begun by scientists and 'evil', powerful leaders. Many grotesque studies began in underprivileged countries all over the world with tragic outcomes that led to crippling guilt and pain. This book touched on that guilt and the possibility of freedom from that guilt. What would we do if we could choose that possibility?
Another idea presented here was that 'a healthy mind truly believes'. Atheism can be a sign, a sort of prognosis, a form of dementia, a mental illness that alerts us to problems with leadership.
Overall this was a very enjoyable read. The reason I didn't give it 4 stars was a small problem, for me, with some of the language.
February 6, 2012
International bestselling author Tom Knox’s latest novel is The Lost Goddess (published as Bible of the Dead in the UK). This story combines archeology, political intrigue and horrors, neurological surgery and exotic locations to provide us with an edge of the seat non-stop thriller. Whether you like action-adventure, international political thrillers, science thrillers, or just highly complex intellectual puzzles, The Lost Goddess is worth checking out. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2821
December 7, 2011
This is a pretty impressive read. I would have given it five stars, but as an atheist I was distracted and maybe disturbed by the ending. Hmm. Still a very classy thriller, tho.
February 23, 2024
It was ok but found it difficult to read and to keep invested in the story
February 26, 2019
I keep reading these books. The writing is engaging, the story is engaging and I read them quickly. However, I'm always disappointed in the big reveal, the mystery at the heart of the story. This one was more believable than the other ones in some respects, and ridiculously speculative in others. The big mystery surrounds the origins of consciousness and guilt in pre-historic man during what is called the "Great Leap Forward" by paleo-historians. Modern humans had been around for some time, but left no real traces of culture. Then, for some reason, human culture explodes around 35,000-40,000 years ago. At this time, we see the disappearance of other forms of hominids with us as the only surviving member of our kind. The author's interpretation of why this happened and the evidence of guilt and consciousness is the truly speculative part and is less than convincing. I did learn a lot reading this novel, however, as it also dealt with the horrors of the Khmer Rouge atrocities and the problems still plaguing the region. This is not apart of history I was overly familiar with and have been prompted to do more reading on the subject. The scientific experiments described in this book seem realistic and horrifying. Like the previous two novels by this author, I enjoyed it enough to keep reading even though the reveal is disappointing. I will read the next one, The Babylon Rite pretty soon.
April 26, 2012
“The Lost Goddess” by Tom Knox, published by Viking.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
This novel has two different stories that merge into one.
In France, Julie Kerrigan, on an archaeology dig, finds a skull with a hole bored in its forehead. She brings this find to the attention of her mentor Ghislaine Quoinelles. Instead of becoming excited about the find he claims the find is worthless. Several days later Ghislaine is found dead. Julie, feeling her find is a major find starts to investigate.
In Southeast Asia, American photographer Jake Thirby, looking for a story becomes involved with Chemda Tek. Chemda is Cambodian but was educated in the United States as a lawyer. She is working on the Plain of Jars looking for her and Cambodia’s past history. Jake and Chemda find themselves in a race of life and death through the countries of Cambodia and Laos. Chemda and Julie discover that their finds are being kept secret by the authorities. There is a dark mystery to the skulls and the holes that have been drilled into them. Julie’s finds take her into a now decrepit laboratory in Russia that has been doing experiments on apes and humans. The Russians, in need of money, sold their findings to China. China, in turn, seems to have kept the experiments going but with more success. Scientists who have worked on this experiment have either died or marked for death.
Both stories come together in Communist Tibet where Julie, Chemda, and Jake not only learn of the experiments but are shocked as to who was involved and why the experiments were carried out.
Category – Mystery/Thriller
This novel has two different stories that merge into one.
In France, Julie Kerrigan, on an archaeology dig, finds a skull with a hole bored in its forehead. She brings this find to the attention of her mentor Ghislaine Quoinelles. Instead of becoming excited about the find he claims the find is worthless. Several days later Ghislaine is found dead. Julie, feeling her find is a major find starts to investigate.
In Southeast Asia, American photographer Jake Thirby, looking for a story becomes involved with Chemda Tek. Chemda is Cambodian but was educated in the United States as a lawyer. She is working on the Plain of Jars looking for her and Cambodia’s past history. Jake and Chemda find themselves in a race of life and death through the countries of Cambodia and Laos. Chemda and Julie discover that their finds are being kept secret by the authorities. There is a dark mystery to the skulls and the holes that have been drilled into them. Julie’s finds take her into a now decrepit laboratory in Russia that has been doing experiments on apes and humans. The Russians, in need of money, sold their findings to China. China, in turn, seems to have kept the experiments going but with more success. Scientists who have worked on this experiment have either died or marked for death.
Both stories come together in Communist Tibet where Julie, Chemda, and Jake not only learn of the experiments but are shocked as to who was involved and why the experiments were carried out.
March 27, 2021
I thought I'd never pick up another Tom Knox novel again, and I grabbed this at a charity book fair, primarily because of the cover. After reading it, I thought the writing style and plot execution reminded me of something I'd previously read. I was right. I'd read a Tom Knox novel before, and didn't like it at all. This is fractionally better, but still the plot is not executed well, the writing style is grating, and we have scenes that I think are too explicit for the genre.
Three things come to mind about the writing style. The dialogue frustrated me to no end. It don't need to read very "uh" and "ah" etc, that the characters utter. Secondly, the use of terrible similes. The author appears to want to take every object or setting and have every character describe it in unique ways, that oftentimes don't make a great comparison. Also, they then become piled on top one another, to muddy the waters (excuse the simile). Thirdly, the use of repetition to describe a feeling or scene. You only need to describe it once. We don't need three sentences that describe in slightly different ways the same feeling or scene.
All this made it a difficult read, and I put this book down often to read something else. I hope I remember to never read another Tom Knox novel again.
Three things come to mind about the writing style. The dialogue frustrated me to no end. It don't need to read very "uh" and "ah" etc, that the characters utter. Secondly, the use of terrible similes. The author appears to want to take every object or setting and have every character describe it in unique ways, that oftentimes don't make a great comparison. Also, they then become piled on top one another, to muddy the waters (excuse the simile). Thirdly, the use of repetition to describe a feeling or scene. You only need to describe it once. We don't need three sentences that describe in slightly different ways the same feeling or scene.
All this made it a difficult read, and I put this book down often to read something else. I hope I remember to never read another Tom Knox novel again.
November 3, 2014
If you don't want spoilers, stop reading my review NOW.
This is a technothriller, using what could be a science fiction idea. And, of course, using it differently. There's a whole lot of action and mystery before the idea is revealed; the story ends not long after the revelation; and the world is put back together the way it had been.
I'd have preferred having the Mystery revealed much sooner; the results of the Evil Plot explored in rather more detail; and the world to have undergone some changes. But expecting that would be like expecting Tom Clancy to write a pacifist novel. Had that been the only problem, I would have rated the novel as "okay."
The idea: there's a part of the human brain which makes us susceptible to religion and guilt. Disconnect that area of the brain, and the result is people who don't mind killing and who the Bad Guys expect to become good Communists.
I don't buy the idea that having religious feelings and having a conscience are irrevocably linked.
And I'm firmly convinced that belief in Communism (or any political ideology) has the same mental underpinnings as religious belief.
This is a technothriller, using what could be a science fiction idea. And, of course, using it differently. There's a whole lot of action and mystery before the idea is revealed; the story ends not long after the revelation; and the world is put back together the way it had been.
I'd have preferred having the Mystery revealed much sooner; the results of the Evil Plot explored in rather more detail; and the world to have undergone some changes. But expecting that would be like expecting Tom Clancy to write a pacifist novel. Had that been the only problem, I would have rated the novel as "okay."
The idea: there's a part of the human brain which makes us susceptible to religion and guilt. Disconnect that area of the brain, and the result is people who don't mind killing and who the Bad Guys expect to become good Communists.
I don't buy the idea that having religious feelings and having a conscience are irrevocably linked.
And I'm firmly convinced that belief in Communism (or any political ideology) has the same mental underpinnings as religious belief.
June 18, 2013
Una delle caratteristiche principali che un libro deve avere per piacermi è VIAGGIARE. Non importa come e dove (se nella mente, se per luoghi fantastici, se nel nostro mondo), uno dei requisiti che chiedo ai libri è appunto il viaggio. La bibbia dei Morti non è un capolavoro, ma ha un grandissimo pregio. Ti porta in luoghi e posti esotici, carichi di mistero e storia, ti sbatte in faccia determinate realtà a volte dimenticate, a volte non troppo pubblicizzate e quando alla fine del libro leggi il ringraziamento dell’autore che spiega di essere stato in quei luoghi dove ha ambientato la sua storia, provi un po’ di invidia perché ha potuto vedere e sentire le grotte della Lozère, i templi di Angkor in Cambogia, i paesaggi remoti e incontaminati tra la Cina e l’Himalaya… Nel complesso un bell’Archeo Thriller, che parte piano e poi migliora, un lungo inseguimento, un mistero lungo secoli, omicidi macabri e rituali disgustosi, ambientato tra l’oriente dimenticato e gli orrori del comunismo di PolPot con qualche banalità di troppo.
October 30, 2011
Parts of this book were followed his earlier works of Marks of Cain and Genesis Secret.... followed it a little too close in my opinion. After reading the other two this was a little bit of a disappointment because it was predictable from style to plot twist to character development. Don't get me wrong if you haven't read the other two and you don't have to in order to read this one, you'll probably love it... you'll probably enjoy it less than his other two if you have read those books.
This book seemed a little rushed and borrowed from other works of Tom Knox and I'm just wondering if it was rushed to print because of the success of the other two books. This one definitely had a few good moments, a few bizarre ones too, and I will get his next book when it comes out.
This book seemed a little rushed and borrowed from other works of Tom Knox and I'm just wondering if it was rushed to print because of the success of the other two books. This one definitely had a few good moments, a few bizarre ones too, and I will get his next book when it comes out.
June 15, 2017
I have had a very hard time with this one. The story is appealing but the execution is...bad. The author is descriptive, overly so, in the most random moments. Every once and a while, the plot picks up and things start happening, and then (squealing brake noise), it stops and we describe a market or landscape in unnecessary, overly dramatic detail. This break in pace combined with a plot that flip flops between related but underdeveloped character story lines means I am roughly a third of the way through and I am not sure what is even happening. I finally decided to walk away. I bought it, so I will keep it around for another attempt (the main story line keeps calling me), but I won't be reading it any time soon.
February 1, 2020
This book might have been good if it had been written by someone else. As it is, it's like he couldn't decide if he wanted to create a mediocre mystery or badly written porn.
There were multiple gratuitous rape scenes and a very problematic issue of writing Asian women as sexual fetishes rather than as human beings. Chemda, who was the primary Cambodian female character, was written in a very offensively stereotypical way.
Even setting aside the issues with female characters, the book was a disappointment. The ending was a let down which lacked creativity. His writing could also have benefited from serious editing.
The sole positive I have about the book is that the author seemed like he had done research into Laos and Cambodia.
There were multiple gratuitous rape scenes and a very problematic issue of writing Asian women as sexual fetishes rather than as human beings. Chemda, who was the primary Cambodian female character, was written in a very offensively stereotypical way.
Even setting aside the issues with female characters, the book was a disappointment. The ending was a let down which lacked creativity. His writing could also have benefited from serious editing.
The sole positive I have about the book is that the author seemed like he had done research into Laos and Cambodia.
December 22, 2016
This book starts out with what seems a very confusing story line. It takes well past the half way point before a coherent plot emerges. Part of the reason for this is that the story is split between France and southeast Asia. The characters are good, and though the plot took its time emerging the book is a good read.
December 9, 2011
Compelling stuff from Mr Knox - there's a nice atmosphere to the writing style - leaps and bounds from the Genesis Secret - and signs that here is a man showing a command of literature beyond the usual genre writer.
January 20, 2012
Tom Knox never fails to deliver a gripping page turner.A very well researched book, if you like the mix of Crime, Archaeology and Science this is the one for you. It does get a bit heavy going in places with various explanations, but well worth the effort.
December 8, 2011
Heck, this book is going to annoy some people. It kept me riotously entertained right up to the extremely unexpected ending. A firework of a book: it could blow up in your face.
January 31, 2012
Read my review this week on bookreporter.com
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