The Eden Prophecy

Hawker & Laidlaw #3

by Graham Brown

From Graham Brown, co-author of the New York Times bestselling thriller Devil's Gate with Clive Cussler, comes The Eden Prophecy . . .

The wisdom of faith. The power of science. The evil of man.

In the U.N. building in New York City, a U.S. Ambassador contracts an unknown virus after opening a threatening letter. In a slum near Paris, a rogue geneticist is found dead, tortured and defiled. His last message, a desperate plea for help, was sent to an old friend and fellow outcast, the ex-CIA agent and former mercenary named Hawker. His final legacy appears to be the fingerprints he left all over the letter to the Ambassador.

Consumed by thoughts of revenge but fighting to see the truth, Hawker teams up with NRI operative Danielle Laidlaw on a quest to find the killers and track down the secrets his dead friend may have lost or sold.

From the streets of Paris to an underground auction in the catacombs of Beirut to the merciless deserts of Iran, Hawker and Danielle find themselves hunting a murderous cult leader whose scientific arsenal could lead humanity to a new Eden--or unleash hell on the Earth itself.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Fiction, Mystery, Action, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 31, 2012

About the author

Graham Brown grew up in Illinois, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, moving often with his family. As far as he knows they weren't in the witness protection program or part of any top secret government agency - but then - would they really tell him?

A former pilot and lawyer and later part of a start up health care firm, Graham decided he hadn't had enough different careers yet and decided to become a writer.

A huge fan of Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton, Stephen King and television shows like the X-files and Lost, Graham's first novel Black Rain debuted in January 2010. The second Hawker/Laidlaw novel, Black Sun published in September 2010. Devil's Gate a Numa Files novel co-written with Clive Cussler published November 2011. The Eden Prophecy will be available January 31, 2012.

Reviews

[Rifat · Rating 1 out of 5]

হকার এন্ড লেইডল সিরিজের তিন নম্বর বই দ্য ইডেন প্রফেসি।

কাহিনী এবং প্লট খুবই পরিচিত- বায়োলজিকাল অস্ত্র! জাতিসংঘ এর সদর দপ্তরের আমেরিকাম রাষ্ট্রদূত এক হুমকিওয়ালা চিঠি পেলেন এবং দেখা গেল চিঠিতে এক অজানা ভাইরাসের এম্পিউল দেয়া ছিল যার ফলে চিঠি পড়ার সাথে সাথে হুমকির ফলাফলও পেলেন। আবার ওদিকে এক অসাধু জিনতত্ত্ববিদের লাশ পাওয়া গেল এবং দেখা গেল এর হাতের ছাপ আছে ঐ ভাইরাসওয়ালা চিঠিতে। এই জিনতত্ত্ববিদ মারা যাওয়ার আগে পুরনো বন্ধু হকারের কাছে সাহায্য চেয়ে লোক পাঠিয়েছিলেন।
কাজেই এনআরআই এর ডেনিয়েলি লেইডলকে সাথে নিয়ে হকারের যাত্রা শুরু হল। পথিমধ্যে ওরা বুঝতে পারলো এক ভয়ানক সংঘ ওদের পিছু লেগেছে, দুনিয়া থেকে ধর্মের নাম-নিশানা উড়িয়ে দেয়াই যাদের মূল লক্ষ্য🐸

অনুবাদ ভালোই ছিল, মন্দ না। কিন্তু বইয়ের শুরু থেকে শেষ পর্যন্ত কন্সট্যান্টলি স্লো আর বোরিং ছিল এবং আমার ঈদের আগের দিন অর্থাৎ চাঁদরাতটা মাটি করে দিয়েছিল🙂😒
তাই এত দেরি করে লিখলাম😫

~২ আগস্ট, ২০২১

[Shuk Pakhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

একটানে শেষ!

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawker is an ex-CIA agent and former mercenary. Danielle Laidlaw is an NRI operative and they team up once again to counter a diabolical plot with world-wide repercussions. A new virus has been developed which affects aging but it can be used two ways: to reduce or eliminate aging or to advance it and reduce human lifespans. An anti-religious cult is intent upon using it to reduce human lifespans thereby solving coming overpopulation problems.

This is the third book in the Hawker and Laidlaw series and it is another action-packed thriller as expected. The setup as I’ve described it above sounds like standard fare and comparisons to Clive Cussler (Note: Graham Brown co-authors the NUMA Files books) or Dan Brown are not without merit. I know that for many readers, such comparisons will drive you away but, there you have it. The plot itself unfolds nicely with several subplots forming along the way, especially the connections to the Garden of Eden, from an historical/archaeological perspective. The danger is real and not all of the good guys survive but the ending provides a nice payoff. We also get to meet up with characters from previous novels in the series. For this reason I recommend reading the first two books before this one even though it can be read as a stand-alone.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I think I found another author to read. Very action packed. It was a race between good and evil and evil a being one step ahead. A international terror plot that involved the Garden of Eden of the bible. I liked how this was weaved in the plot without being preachy at all. It leaves you intrigue. The plot deals with religion being the cause of all wars however, it is to easy to blame God for the wars when it is men's heart that are at war. The plot reveals this quite nicely. Draco the evil villian of the story made a comment that I thought was profound for a novel of this type, Draco wanted to rule the world because he had been cast out (sounds familiar the story of the Satan) and by doing so he was going to give the world something else that they would not need God. He was going to replace God. Very thought provoking in that how do I replace God and make terror in my own life. Little deep for a novel, but it's one of those things worth thinking about.

[Krbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ovo nije za dvojku nego za jedinicu, tamo negdje 1,45. Zašto dvojka kasnije.


Treća knjiga Hawker&Laidlaw serijala (znači ima likova iz prve dvije).

No dok su prve dvije bile znatno smislenije, kvalitetnije napisane i zanimljivije uopće ovo je udžbenik/enciklopedija klišeja na četvrtu potenciju - jad i žalost. Teško mi je uopće sve posložiti jer je sve, baš sve, očajan cliche.

Funkcionira to nekako, recimo na 37C pored mora, rijeke, bazena, šume nakon roštilja no imalo zahtjevnijem čitatelju nedostajat će maziva za "male sive stanice" (kako bi ih Poirot nazvao).


Zašto je knjiga dobila dvojku? - isključivo zato što je primjereno kratka i ne gubi vrijeme.

Ako vam je netko posudi ponesite, možda bude prilike kada nema baš ništa pametnije pod rukom.

Ostaje misterija tko i zašto plaća da se ovakvo što objavi, valjda ona ideja kako "sve ima svoju publiku".

[Antea · Rating 3 out of 5]

He mentioned Croatia in it, but mostly it´s not my type of a book.

[Amy Posten · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Eden Prophecy opens at an excavation in the desert of Iran in 1979 at the height of the Iranian revolution. Two archeologists have just unearthed a mysterious scroll which may hold the secret to immortality, but before the scroll can be studied the Iranian military storms the camp, and the scroll is lost in the desert.

Fast forward to modern day New York city inside of the United Nations. Ambassador Claudia Gonzales has just opened a letter which contains a virus that promises to unleash hell onto all of man kind.

Enter NRI Agents Hawker and Laidlaw who are given the assignment of hunting down those responsible for sending the virus to the UN and unraveling the mystery behind the lost scroll.

After reading a summary of this book I was pretty excited when I won a copy through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. The combination of science, religion, and the possibility of a plague of apocalyptic proportion are right all up my alley. I couldn't wait for the book to arrive so I could get started. I was quickly disappointed.

I found the entire first half of the book incredibly boring. Hawker and Danielle Laidlaw are annoying and have zero chemistry, and the book skipped around from location to location so quickly that it was sometimes difficult to follow. I had to force myself through the first 200 or so pages.

Finally around the half way point with the introduction of a few more palatable characters (Sonia and Keegan doe example) and with several of the main plot points coming together the book did become a little more enjoyable. I almost started to LIKE the book. That is until the very end.


Talk about corny, predictable (but still unrealistic) endings! Reuniting the orphaned child with her long lost grandmother AND curing her terminal illness using a serum created by her dead sister (and Hawker's former lover) all while relaxing a beautiful Greek island. Give me a break.


Over all, I really can't recommend this book. Maybe it is because I hadn't read any of the previous books in the Hawker/Laidlaw saga (I was assured that this booked could stand on it's own) and I just didn't know enough of their back story. But what it came down to for me was that the book was just far too tiresome and predictable and the main characters were pretty irritating and unlikable. I'd skip this one if I were you.

[Tim Busbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if everyone on the planet could live nearly forever? What impact would that have on the planet? And why would someone want to make that happen?

In "The Eden Prophecy" by Graham Brown, those questions are answered, but you may not like the answers.

In 1979, on the eve of the revolution in Iran, an archaeologist discovers a mysterious scroll that may hold the secret to immortality. But before the scroll can be taken to safety, the team of archaeologists are forced to frantically evacuate the camp, once again surrendering the scroll to the desert.

Flash-forward to the present. In the U.N. building in New York City, a U.S. ambassador is quarantined when she contracts an unknown virus after opening a threatening letter.

In a slum near Paris, a well-known geneticist is found dead. His last message was a cry for help sent to an old friend, former CIA agent Hawker.

Just as in Brown's first two books, Hawker teams up with NRI operative Danielle Laidlaw to track down the killers and discover the secret of the titular prophecy. From the present location of the Garden of Eden to an underground auction in the catacombs of Beirut, Laidlaw and Hawker attempt to stop a fanatical cult, determined to bring about a new Eden.

Brown obviously did a huge amount of research for this book, on everything from ancient languages to DNA sequencing. That research paid off, as the accuracy and the details he includes make the difference. Brown skillfully melds science and religion, along with a healthy dose of action and adventure. The action sequences jump off the page with an intensity that pulls you into the scene.

I had not read the first two books in the Hawker-Laidlaw series, but I didn't feel lost at all. Brown did a great job of filling in whatever backstory I needed in a way that seemed organic, not forced.

"The Eden Prophecy" is a action-packed, non-stop thriller that is sure to appeal to any fans of Boyd Morrison, Steve Berry or James Rollins.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give "The Eden Prophecy" a 4.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

DANIELLE HAWKER
HAWKER DANIELLE
WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
A fantastic novel as usual from Mr. Brown, but gorram, those two characters will be the death of me.
That doesn't mean I don't want to see them in another book, though.
I love the mixture of past and future used in each book to craft an obstacle or mystery of epic (dare I say biblical?) proportions. With this third installment in the series, I liked how you learned a little bit more about the characters' personalities and pasts, and while I never like it when Danielle and Hawker are separated, it did give us a chance to see how they function in their own way. Mostly, of course, by kicking ass.
But I would still like to know why they won't just shack up already.

[অজ্ঞাত · Rating 1 out of 5]

বইটা পড়েছি শুধুমাত্র 'হকার' এর জন্যই। সবার জীবনে অনেকগুলো নায়ক থাকে। কারো কাছে কিশোর পাশা, কারো কাছে মাসুদ রানা। কিন্তু কেনো জানি তাদের কেউই আমার পছন্দের ব্যক্তিত্ব না।

মায়ান কন্সপিরেসি পড়ার পড়ে প্রথম বারের মতো আমার পছন্দের ব্যক্তিত্ব খুঁজে পেয়েছিলাম। সেজন্যই সিরিজের ২য় এবং এবারে ৩য় বই পড়লাম। কিন্তু শেষটা হতাশ করলো।

সিরিজের সবথেকে স্লো বই। শুধু স্লো না, একদম বোরিং।অনুবাদও খাপছাড়া লেগেছে।

সবথেকে ভালো ছিল ডুমসডে'র অনুবাদ। এরপরে মায়ান কন্সপিরেসি, তারপরে এটা। অনুবাদ খারাপ হয়েছে বলছিনা, কিন্তু আগের দুটোর তুলনায় একটু......!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of action, if you like James Bond this book is for you. Enjoyable read.

[Neme · Rating 1 out of 5]

Knjigu sam uzeo u ruke jer joj radnja pocinje u Dubrovniku pa reko' zasto ne. Greska.
Jos jedan americki, los, plitki wannabe filmski scenario.

[Roger Davidson]

BLACK RAIN, BLACK SUN, and THE EDEN PROPHECY

By Graham Brown

***

These are three extraordinary stories, united by the evolution of three main characters. This is not ordinary thriller writing; here — in all three novels — one can follow the journeys of the protagonists, not in a sentimental way, but in a way that seems real and believable. In these books, I found depth of spirit — whether for good or bad, depth of character, impressions of the inner workings of each major character, and vivid descriptions of landscapes as well as situations.

Ancient myths — from the ancient Mayan accounts to the earliest stories in the Bible — are central to these novels, but more important than the myths themselves is what can be learned from them. With respect to these stories, most significant of all is one’s ability to let go of short-term gains from having discovered the ancient secrets in favor of the greater good of humanity.

Throughout these novels, I found writing that instinctively unites the events, spirit and emotions of every moment. There are many evocative sentences that describe the ongoing journey of each character — all while keeping the tension in the narrative, from page to page and chapter to chapter.

Present at every turn in the road is a connection to the basic nature of every event, whether large or small. Also present at every moment is the basic nature of every major character as each one goes through his or her challenges, discoveries and realizations.

The endings of all three books are powerful as well as philosophical, evoking what are essentially spiritual lessons that each character has come to learn and bring into ever-greater awareness.

In summary, I highly recommend these books — and any story by Graham Brown.



Roger Davidson

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this third book in the series, it had plenty of action and except for a lull a little over half way through, it moved at a rapid pace. For me, it didn't come close to the initial offering, "Black Rain".

It's been around 8 years since I read that one and maybe I've changed, but I gave it 5 stars. I'm not as interested in these types of novels as I used to be. I guess I've had my fill of the ancient relic to modern Armageddon thriller plots have been done to death. This one is worth reading and Graham Brown seems to excel at this genre, but one or two a year is enough for me.

[Hanna Skendrović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knjiga je zanimljiva i napeta, no likovi nisu dovoljno dobro obrađeni. Napisana je u stilu pripovijedanja pa se doima kao da autor nema iskustva s pisanjem, no to može biti i do prijevoda. Sama radnja je veoma interesantna, povezuje znanost i teologiju. Znanstveni dio ouhvaća područje genetike i dosta je dobro objašnjen pa mislim da bi bilo zanimljivo i čitateljima koji nisu upoznati s modificiranjem DNA.

[James E. Mayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

I enjoyed reading this book very much The Brown is a knowledgeable writer who made this book hard to put down. I have enjoyed all the Laidlaw Hawker books . It's hard not to like these characters and makes all The Brown's books must reads can't wait for his. Next adventure.

[Andy2302 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ho Hum. Another 'take over the world' thriller full of action but short of character development and soul. Good enough to finish but not to recommend.
The bad guy wants to unleash a plague to reduce Earths population but he has no antidote for himself, duhh. The virus comes from the mythical Tree of Life which they must find after thousands of years under the sand. It's all so formula.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is exciting and action-packed, but some of the details are just too harsh for my taste. Hawker and Danielle Laidlaw are security agents for the National Research Agency. The torture murder of a geneticist in Paris sets them on the hunt for someone planning to use a virus to murder the world population.

[Lana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disaster....it was so boring I could't finish it, and I always finish the book I start to read. Total disapointment for me.
Confusingley written, without head or tail, making it very hard to follow the story in the book.

[Rosalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have really enjoyed the 3 books in this seris full of action possible and impossible but very exciting. I really hope that more will follow as is seems a shame for the group of characters to now be retired.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed and full enough of the intrigue of organised religion/ legends. Plenty of plot twists and turns, with an explosive climax. Characters I'd like to see more of, if further adventures exist.

[Grofica Nera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knjiga koja probudi razmisljanje o danasnjici i ponovo izazove pitanje: "Da li smo mi samo pokusni kunici velikih svjetskih sila?"

[Larry Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Read

I found the book hard to put down. The story line was great! This was my first book I have read by this author. I am looking forward to more of this author's works.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book! I love this series but there hasn’t been a new book for over 5 years now ☹️

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

fast moving-good read

[Dinesh Raghavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*; Somewhat slow in the beginning though Graham Brown does make up in the second half

[Gayle Romans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging read

I hope there is a sequel because It is well written and an easy read and it held my interest.

[Mark Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this slow going almost until tje very end. Therefore, I didn't really enjoy it that much. It paled in comparison with the Jack Reacher sequence of novels which I am working my way through.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the entire series. Hope there will be a fourth book.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Black Rain is still better then this story. This story wasn't the best I've read by this author.