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The Killing Gene
OUT OF AFRICA, INTO DARKNESS... When an archaeologist goes missing in the Congo basin, Professor Randolph Harkness and young tearaway Ross McCartney go in search of her only to stumble upon a conspiracy to conceal ancient horrors lost to the passage of time. Evading spies and trained killers, can they expose this cover-up? Or will they be buried with it? An unputdownable thriller, The Killing Gene reveals the story of our species, the paradox of the modern mind and our innate predilection for murder... ***PRAISE FOR THE KILLING GENE *** 'In an epic adventure stretching from the jungles of the Congo to the valleys of Tajikistan and beyond, The Killing Gene blends exceptional research and a keen observation of human nature to create a captivating and intelligent adventure novel. Featuring a tenacious hero who must unravel a menacing conspiracy if he is to reveal the truth to the world, this is another stunning thriller from E. M. Davey.' Rob Jones, author of the international bestselling Joe Hawke series 'Davey's writing is punchy, yet lyrical, delving deep into the distant past of humankind, questioning what makes Homo sapiens unique and what the future might hold for the one race on earth that has inherited The Killing Gene .' Matthew Harffy, author of The Bernicia Chronicles series 'Gripping, shocking... a dispatch from the front line where ancient history meets modern nightmares. E.M. Davey has been to some of the wildest places on Earth, and it shows. This will keep its hooks in you long past the final page.' Tom Harper, author of The Lost Temple
304 pages, Paperback
Published July 12, 2018
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35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
June 25, 2019
How I enjoyed this! An intelligent anthropological adventure that is also hugely exciting, taking us on a perilous chase through Africa and Europe (even the UK Parliament!) to reveal the mystery at the heart of the origin of mankind. But this novel is also packed with characters I grew to love (one in particular I wasn't expecting to) and this isn't one of those thrillers in which the protagonists are indestructible. And so there were tears.... But there were also laughs because, at times, this is a very witty read! It is also rather gory at times. So... very entertaining, very well-researched, with people I cared for and worried about. One of the best thrillers I've read in quite a while. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
July 25, 2019
This one was slightly outside of my reading parameters, as much as I enjoy thrillers, I usually go for the murder mystery dark psychological variety of those. This one was straight up adventure thriller, which makes me think of Cussler and the like, but (yey and kudos) the quality was well above the crap Cussler puts out. In fact, this was actually a very smart book disguised as a dumb adventure thriller. One imagines to make it more sellable. But seriously, the author (serious guy himself, an investigative journalist, traveled far and wide, including the remote and by all accounts inhospitable locations featured in this book) threw so much into this one, it was a veritable kitchen sink of a plot. Not only that, he manages to throw in a lot of my favorite things…linguistics, anthropology, prehistoric times, Neanderthals, exotic far away locales, psychology. I mean, so much awesomeness, so many great ideas…all wrapped up into the blandly shiny genre trappings, such as two dimensional characters, cliched action and romance, shadowy government conspiracies, spy games and so on. So yeah, pick and choose, but basically there is a lot to like here. Enough to forgive the things you don’t. First and foremost, the research is top grade. Smart, well explained and all from legitimate sources, it’s absolutely fascinating. The Old Brain/ New Brain thing is, puns aside, mind blowing and should be well known. It isn’t going to change the world, that sort of optimistic silliness is only for the books, but still…it’s good, necessary even, to know. The linguistic aspect in the book is fascinating, in fact the book starts off in Africa with some of its most remote, isolated tribes, with a search for the origins of a single universal language, before it all went to Babel. That alone might have been its own book. But then a classic stereotype of a professorial character gets involved, you know, middle aged, single, very British, staid, but with an exciting past. And now he’s on a quest and, what originally seemed like a mere disappearance, soon proves to be a gateway into a global conspiracy with a potential to explain most behaviors and choices, including the reprehensible global voting choices of recent past. The professor will, of course, not have to do it all alone, but assistance or not, this will be a seriously exhausting and dangerous undertaking, all across the world, while international assassins are out to get him. Objectively, I do get the appeal of this sort of fiction, it’s exciting and fun, albeit on purely superficial levels. Subjectively, it doesn’t quite sing for me, too much action, too many clichés, too convoluted, too preposterously grandiose, too many dumbed down explanations, too many conspiracies…many of the same reasons I don’t care for spy fiction. There is just too much going on to leave time and energy for other things (things I care about), like character building or imbuing it all with some degree of realism. I mean, that ending alone, it’s silver screen picture perfect complete overkill version of a cliched happy ending. This entire thing…it’s a movie, it really is. With the right cast, maybe even an A list movie. But…but…all that aside, it is still considerably smarter than most movies or books of this genre and that makes it worth the time. Not that it takes that long to get through, it’s a fairly quick read, it’s paced according to its genre and is only 300 pages. So yeah, the ideas are there, the research is there, although funnily enough, some of it was becoming dated as the novel was being finished, just because there’s so much going on right now with Neanderthal research and every discovery has the potential to revolutionize the field as we know it or at least push back the timeline considerably. The rest of the book is pretty formulaic for what it is. If you’re into the same kitchen sink ingredients as I am or just a thriller fan, you’ll most likely enjoy this book. If I had to describe it, it reminded me of a really smart girl at a party who dumbs herself down to be more popular and approachable. But then again, to some readers this might be Aphrodite incarnate. Who knows. Thanks Netgalley.
August 9, 2019
The publisher sent me a copy in exchange for an honest review in this blog tour. In no way, my reviews/opinions were affected or influenced by this.
When I first opened this on my phone and started reading the first few pages, I found it really interesting but got a little bit lost because of the introductions of the other characters, and the change of scenarios every chapter. It was not bad, you could actually see at that point that this was going to be interesting because the focus was not only on one scene.
There was a lot of characters. And that's one of the things I admire with the author. Writing and including a lot of characters that have very unique characteristics with each other was amazing.
In the first part, where Dr. Sakiko Tsuda went missing, our main protagonist, Randolph Harkness, the professor at the University of Bristol went on a mission to find her and to find the reason why she went missing in the first place.
He went with Ross McCartney, a young man, who was really irresponsible and hard-headed.
Together, they actually made a pretty good team.
E.M. Davey definitely did his research. And I think, to make this kind of stories, experience contributed a lot for this. I knew that he was a journalist because I looked for him on the internet when Duckworth asked me for this blog tour.
I am not used to this kind of novels. It was heavy on a lot of things. There was a lot of side stories, the political side, the government's secrets, the journalism side, this actually gave me a headache in a very good way because it made me think and made we wonder with a lot of things.
Writing a book about one place was hard enough for some because of the research/facts in that place, but EM Davey managed to include a lot of places and that was incredible!
The character development was wonderful especially with Randolph Harkness and Ross McCartney.
Their journey together helped them with their growth as an individual.
If you love adventure, historical fiction, thriller, mystery, I would definitely recommend this one. I'm sure that you will love it and you will be amazed at how incredible the facts are, the writing - in short, everything about this book!
Check my other reviews: https://jdlreads.wordpress.com/
When I first opened this on my phone and started reading the first few pages, I found it really interesting but got a little bit lost because of the introductions of the other characters, and the change of scenarios every chapter. It was not bad, you could actually see at that point that this was going to be interesting because the focus was not only on one scene.
There was a lot of characters. And that's one of the things I admire with the author. Writing and including a lot of characters that have very unique characteristics with each other was amazing.
In the first part, where Dr. Sakiko Tsuda went missing, our main protagonist, Randolph Harkness, the professor at the University of Bristol went on a mission to find her and to find the reason why she went missing in the first place.
He went with Ross McCartney, a young man, who was really irresponsible and hard-headed.
Together, they actually made a pretty good team.
E.M. Davey definitely did his research. And I think, to make this kind of stories, experience contributed a lot for this. I knew that he was a journalist because I looked for him on the internet when Duckworth asked me for this blog tour.
I am not used to this kind of novels. It was heavy on a lot of things. There was a lot of side stories, the political side, the government's secrets, the journalism side, this actually gave me a headache in a very good way because it made me think and made we wonder with a lot of things.
Writing a book about one place was hard enough for some because of the research/facts in that place, but EM Davey managed to include a lot of places and that was incredible!
The character development was wonderful especially with Randolph Harkness and Ross McCartney.
Their journey together helped them with their growth as an individual.
If you love adventure, historical fiction, thriller, mystery, I would definitely recommend this one. I'm sure that you will love it and you will be amazed at how incredible the facts are, the writing - in short, everything about this book!
Check my other reviews: https://jdlreads.wordpress.com/
April 26, 2022
I received this book as an ARC from Netgally in exchange for an honest review a while back. Unfortunately, I soon stopped reviewing books as I lost the taste for it. I am now picking it back up, and am reading the books I didn't get to.
As per Netgalley this book is summarized as follows: "When a young archaeologist goes missing in the Congo basin, Professor Randolph Harkness and troubled tearaway Ross McCartney go in search of her only to stumble upon a conspiracy to conceal ancient horrors lost to the passage of time. Evading spies and trained killers, can they expose this cover-up in time or will they be buried with it? An unputdownable thriller, The Killing Gene reveals the story of our species, the paradox of the modern mind and our innate predilection for murder..."
The plot sounded intriguing, and it was mainly good, until about Chapter 83 (about 85% into the book). Then it just took a nose dive. Don't get me wrong, there were issues also with the first 82 chapters, but I wasn't rolling my eyes until Chapter 83.
Let's talk about the positives: it was action packed, an interesting premise, and the writing wasn't bad.
What could have been done better:
1) There were so many characters introduced (only to die in the same chapter) that it got a little confusing and tedious. Why did we need to see each person die?
2) the reason why all these people were getting murdered, why the main characters were being chased, was so ridiculous I had to laugh out loud. "That Brian Finer was investigating the Neanderthal extinction and stumbled upon their lack of New Brain. That this gave you a gateway into the human psyche that allowed you to manipulate public opinion like nothing else before or since."
Essentially: since humans have "Old Brain" (a word that the author used more than 50 times in the last 15% of the book) politicians can plant concepts into the brain that make the public act in the way they want, or vote a certain way etc. I mean, everyone knows this already. It's not a secret that sometimes politicians manipulate the public. I just couldn't understand why this was the reason for the whole adventure or that so many people were dead...at the end of the book, the UK government collapsed because this "secret" was exposed...huh?
3) the characters seemed to jump around from country to country from one page to another. One page they were in some remote place in Afghanistan, the next page they were in England, with no connector paragraph. This was annoying.
Until I got to the last 15% of the book, I was sure that the ending would be different. Even the title "The Killing Gene" led me to believe that there was a gene that humans had that made us killers and that maybe the government was doing some experimentation on this gene or something -- I definitely wasn't expecting what it actually was.
The above being said, I was entertained, so I gave it a 3 stars. As for a recommendation to read it, I guess this would depend on whether you had a lot already on your TBR list. If yes, I would probably read the others first.
As per Netgalley this book is summarized as follows: "When a young archaeologist goes missing in the Congo basin, Professor Randolph Harkness and troubled tearaway Ross McCartney go in search of her only to stumble upon a conspiracy to conceal ancient horrors lost to the passage of time. Evading spies and trained killers, can they expose this cover-up in time or will they be buried with it? An unputdownable thriller, The Killing Gene reveals the story of our species, the paradox of the modern mind and our innate predilection for murder..."
The plot sounded intriguing, and it was mainly good, until about Chapter 83 (about 85% into the book). Then it just took a nose dive. Don't get me wrong, there were issues also with the first 82 chapters, but I wasn't rolling my eyes until Chapter 83.
Let's talk about the positives: it was action packed, an interesting premise, and the writing wasn't bad.
What could have been done better:
1) There were so many characters introduced (only to die in the same chapter) that it got a little confusing and tedious. Why did we need to see each person die?
2) the reason why all these people were getting murdered, why the main characters were being chased, was so ridiculous I had to laugh out loud. "That Brian Finer was investigating the Neanderthal extinction and stumbled upon their lack of New Brain. That this gave you a gateway into the human psyche that allowed you to manipulate public opinion like nothing else before or since."
Essentially: since humans have "Old Brain" (a word that the author used more than 50 times in the last 15% of the book) politicians can plant concepts into the brain that make the public act in the way they want, or vote a certain way etc. I mean, everyone knows this already. It's not a secret that sometimes politicians manipulate the public. I just couldn't understand why this was the reason for the whole adventure or that so many people were dead...at the end of the book, the UK government collapsed because this "secret" was exposed...huh?
3) the characters seemed to jump around from country to country from one page to another. One page they were in some remote place in Afghanistan, the next page they were in England, with no connector paragraph. This was annoying.
Until I got to the last 15% of the book, I was sure that the ending would be different. Even the title "The Killing Gene" led me to believe that there was a gene that humans had that made us killers and that maybe the government was doing some experimentation on this gene or something -- I definitely wasn't expecting what it actually was.
The above being said, I was entertained, so I gave it a 3 stars. As for a recommendation to read it, I guess this would depend on whether you had a lot already on your TBR list. If yes, I would probably read the others first.
October 10, 2019
Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This had the promise of being a great adventure as a young woman is captured in the Congo in her search for historical truth. Unfortunately,I had a difficult time following the many points of views and was lost with the heavy historical references. While the topic of language and human origins is interesting this author did not do a good job in making this digestible to the average reader.
This had the promise of being a great adventure as a young woman is captured in the Congo in her search for historical truth. Unfortunately,I had a difficult time following the many points of views and was lost with the heavy historical references. While the topic of language and human origins is interesting this author did not do a good job in making this digestible to the average reader.
July 26, 2021
The Killing Gene is a thriller novel which begins with linguist, Dr Sakiko Tsuda, going missing in the middle of a dense and unforgiving jungle. One of her colleagues, Professor Randolph Harkness, takes it upon himself to... read the full review here: https://www.amybucklesbookshelf.co.uk...
November 22, 2019
blah......
July 26, 2020
A bit too stretched out; middle portion is a tedious read
August 7, 2019
Firstly, Thanks to the guys at Duckworth Books for my copy of the new thriller by E.M. Davey, The Killing Gene.
I coincidentally came across Ed Davey about the same time the publisher asked me if I would like to take part in the tour, through those conversations with Ed on Twitter, I discovered , like me he is from Bristol, so I was more than pleasantly surprised to find from the outset this book is based in Bristol, and features the intrepid Professor Randolph Harkness, from Bristol Uni.
When a colleague goes missing in the Congo Basin, Randolph and his troubled young friend, Ross McCartney set off on an adventure spanning, Africa, and Central Asia, in hunt for the missing colleague.
Discovering quite stunning events, and atrocities, the two extremely likeable protagonists set about their task, whilst being held back, and hunted at every border, crossing and turn.
Evolution, Bullets flying, Espionage, Corruption, assassinations, politics, and more are explored in this absolutely rip-roaring adventure tale.
A book so completely out of my norm, totally away from my comfort zone. It pulled me along in its frantic pace and I read pretty much all 300 + pages in a day, even the Authors notes, something I don’t always do, but so intrigued by this story I wanted to know more.
There were times, it does become a touch heavy, mainly with the Old Testament referrals, but this book literally blew my mind at times.
Without going into the plot, it’s an amazingly, stunningly researched piece of fiction that encapsulates the real world, it’s explained to me now how things in the media, and where big data manipulation probably has it roots and how our very psyche ticks.
The locations, are exotic, fantastical, and all genuine, as the author describes, he went through the journey his characters take, and on the subject of the characters, the 2 main guys are warm and friendly, their banter is very funny at times which adds another quality to this cracking thriller, ands it’s great reading their arcs as the story builds to a quite brilliant end.
With some dodgy politicians, dastardly criminals, and corrupt officials, this book, whilst dealing with some serious , quite amazing subject matter, is a superb piece of action adventure, and E.M. Davey, for me, strikes the right balance of both getting his immense story across whilst giving his reader a rollicking ride through places most of us can only dream of, and that for me is why I whole heartedly recommend this book.
For any adventure fans, any fans of action, thrillers and suspense, have a read of this brilliant tale and be taken on a quite extraordinary escapade.
5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I coincidentally came across Ed Davey about the same time the publisher asked me if I would like to take part in the tour, through those conversations with Ed on Twitter, I discovered , like me he is from Bristol, so I was more than pleasantly surprised to find from the outset this book is based in Bristol, and features the intrepid Professor Randolph Harkness, from Bristol Uni.
When a colleague goes missing in the Congo Basin, Randolph and his troubled young friend, Ross McCartney set off on an adventure spanning, Africa, and Central Asia, in hunt for the missing colleague.
Discovering quite stunning events, and atrocities, the two extremely likeable protagonists set about their task, whilst being held back, and hunted at every border, crossing and turn.
Evolution, Bullets flying, Espionage, Corruption, assassinations, politics, and more are explored in this absolutely rip-roaring adventure tale.
A book so completely out of my norm, totally away from my comfort zone. It pulled me along in its frantic pace and I read pretty much all 300 + pages in a day, even the Authors notes, something I don’t always do, but so intrigued by this story I wanted to know more.
There were times, it does become a touch heavy, mainly with the Old Testament referrals, but this book literally blew my mind at times.
Without going into the plot, it’s an amazingly, stunningly researched piece of fiction that encapsulates the real world, it’s explained to me now how things in the media, and where big data manipulation probably has it roots and how our very psyche ticks.
The locations, are exotic, fantastical, and all genuine, as the author describes, he went through the journey his characters take, and on the subject of the characters, the 2 main guys are warm and friendly, their banter is very funny at times which adds another quality to this cracking thriller, ands it’s great reading their arcs as the story builds to a quite brilliant end.
With some dodgy politicians, dastardly criminals, and corrupt officials, this book, whilst dealing with some serious , quite amazing subject matter, is a superb piece of action adventure, and E.M. Davey, for me, strikes the right balance of both getting his immense story across whilst giving his reader a rollicking ride through places most of us can only dream of, and that for me is why I whole heartedly recommend this book.
For any adventure fans, any fans of action, thrillers and suspense, have a read of this brilliant tale and be taken on a quite extraordinary escapade.
5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
August 10, 2019
(This review originally appeared on my blog, Rhonda Blogs About Books.)
I received a reader's copy of this book from Duckworth Books to participate in their summer blog tour. From the publisher:
“When an archaeologist goes missing in the Congo basin, Professor Randolph Harkness and young tearaway Ross McCartney go in search of her – only to stumble upon a conspiracy to conceal ancient horrors lost to the passage of time. Evading spies and trained killers, can they expose this cover-up? Or will they be buried with it?”
If you asked me to describe E. M. Davey’s newest novel, The Killing Gene, in one phrase, I would say it’s a perfect summer read. This book has everything: science, anthropology, murder, a search for a universal language, world travel (in fact, I read this to fit my readers’ group’s August reading prompt of Travel), a former spy, and assassins!
A lot of reviewers are comparing Davey to Dan Brown, and his work to The DaVinci Code. That comparison seems instinctual (and marketable), but Davey writes with more nuance, clarity, and a grounding in a reality–his background in investigative journalism no doubt shining through–that I think elevates this novel above Brown’s work. Some things happen in The Killing Gene that are pretty bananas, but Davey’s prose is imbued with such realism that you never have to suspend disbelief.
This is a list of various media works that I was reminded of while reading The Killing Gene (so if you like any of these, you should give Davey a try):
Arrival
The Amazing Race
Indiana Jones series
Romancing the Stone
Into Thin Air
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (both the Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander films)
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Threat Level Midnight
The Geico Caveman commercials
If you want a fun, adventurous escape of a summer read, The Killing Gene should be right up your alley. If you want a tightly plotted and intelligent thriller, this should scratch that itch, too. And if you want a fascinating exploration of anthropology and linguistics in novel form, this will fit that bill as well. Like I said, it has everything.
***
Fun Fact: the publisher of The Killing Gene, Duckworth Books, was founded in 1898 in England and early authors included Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, and Anton Chekhov!
I received a reader's copy of this book from Duckworth Books to participate in their summer blog tour. From the publisher:
“When an archaeologist goes missing in the Congo basin, Professor Randolph Harkness and young tearaway Ross McCartney go in search of her – only to stumble upon a conspiracy to conceal ancient horrors lost to the passage of time. Evading spies and trained killers, can they expose this cover-up? Or will they be buried with it?”
If you asked me to describe E. M. Davey’s newest novel, The Killing Gene, in one phrase, I would say it’s a perfect summer read. This book has everything: science, anthropology, murder, a search for a universal language, world travel (in fact, I read this to fit my readers’ group’s August reading prompt of Travel), a former spy, and assassins!
A lot of reviewers are comparing Davey to Dan Brown, and his work to The DaVinci Code. That comparison seems instinctual (and marketable), but Davey writes with more nuance, clarity, and a grounding in a reality–his background in investigative journalism no doubt shining through–that I think elevates this novel above Brown’s work. Some things happen in The Killing Gene that are pretty bananas, but Davey’s prose is imbued with such realism that you never have to suspend disbelief.
This is a list of various media works that I was reminded of while reading The Killing Gene (so if you like any of these, you should give Davey a try):
Arrival
The Amazing Race
Indiana Jones series
Romancing the Stone
Into Thin Air
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (both the Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander films)
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Threat Level Midnight
The Geico Caveman commercials
If you want a fun, adventurous escape of a summer read, The Killing Gene should be right up your alley. If you want a tightly plotted and intelligent thriller, this should scratch that itch, too. And if you want a fascinating exploration of anthropology and linguistics in novel form, this will fit that bill as well. Like I said, it has everything.
***
Fun Fact: the publisher of The Killing Gene, Duckworth Books, was founded in 1898 in England and early authors included Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, and Anton Chekhov!
August 11, 2019
I would like to thank Duckworth books for providing me with a copy of “The Killing Gene” in exchange for an honest review.
When I was approached about taking part in a blog tour for this I wasn’t 100% sure- I didn’t want to agree JUST to get a book sent to me, but when I read the synopsis I couldn’t help but be intrigued, it is so far out of my comfort zone when it comes to genre but it grabbed my attention straight away.
I would like to mention that there are quite a lot of graphic descriptions of death and murder throughout this novel.
This novel has multiple events all happening alongside each other in different areas of the world- so it could be a little difficult to keep track if someone was distracting you, but each character has their own distinctive personality, so it’s not hard to work out which character you are reading about.
I enjoyed that this was set in the semi modern day with references to past Prime Ministers, the whole leaving the EU fiasco (but let’s not discuss politics- I might just suggest people read certain sections of this before the next election so they may engage New Brain)
The relationships formed between all of the characters were very interesting, some of them were partnerships out of necessity but I loved the blossoming friendship between Harkness and McCartney.
Despite this being a fictional novel the research mentioned is based on real experiments, and because of this I have developed a little bit of an interest in the evolution of man and how our brains have adapted over the years.
I do wish there had been an explanation in regards to the dismembering of bodies- it seemed to be a theme running back through history yet I don’t remember reading an explanation as to why they were doing it.
All in all this was an interesting and quite educational read that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through as you ask the same questions as Harkness does, “what do they have to hide?”
“New Brain made us human and New Brain made us beasts. Yet it as New Brain that could, just possibly, lift our species to a higher plane”
When I was approached about taking part in a blog tour for this I wasn’t 100% sure- I didn’t want to agree JUST to get a book sent to me, but when I read the synopsis I couldn’t help but be intrigued, it is so far out of my comfort zone when it comes to genre but it grabbed my attention straight away.
I would like to mention that there are quite a lot of graphic descriptions of death and murder throughout this novel.
This novel has multiple events all happening alongside each other in different areas of the world- so it could be a little difficult to keep track if someone was distracting you, but each character has their own distinctive personality, so it’s not hard to work out which character you are reading about.
I enjoyed that this was set in the semi modern day with references to past Prime Ministers, the whole leaving the EU fiasco (but let’s not discuss politics- I might just suggest people read certain sections of this before the next election so they may engage New Brain)
The relationships formed between all of the characters were very interesting, some of them were partnerships out of necessity but I loved the blossoming friendship between Harkness and McCartney.
Despite this being a fictional novel the research mentioned is based on real experiments, and because of this I have developed a little bit of an interest in the evolution of man and how our brains have adapted over the years.
I do wish there had been an explanation in regards to the dismembering of bodies- it seemed to be a theme running back through history yet I don’t remember reading an explanation as to why they were doing it.
All in all this was an interesting and quite educational read that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through as you ask the same questions as Harkness does, “what do they have to hide?”
“New Brain made us human and New Brain made us beasts. Yet it as New Brain that could, just possibly, lift our species to a higher plane”
August 16, 2019
I always say that you know if you’ll like a book with just the first chapter; with the plot, how it is written and of course the characters! In this case I knew it with just the first page! Based in some real facts, the author creates an engaging story and not far from truth that will make any reader eager to know more!
I don’t usually read books with real scientific facts on them, not because I don’t like them but because is quite difficult to find them. And let’s be honest, not everyone likes to read fiction and non-fiction at the same book! Really, after reading this book the first thing I did was checking the information on the internet and discovering which part was true and which was fiction; it seemed so plausible and with so many real facts that I don’t think is too far from the truth.
Let’s talk a little about the book, is a fast paced story; where our characters will travel around the world to discover why an archeologist has disappeared. Would seem easy, but when our main character Professor Randolph Harkness and his young friend Ross McCartney have to fight for their lives, they know that something more has been happening… Why they are treating to kill them? There are more researchers around the world that if they try to investigate the origin of our species disappear without a trace. Someone is trying to hide something and it seems that all the secret agencies around the world are part of it. What could it be that is worth risking everyone’s life? Just start reading and you’ll know the answers!
This is not a book with a high character development or feelings, this is an action book, smart and full of facts; it would be the perfect movie book; but it would mean loosing and the facts and details that made me love so much it, I love science!
The Killing Gene is not only a book, is a part of us and it’s time for you to discover the truth.
I don’t usually read books with real scientific facts on them, not because I don’t like them but because is quite difficult to find them. And let’s be honest, not everyone likes to read fiction and non-fiction at the same book! Really, after reading this book the first thing I did was checking the information on the internet and discovering which part was true and which was fiction; it seemed so plausible and with so many real facts that I don’t think is too far from the truth.
Let’s talk a little about the book, is a fast paced story; where our characters will travel around the world to discover why an archeologist has disappeared. Would seem easy, but when our main character Professor Randolph Harkness and his young friend Ross McCartney have to fight for their lives, they know that something more has been happening… Why they are treating to kill them? There are more researchers around the world that if they try to investigate the origin of our species disappear without a trace. Someone is trying to hide something and it seems that all the secret agencies around the world are part of it. What could it be that is worth risking everyone’s life? Just start reading and you’ll know the answers!
This is not a book with a high character development or feelings, this is an action book, smart and full of facts; it would be the perfect movie book; but it would mean loosing and the facts and details that made me love so much it, I love science!
The Killing Gene is not only a book, is a part of us and it’s time for you to discover the truth.
August 27, 2019
This is the first book I have read by E. M. Davey. The cover and blurb grabbed me right away, what I wasn’t expecting was a throughly thought out and researched book (what I wouldn’t give to just take a peek into his mind!) the characters, locations and attention to detail blew my little mind!
WOW!!
I love how passionate Professor Randolph Harkness is about his work, how he falls into his story telling to anyone and everyone who will listen. His dry humor was an added bonus 😂 his unexpected team up with Ross was a brilliant mix….. Like Chalk and chess but worked perfectly together!
This book grabbed be from the get go…. I did get a little lost on some of the political parts but it never put me off or had me lost within this book.
Gritty, action packed and gripping. I will definitely be picking Daveys other books up and I’m hoping for a lot more from Professor Randolph Harkness in the future.
WOW!!
I love how passionate Professor Randolph Harkness is about his work, how he falls into his story telling to anyone and everyone who will listen. His dry humor was an added bonus 😂 his unexpected team up with Ross was a brilliant mix….. Like Chalk and chess but worked perfectly together!
This book grabbed be from the get go…. I did get a little lost on some of the political parts but it never put me off or had me lost within this book.
Gritty, action packed and gripping. I will definitely be picking Daveys other books up and I’m hoping for a lot more from Professor Randolph Harkness in the future.
October 26, 2020
This is the first book I have read by E. M. Davey. The cover and blurb grabbed me right away, what I wasn’t expecting was a throughly thought out and researched book (what I wouldn’t give to just take a peek into his mind!) the characters, locations and attention to detail blew my little mind!
WOW!!
I love how passionate Professor Randolph Harkness is about his work, how he falls into his story telling to anyone and everyone who will listen. His dry humour was an added bonus 😂 his unexpected team up with Ross was a brilliant mix….. Like Chalk and chess but worked perfectly together!
This book grabbed be from the get go…. I did get a little lost on some of the political parts but it never put me off or had me lost within this book.
Gritty, action packed and gripping. I will definitely be picking Daveys other books up and I’m hoping for a lot more from Professor Randolph Harkness in the future.
WOW!!
I love how passionate Professor Randolph Harkness is about his work, how he falls into his story telling to anyone and everyone who will listen. His dry humour was an added bonus 😂 his unexpected team up with Ross was a brilliant mix….. Like Chalk and chess but worked perfectly together!
This book grabbed be from the get go…. I did get a little lost on some of the political parts but it never put me off or had me lost within this book.
Gritty, action packed and gripping. I will definitely be picking Daveys other books up and I’m hoping for a lot more from Professor Randolph Harkness in the future.
August 12, 2019
The Killing Gene was FRICKEN AWESOME. Go buy it and read it. Right now!
E.M. Davey is a brilliant author. It is clear he did a ton of research to make this boo feel super authentic. I absolutely loved that the was a mystery mixed with anthropology. The best part was that it didn’t go way over my head. I understood what was going on because the author made it easy to understand.
This was such a page turning thriller. I could not put the book down and I read it in one sitting. The characters felt real and well developed. I felt like each had their place and kept the story moving. The pace was fantastic.
I can’t say enough good things. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Highly recommended!!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Duckworth Books. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
E.M. Davey is a brilliant author. It is clear he did a ton of research to make this boo feel super authentic. I absolutely loved that the was a mystery mixed with anthropology. The best part was that it didn’t go way over my head. I understood what was going on because the author made it easy to understand.
This was such a page turning thriller. I could not put the book down and I read it in one sitting. The characters felt real and well developed. I felt like each had their place and kept the story moving. The pace was fantastic.
I can’t say enough good things. I don’t want to spoil it for you. Highly recommended!!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with Duckworth Books. All opinions are my own.*
Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
December 14, 2018
This is an excellent page turning thriller, but also so much more. There is a huge amount of research into linguistics, prehistory, anthropology and the classics, which makes this story even more fascinating by bringing to life various theories around these subjects while cleverly weaving them into the characters' lives. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in these subjects. Whether you know anything about them, or, like me, absolutely nothing, you'll be sure to learn a huge amount whilst enjoying an excellent thriller.
December 30, 2019
Man's Inhumanity to Man
I've been telling folks about this book because, although it is written as a thriller, it relies heavily on real research, then goes on to speculate about the true nature of man and his origins. As an adventure it is gripping; as an indictment of modern man it is stunning. The common perception is we just outbred the other limbs on the evolution bush, whose bloodlines seem to have petered out (although most of us seem to have 2-4% Neanderthal DNA); but the author would have us believe otherwise.
I've been telling folks about this book because, although it is written as a thriller, it relies heavily on real research, then goes on to speculate about the true nature of man and his origins. As an adventure it is gripping; as an indictment of modern man it is stunning. The common perception is we just outbred the other limbs on the evolution bush, whose bloodlines seem to have petered out (although most of us seem to have 2-4% Neanderthal DNA); but the author would have us believe otherwise.
September 1, 2020
Wonderfully Inciteful Fiction
This is such a good book, I couldn't put it down. The story leads you through different countries, friendship, driving tours, and describes the places so you can visualize it in your head. The thrill and adventure keep you on the dge of your seat. The historical explanations teach you something about learning your history. And finally the plot reveal at the end teaches you more about learning to read with your head, thinking with your brain, and judging with your heart.
This is such a good book, I couldn't put it down. The story leads you through different countries, friendship, driving tours, and describes the places so you can visualize it in your head. The thrill and adventure keep you on the dge of your seat. The historical explanations teach you something about learning your history. And finally the plot reveal at the end teaches you more about learning to read with your head, thinking with your brain, and judging with your heart.
August 9, 2019
Very interesting book, concept, and journey. I thought overall it was a good book. My only problem is they traveled the world at times from page to page. It was crazy how fast things happened and how quickly the story progressed. Additionally, there were a TON of characters that I caused some confusion at times. I think it’s a good story with a good moral value.
Thank you to Netgalley, E.M. Davey, and Duckworth for providing me with and advanced reading copy.
Thank you to Netgalley, E.M. Davey, and Duckworth for providing me with and advanced reading copy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2019
The Killing Gene by E.M. Davey is a fast paced political, action thriller with some intriguing details about a variety of topics including linguistics, prehistory and anthropology interwoven within the text. Somewhat confusing at times but a very interesting and entertaining read.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.
Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.
August 10, 2019
The Killing Gene is a fast-paced and fascinating adventure story. The past and the present combine in a story that will shake mankind's deepest beliefs about themselves. The story begins with many characters and plot threads that slowly weave together. The end is difficult to predict, and the story will keep you on the edge of your seat.
June 24, 2019
I'm not usually a big fan of this type of books but I found this one enjoyable and entertaining.
It's well written, well researched, engrossing and the plot is full of twists and turns.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It's well written, well researched, engrossing and the plot is full of twists and turns.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
July 29, 2019
I enjoyed the plot of this book. The number of characters had me flipping back and forth to keep track of who was who. This book kept me at the edge of my seat from the beginning. It’s a quick read packed with action and intrigue. Many thanks to NetGalley for access to the ARC.
March 9, 2025
An eye opening thriller about the possibilities of governments being able to manipulate the population to gain support for their policies using psychology and knowledge obtained from studying pre history.
August 5, 2019
*four and a half stars.
April 25, 2023
Its a slow one that gets explosive in the end. Reading this can be a lil bit tiring and draggy woops
August 30, 2023
The Killing Gene is an epic adventure full of mystery that will keep you at edge of your seat until the very end. Great characters made this intriguing story a must-read.
June 28, 2019
This is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of novel - it had so much happening, and I loved it! Clear writing, so the almost manic action was logical and believable: An easy-going globe-trotting former spy guy and his group race to unravel a huge mystery that will have an enormous impact worldwide. I didn’t want it to end. A wonderful thriller and I was entertained! Any more isn't possible from me, or spoilers might jump up. Recommended.
#TheKillingGene #NetGalley
#TheKillingGene #NetGalley
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews