The Marks of Cain

by Tom Knox

A thrilling and startling novel from the author of the international bestseller The Genesis Secret

When David Martinez, a young lawyer, receives an ancient map from his dying grandfather, the mysteries of his past begin to open up before him. The map leads David into the heart of the dangerous Basque mountains, where a genetic curse lies buried and a frightening secret about the Western world's past is hidden.

Meanwhile, London journalist Simon Quinn may have found his big break. A wealthy, elderly woman has been murdered in the most horrific fashion, and another homicide soon follows. Both victims came from villages in the Basque region, both were interred at a top-secret Nazi camp, both have been silenced for what they know about the experiments conducted on the Basques, the Jews, and a dwindling mystical tribe of pre-Caucasian locals called Cagots.

From the North Sea islands to the Arizona desert, from the graveyards of the Basque countryside to the heart of colonial Africa, Martinez's and Quinn's quests intersect to reveal the shocking roots of racial persecution, human violence, and war.

The Genesis Secret-already in its fourth hardcover printing and appearing on several bestseller lists-immediately established Tom Knox as a searing, brilliant new voice in commercial fiction. The Marks of Cain dares to raise the bar even higher and promises to be an even greater success.

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

438 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Sean 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.

Reviews

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great alternative to Will Adams "Daniel Knox" series. I like Tom Knox's style. I will pick up a few more of his books even though they are not a series... but I've got a few already on the list to knock off first.

[Olgalijo · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... Mr. Tom Knox (or whatever his real name is) should stop watching Indiana Jones and Lara Croft movies. You can't put your protagonist on the very verge of death 20 times and pull him out on the veeeeery last milisecond and make the story credible. Actually the story could be interesting if the poor reader didn't lose track so often, because the bad guy is about to kill the good guy (again, and again, and again). Just a thought Mr. Knox: what works in an movie may not work in a book.
Also, use of plural languages is way out of range with this author. So, he has a basque person speaking English to an English speaker. The Basque person (even more, a proud ETA militant) in his rage starts to speak in.... Spanish?!?!?! Come on. This guy has only seen the Basque country from his hotel room. And that is not only true for the language usage, it's also true for the way in which he depicts them: basically as violent radicals or cowards. Nothing farther from reality.
And staying with language, even his use of Spanish is really bad, mixing feminine articles with masculine nouns, for instance. I would also like to know why he used the Spanish words for things that have perfect equivalents in the English language (a "supermercado" is just a grocery store). If it's just to give local flavor he should look for things that are truly local.
And then there are descriptions that just thow you off completely. At one point he describes a stone carving of a dragon with "feminine" claws. Really? Most of the stone used in the Basque country is granite, really hard stone, very difficult to work. It would be impossible to put claws on a carving of a Dragon; "feminine" claws, not even if you were working with sandstone.
OK, I should stop my rant now. not because this guy deserves it, but because this is putting me in a dark mood.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book at my public library because it came up in a search for books on Basques which I was doing as part of my research. As a Basque, I found "Marks of Cain" insulting and irritating, to say the least. Assuming you are ignorant about the Basques and are willing to suspend disbelief, you may find portions of this novel intriguing and engaging. But the author strives too hard at creating horror and controversy. He also shows great ignorance about Basques, filling pages with good old clichés about links to the Neanderthals, blood-thirsty ETA terrorists, and other such bullshit. His descriptions of the beautiful Basque country and Basque people are consistently negative, which certainly may work to set the atmosphere he is trying to achieve, but have nothing to do with reality.

One of the most annoying things for me, though, were all the misspelled and just plain incorrect words he throws in in Basque and Spanish. At least he could have taken the time to find a native speaker of these two languages to have his novel proofread... I forced myself to read the first 300 or so pages and am now desperately skimming over the last 200 so I can say I read the whole thing. My two star rating is probably too generous...

[Ainoa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Si pudiera darle 0 estrellas, lo haría. Definitivamente es el peor libro que me he leído en mucho tiempo. Malo nivel tener que parar cada par de páginas porque no podía con la tonterías y lo mal escrito que estaba. ¿Qué clase de editor acepta estos manuscritos? Muchas veces achaco que un libro suene mal en castellano a las traducciones, pero es que ni en inglés se salva. No solo la prosa es fragmentada y llena de puntos suspensivos que no sirven para nada, encima usa un montón de metáforas sin sentido y que en ocasiones son hasta insultantes. ¿Qué sentido tiene comparar las cumbres nevadas de las montañas con las capuchas del Ku Klux Klan? Ese tipo de comparación no aporta nada a la narración. Pues así cada página.

Y no hablemos ya del uso de la cultura e historia vasca en este libro. No soy experta en genética y no sé si la información que da el autor en el libro es correcta, pero de lo que no me cabe la menor duda es de que la representación que se hace de los vascos aquí es francamente insultante. No solo los trata como extraterrestres, además son unos brutos, bárbaros y terroristas que no saben comportarse si no es con violencia. Las descripciones que hace del paisaje vasco tampoco se quedan atrás.

Y si ya nos metemos con el argumento de la historia, agárrate. El autor se hace la picha un lío consigo mismo, intenta poner a los personajes en situaciones de riesgos TODOS LOS CAPÍTULOS para que al final terminen librándose en el último momento. Las diez primeras veces igual podría haber colado, pero en la página 25 ya queda cansino. Además, los personajes son insulsos y no consigues identificarte con ninguno de ellos hasta el punto en que a veces quería que los mataran de una vez para que el libro terminara. Cuando tu malo resulta más interesante que los protagonistas de la historia, igual deberías plantearte qué estás haciendo mal.

Y por último tenemos el tremendo fiasco que es el título y la referencia bíblica del libro. "La Maldición de Caín". Cogí este libro pensando que se referiría a Caín, el hijo de Adán y Eva. A mitad del libro, el autor nos informa de que está maldición, estas marcas, en realidad se refieren a Canaán, nieto de Noé. Según el autor, a Canaán también se le llama Caín y de ahí el nombre de la "maldición". Tampoco pretendo ser una experta en la Biblia, pero Caín y Canaán no son la misma persona y sus nombres ni siquiera se escriben igual en hebreo (Qayin and Kena'an). Sí, Canáan fue maldito por Noé, pero el término "la Maldición de Caín" se refiere a la maldición de Dios sobre Caín a vagar sin tierra al matar a Abel. El autor puede darle todas las vueltas que quiera, pero este tipo de revisionismo, que además no tiene valor para el argumento de la historia, solo confunde al lector. ¿Qué problema había en decir "la maldición de Canaán"? ¿Que no queda tan bien porque no te remontas a la Creación? Las teorías racistas decían que la raza negra descendía de Canaán para justificar la esclavitud; las interpretaciones bíblicas modernas desechan esta idea. Canaán y Caín no tienen nada que ver el uno con el otro salvo que los dos están malditos(por diferentes razones) y que Canaán es descendiente en cierta medida de Caín. No hay ningún motivo lógico porque el que el autor debiera confundir los nombres de estos personajes, y sin embargo, lo hace.

En concreto, el autor también patina al hacer referencia a cómo es posible que Caín tuviera descendencia y de quién tenía que protegerle Dios con su marca (supongo que aquí se refiere a Caín, y no a Canaán, pero nunca se sabe) si Adán y Eva eran los únicos seres humanos. De nuevo, el autor derrapa en un intento de ser sensacionalista. Aunque Adán y Eva fueran los primeros seres humanos, en ningún sitio se establece que fueran los únicos seres humanos que Dios creó; el autor de nuevo olvida que los seres humanos bíblicos vivían muchos más años que nosotros: Adán por ejemplo, tenía casi 1000 años cuando murió. Normalmente se entiende que Caín se casó con una de sus hermanas, con la que tuvo descendencia, y me parece muy curioso que el libro decida pasar por alto esto cuando gran parte del argumento se basa en la endogamia de los agotes y los judíos.

En conclusión, este libro es un fiasco total que no recomendaría a nadie. Escrito por otro autor y con mejor investigación igual hubiera valido la pena. Pero miente hasta en el título. Y tiene el honor de estrenar una nueva estantería en mi Goodreads; la de "pura basura".

[Karina · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I just picked a book off the library shelf with no recommendation or research about it. I just liked the cover. We'll see how it goes.

Don't bother with this one. I know it's fiction but is so way off it wasn't even entertaining.

[Brick ONeil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it had been awhile since reading, even after a period of time, elements of a book stay with you. That is with the case of "the Marks of Cain". The storyline, at times, unbelievable and contrived, leaves an indelible mark. Torture, nazi experimentation and a biblical genetic marker. Religious themed mysteries always get my attention and this one did. I bought it at a bargain/clearance sale at a big box store a few years ago.

The book can be read in one sitting, easy to read and doesn't confuse. The characters are well-developed, the settings and background is drawn from reality, so people can get a 'feel' for the nature of the book, the 'noir' feeling. Some of the characters can be a bit overwhelming but if you keep in mind that this is a Fictional Mystery, you should do fine.

The author Knox (a pseudonym) draws from real life people and events, but that should not dictate that "the Marks of Cain" is historical reality. True, Nazi's did awful things, true the Catholic Church has done bad things in their past and true that Cagots from France/Spain did/do exist. The rest is a fictional account of what might have happened from the writers mind.

I would give "The Marks of Cain" 4 stars.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marks of Cain was an interesting book from start to finish. The plot was detailed and well set out and opened my eyes to some history that I had never heard of before. I never had even heard of Cagots before I read this book.

It is written in a similar style to Dan Brown's style of writing, so if you are a Dan Brown fan then this book will be a good read for you.

There were only two downsides to this book:

1. Excessive violence. Some of the violence fit the story well, for example the knotting torcher gets you interested at the start; however, as the book goes on the violence gets more excessive and more needless. The book touches on cannibalism which was ok for the story but I think it was focused on a bit too much for my liking.

2. Perceived racism. For me the book felt a bit racist at times. I know that the book is about racial separation but I think this was focused on too much. If I was a Cagot or a Basque reading this book, I would most likely be pretty offended by parts of the story.

Over all though, it was an interesting and exciting read and I would recommend it to Dan Brown fans and conspiracy theorist everywhere.

[Fcsuper · Rating 4 out of 5]

To start with, the story is gruesome. There are many of vicious acts by the villains. The story is paced fairly well. The author engages in a refreshing effort to make the reader feel like they are visiting each of the locations around the world where the story takes place. I don't know if the author correctly describes each region, but the writing feels authentic in this regard. The villains in the story are solidly 1 dimensional. The heroes (note the plural) did have some level of character development, but not a lot. Instead, the story is filled with nearly non-stop action. It's a good read. You don't have to be a fan of Dan Brown to enjoy Tom Knox's style of writing. The fact that the Catholic Church is again one of the villains doesn't hurt.

I am critical of the premise of the story. The ideas of genetics and human diversity are explored throughout, with unconventional and controversial motives for several of the secondary characters.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book, but found ideas regarding human diversity were handled rather bluntly.

[Jean St.Amand · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of that nonsense just to find out that the holocaust happened because Hitler found out that there was a breed of humans/but not humans that were going to be smarter than the Nazis? Really...good grief, what a waste of 5 days.

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't express enough how much I dislike this book. It might be my own fault. After finishing the book I glanced at the author's picture, and he seemed familiar. Accompanying that feeling was one of distaste. Had I read one of his books before? So I looked it up. Sure enough, I had read one of his books before. I gave it one star and said it was crude and violent. I don't know why or how this one slipped into my to read pile, but my assessment of this book is the same as it's fellow- 1 star (less if I could) crude and violent.

The plot: man comes into money but has to journey to France to inherit it per his grandfather's instructions. Meets a girl who's been sleeping with the local terrorist. Learn of a group of people who were social outcasts. At the same time a reporter in London, Simon, keeps coming upon these horrible torturous murders. After some strange (I don't mean interesting. I mean contrived and weird) turns David and terrorist's girl are married with a daughter and Simon is working on a book. It's supposed to be a happy ending, but by the time I got there I was so totally checked out.

So what went wrong?
Aside from the constant swearing. And violence. And just over all 'yuck'.
The author tries, and fails, to pull a Di Vince code plot out of almost nothing. The reason so many people enjoyed Dan Brown's book is that underneath his crazy plot is a ton of fact. You can look up every painting, every number. Not so for this book.

For one thing the theology is beyond dodgy (skip ahead if you don't care about that). They try to say that Cain was possibly the son of Satan and Eve because at 1 John 3:12 it says he was 'of' Satan. Other translations say he originated with Satan. I have never heard of someone thinking this before. But even so. The answer is found, very simply, in verse 10 where it says 'the children of God and the children of the Devil are evident by this fact: whoever does not practice righteousness does not originate [is not of] with God, nor does the one who does not love his brother. So, simply put- a child of God does his work. Child of Satan does his work. It's a simple concept reminiscent of the account of the Pharisees being called the offspring of the devil because he was a liar and they lied.
Then the author points out the question...where did Cain get his wife? This one I have heard before. And it's another fairly simple one to answer if we get out of our way. In Genesis 3:20 the reason for Eve being given her name is that she was to be the mother of everyone living. Genesis 5:4 clears shows that Cain, Abel, and Seth weren't the only children of Adam and Eve. They're the one's we know by name, but many sons and daughters were born. So. It would seem that Cain's wife would be either his sister or a niece. By modern standards-ick. But, remember that Abraham, a righteous man, married his half sister. It wasn't until the time of Moses that the Israelites were told not to enter into marriages that were of closer relatives. And when those laws were given they stood out. In many cultures it was common practice, especially among royalty. I'd love to see the tangled web of the ruling families of Europe mapped out.
The book tries to say there were these mysterious other people that inhabited the earth other than Adam and Eve. Besides what I've already mentioned, and imaging for a second that there was...they wouldn't have survived the flood and then settled in France.
Then the author claims that Canaan, Ham's son and Noah's grandson was also called Cain. I have never heard that. It seems like such and unneeded made up fact that it bugs me. Also the perpetuation of the misunderstanding that the curse of Canaan was to be black. That's silly. Skin color is never mentioned. The fact that the curse wasn't pigment related can clearly be seen if you trace Canaan's descendants. Using the Bibles record you see that his offspring settled east of the Mediterranean in the land the Jews came to possess. Interesting detail...Black people descend from Canaan's brother Cush (Genesis 10:6,7 if you're interested). I'm sure there were eventually Christians that fell into wrong thinking after the apostles died and believed the curse was skin color, but the very first Christians had no such prejudice. Read the account of Philip and the Ethiopian, no mention of skin. The repeated admonishments by Paul to accept people of all races.

So that's it for religious critique because I don't want to keep going.

The descriptions of the Basters doesn't seem to hold up. They're described as these stunningly gorgeous people. I'm sure many are, but look up what they look like. They're pretty normal, not the otherworldly beauty described.

The story of the Cagots isn't that unique. Or the Basques. A group of people come to be isolated and form their own way of doing things. Inbreeding happens, prejudices and misunderstanding compound fear of the unknown and the remote peoples are outcasts. It just doesn't happen that often in Europe. Ask the tribes on every other continent just how strange this is...it'll seem pretty normal to them.

Really, what does the 'mark of Cain' have to do with anything? All the talk about Cain and Canaan, there's no conclusions drawn later that have anything to do with that. What we really do have? Some small doors and churches with two cemeteries. Oh boy.

The gleefully brutal writing is repulsive and I'm happy to move on.

[Vicky Coughlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well… how do I describe this book? My mind is still reeling with all the violence (but in a good way) it is a great story but oh my goodness. I never expected it to go so far. I could not wait for Miguel to get his comeuppance and I think a bullet in the head was too easy for this vicious rabid maniac. Very fast paced adventure but some hair raising bits. If you’re squeamish do not read this book. But it sure kept me reading till the wee hours of the morning.

[I_love_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inzwischen habe ich es mir angewöhnt, weder Bücher noch Hörbücher nach der Inhaltsangabe zu beurteilen oder gar mich aufgrund dessen für oder gegen den Kauf eines Buches oder eines Hörbuches zu entscheiden. Es ist eher ein Bauchgefühl: Welches Genre mich momentan am meisten interessiert und dann blicke ich so durch die Regale der Buchhandlung und greife zu dem Buch oder Hörbuch, was mich vom Titel und der (Hör-)Buchaufmachung her am meisten anspricht. Ebenso ist es mir mit dem Hörbuch "Cagot" von Tom Knox gegangen - Ich hatte überhaupt keine Ahnung, worum es in dem Hörbuch geht und ließ mich einfach überraschen:
Das Cover sah etwas düster & mysteriös, aber sehr vielversprechend aus und ich muss ehrlich gestehen, dass ich mit dem Begriff "Cagot" bisher noch gar nichts anfangen konnte. Das hat sich jetzt - dank Tom Knox - geändert. Man lernt durch dieses Hörbuch eine Menge historische Fakten, auch wenn "Cagot" eher in das Genre Thriller einzuordnen wäre. Ich bin regelrecht fasziniert von (Hör-)Büchern, die eine spannende Handlung von Anfang bis Ende nachzuweisen haben und bei denen man erst später heraus findet, dass nicht alles erfunden ist sondern, dass es dem Autor gelungen ist ein Fünkchen Wahrheit in die Geschichte mit einfließen zu lassen.

Zum Inhalt: Alles beginnt in England, denn dort ereignet sich eine Reihe von schrecklichen Ritualmorden. Die Polizei tappt noch im Dunkeln, als der Journalist Simon Quinn bereits eine heiße Spur zu den Morden verfolgt. Denn alle Opfer wurden durch bestialische Foltermethoden umgebracht und hatten folgendes gemeinsam: die Personen waren hochbetagt, wiesen alle Deformierungen an Füßen sowie Händen auf und waren baskischer Herkunft. Welcher Journalist würde sich so eine Story schon entgehen lassen? Also stürzt sich Simon Quinn in die vielleicht größte Story seines Lebens ohne zu ahnen, in welche Gefahr er sich und seine Familie damit bringt...
Während Quinn nach und nach auf Informationen über dubiose Genforschungsprojekte und einen Volksstamm namens "Cagot" stößt, erfährt der Zuhörer über einen Anwalt namens David Martinez, dessen Großvater im Sterben liegt. Dieser hatte ihn großgezogen nachdem seine Eltern bei einem Autounfall ums Leben kamen. Nach dem Tod seines Großvaters wollte David zurück zur Arbeit als er einen Anruf des Nachlassverwalters erhält: Sein Großvater hat ihm ein Vermögen hinterlassen, er würde es aber nur erben, wenn er sich auf die Reise ins Baskenland macht, um mit einen José Garovillo zu reden. Auch ist noch nicht ganz klar, was es mit der Karte auf sich hat, welche David von seinem Großvater kurz vor dessen Tod bekam. Da David immer dachte, dass sein Großvater im Grunde genommen fast mittellos war, will er endlich die Wahrheit herausfinden, nimmt den nächstbesten Flug ins Baskenland, tritt sein Erbe an und kann somit seinem Schicksal nicht mehr entkommen.
Was den Zuhörer jetzt erwartet sind weitere detailreiche Mordszenen; eine Handlung die zwischen England, Spanien, Frankreich, Deutschland und Afrika hin- und herpendelt; man trifft auf die ETA; lernt etwas über Eugenik und das grausame Zusammenspiel zwischen Hitler und der Kirche im dritten Reich und man erfährt das Eine oder Andere über die Cagots und Juden.
.... ein Katz- und Mausspiel, wobei man bis zum Ende nicht weiß, wer denn gewinnen wird.

Mein Fazit: Tom Knox ist es gelungen mich zu fesseln, zu unterhalten und vor allem mein Interesse zu wecken, selbst nach den Cagot zu recherchieren. Was will man mehr? Nun: eins kann ich sagen, ich will mehr solche tolle (Hör-)Bücher von Tom Knox - her damit! Absolute Kaufempfehlung!

Cagot von Tom Knox, gelesen von Stephan Benson
- erschienen im Hoffmann und Campe Verlag am 28. März 2011 -
ISBN: 978-3-455-30728-3
Inhalt: 8 CDs, gekürzte Lesung, 630 Minuten
24,99 EUR (D)
24,99 EUR (A)
42,00 SFR (CH)

Danksagung:
Ich möchte mich ganz herzlich beim Hoffmann und Campe Verlag bedanken, welcher mir freundlicher Weise das Hörbuch "Cagot" als Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt hat.

[Nicolas Shump · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second novel by Tom Knox the pseudonym of the British journalist Sean Thomas. I have already reviewed his first novel, The Genesis Secret, which though it hand its moments, is not nearly as compelling or well-written as his second novel, The Marks of Cain.
Like Genesis, The Marks of Cain has the strange little Dan Brown-style note stating that though it is a work of fiction, "it draws on many genuine historical, archaeological and scientific sources." Knox makes excellent use of his journalistic skills to artfully set compelling tableaus that he then weaves together into a main narrative thread. I found myself wanting to further research the construction and subsequent history of the La Tourette monastery designed by Le Corbusier, Eugen Fischer and the history of his eugenics research in Africa and his connection to the Nazis, and the history of the Basque region of Spain and the fate of the "Cagots." If you are wanting a novel that provides a great deal of historical, religious, and cultural information, but doesn't read like a reference guide, I highly recommend the novels of Tom Knox. The fact that he has the gift to turn this information into a riveting mystery/adventure story is icing on the cake.
As I previously mentioned, Knox typically chooses two or three different characters and stories that at first glance do not seem connected at all, only to bring them all together by the close of the story. In this case, we begin with the odd and humorous scene of British journalist Simon Quinn attending a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. As you might inspect from a detective/mystery story, Quinn is soon summoned by the authorities to cover a rather gruesome murder scene that has all the signs of ritual type of murder. One murder leads to another and another and soon we are carried away on Quinn's quest to find the common thread of these murders. Somewhat unexpectedly, Quinn finds himself learning a great deal about the eugenics movement and the work of Eugen Fischer and more recent work on the Human Genome Diversity Project.
David Martinez, a British American professional returns to the U.S. to be with his dying grandfather, only to learn upon his grandfather's death that there is a mystery to his and David's family origins that lead him into a dangerous journey among the Basque as he attempts to understand his grandfather's past and the true fate of David's parents who died tragically when David was a teenager.
Eventually the paths of Quinn and Martinez path as they and the reader slowly begin to pierce together the pieces of the puzzle involving Corbusier, Nazi eugenics, the Cagots, and the old reliable institutional bad guy (the Roman Catholic Church). Some of these connections are well-documented like the decision by Pius XII not to speak out more forcefully about the treatment of the Jews by Germany in World War II. Others, like the La Tourette monastery and the history of the Cagots were news to me. Knox does a superb job of making these connections work fictionally, even if they do not always support the history or vice versa.
Knox does what a good historical novelist should do which is to connect the dots in an interesting way that allows the reader to believe in the story they are being told and to want to reach the resolution as much as the characters in the story do. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I would recommend his work to anyone who is a fan of this growing genre of fiction. While I would still give Dan Brown credit for writing more compelling novels, the intellectual substance of Knox's work is far superior to that of Brown.
Enjoy!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like in The Genesis Secret, “Knox” (pseudonym for British journalist Sean Thomas) weaves together an exciting plot with sympathetic characters and adds in some history and a beautiful setting to create a very entertaining and readable novel. It starts off a bit slowly, but once the action begins, it hardly takes a break as the characters are flung into one dangerous situation after another. Still, it is a less impressive sophomore novel than I had hoped for. The “revelation” at the end of the book hardly took me by surprise and at least in the hard cover edition, there is not an “acknowledgements” page with sources used or anything to support any of the “research” done. Which is fine - this is a fiction novel after all, but it would have been nice to see something either giving credit where due, or making a note to those interested in the Basque people and region what resources to begin reading on their own for more (factual) information. I know I would have enjoyed a “Suggested Reading List” or something along those lines, because as soon as I finished the novel, I started looking into the history of the Basque people and region on my own. And while this was not his most impressive work, it wasn’t so terrible that I won’t continue to watch out for his new books. He certainly has a flair for coming up with unique ideas!

[Cindi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fictional stories based on the Bible, but not written by Christian authors are always interesting, if only for the information they get terribly wrong. Some authors guilty of this that come to mind are Dan Brown, author of the "Da Vinci Code" and W. Paul Young, author of "The Shack." Now I can add one more name to that list; Tom Knox and his book, "The Marks of Cain."

What could have been a good book about fanatics and fringe groups that believe in evolution, the biblical foundation for slavery or racial separation and the infallibility of science turned out to be a book filled with too many unbelievable plot devices. The violence was over the top, there was an overabundance of cursing, especially the F-dash, dash, dash word, and the heroes escaped from the killers no less than seven times.

Continue reading on Examiner.com 'The Marks of Cain' by Tom Knox, better left unread - San Francisco Christian fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/christian-fic...

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up when I saw it on the table of my local library. I normally don't bother looking around, but the cover interested me.
Anyways, if you really like a good thriller, this is it. The pace is good, and would you believe it if I said I finished it in a day?
I read some reviews that this was farfetched, but it didn't seem that way to me. This is probably because I never knew the history of Cagots and Basques in the first place...but the book was really enjoyable.
After reading this, I actually went to look up the whole history on whatever he wrote about. That's what reading should do to you isn't it? Make you want to learn.

It was intriguing, and a bit gruesome. But I honestly recommend this to those who like a good read on the whole detective, suspense, thriller stuff!

Ps. I was also hoping for the ending to be a bit more...'surprising'. But overall, it was good.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

While THE MARKS OF CAIN does make for some interesting reading, it lacks the forward movement of Knox's debut novel. I enjoyed the premise, but was really not all that impressed with the slow nature of some sections. It was as though he was contracted to write 51 chapters, no more and no less, and had to fill it with some drivel in order to reach his endgame. Still, some of the assertions are, if correct, quite disturbing.

I was quite interested to see where all this was going and once we made it there... was eyebrow raised and interested to see its factual foundation. Knox does place these assertions into his stories with ease, a la Brown.

Good work, Mr. Knox. And onto the third book!

[Parajunkee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well my first impression is the cover and WOW very well done and expensive looking, I really liked the cover. Unfortunately, regarding the plot and writing I was bit on the fence regarding the entirety. Stuffed full of Ok characters, Ok drama and Ok plot threads, well this book was Ok. The writing was the best part of it. Knox, which is the AKA of Sean Thomas (London area reporter), indubitably establishes himself and an excellent writer, crafting his sentences like a sculpture would make fine etches in clay, yet while his pen was well played, his plot and characters were not.
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[Luly Ceballos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. After reading The genesis secret I was looking foward to read more from Tom Knox. I wasn't dissapointed. A very interesting story, crude crime scenes, lots of information; it's nice to have some entretainment as well as learn new stuff. One thing I love about Knox's work is the possibility to go online and find pictures that ilustrate what he is talking about, or, more new information about the ideas being show in the book. Two thumbs up! I have Bibles of the Dead his new book on my Amazon's wish list already. Can't wait for it to be released!!!!

[Dinah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and exciting book. It kept you going the entire way through. I founnd the story of the Cagots very compelling. I knew a bit about the Basque, but the Cagots were new to me. The author did a good job of weaving the Basque, Cagots, Jews, the Holocost, the Church and science into a believable story. The female lead felt a bit two-dimensional to me. I loved how the two male characters developed a friendship before even meeting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun thriller in the style of the da Vinci Code. It involves the Catholic Church, a persecuted minority from the west of France and northern Spain known as the Cagot, genetic research and Hitler, three continents, at least 8 countries, a journalist, a beautiful teacher and a former lawyer who has inherited $2M.

[Linda Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

a kind of da vinci code for the french!!!as with said book a lot of following hidden codes but they dont seem to come to much in the instance.
good story whilst reading but when finished nothing much stayed with me.
went on a bit and came to nothing much

[Bradie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant


Another gripping story with so many plot twists, I find the the gruesome detail combined with the almost poetic descriptions makes this book so enticing I couldn't put it down!

[kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book entertained me, and had a lot going on. Pretty interesting.
The ending seemed a bit underdeveloped and weak to me. The 'shocking reveal' of the story wasn't all that surprising.

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the premise provocative, and the book kept me reading, but I was disappointed in the conclusion. There was also some disturbing graphic violence.

[Susan]

First book of this author I have read - had some very interesting twists and turns & good locales. Would recommend.

[Beatrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, it is an interesting read as i'm a sucker for conspiracy books.
One thing that really annoys me though, is the appearance of the WOLF everywhere. Skipped most of that part.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every single chapter ends in a cliffhanger.
Now what does that say about this...creation?
Still better than The Lost Symbol and Inferno though.
Just a bit.

[Camille Siddartha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another nazi book and them taking over...When do they ever quit...When their leader is dead...and it is...so fucking give up motherfuckers...

[Kaylol · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off much better than it ended.