Altar of Bones is a cracking mystery-thriller that is itself enshrouded in mystery. The author, who uses the pseudonym Philip Carter, is in fact "an internationally best-selling author". But who is it ? My initial instinct was that it was Dan Brown, but I'm leaning more towards John Le Carré now because he gets a cheeky mention within the novel.
The altar of bones of the title is a strange relic that has been handed down through generations of women and that people are prepared to kill for. The action starts in Siberia in the 1930's, as a woman helps her lover escape from a prison-like workcamp, risking her life to take him to sanctuary in a mysterious secret cave that shelters the even more mysterious altar of bones. After a few chapters, the action fast-forwards to present-day San Francisco, where a man evokes the altar of bones on his deathbed. We soon meet the two lead characters whose destinies are about to become entwined - Zoe Dmitroff, descendent of the Siberian woman, totally oblivious of her heritage, and Ry O' Malley, son of the man making his death-bed warning. As their relatives start being murdered, they realise that they are both next on the hit list and that they must do all they can to protect themselves and pierce the mystery of the altar of bones.
The action crosses continents but also decades, evoking the Cold War, the mysterious death of Marilyn Monroe and even the assassination of JFK. It's a great conspiracy story and the plot is ingenious but I did feel it was a bit cheap and sordid to exploit fictionalised celebrity death stories in this way.
The novel is extremely fast-paced and action-packed and will have you guessing right up until the last minute. It's not totally believable, reminding me of Indiana Jone's Raiders of the Lost Ark at times, but it's still a breath-taking page-turner of a novel. I can definitely see this being turned into a Hollywood blockbuster after its release.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £14.99
Hardcover: 640 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd (26 May 2011)
ISBN-10: 0857202065
ISBN-13: 978-0857202062
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This sounds really good, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
ReplyDeleteFast paced and just outside the realms of believability suits me perfectly, that's true escapism to me.
Thanks for the review.
The title drew me in...any mention of bones. I will be ordering this from my library to maybe read on holiday. xx
ReplyDelete@medsdemon
It hasn't actually been released yet so you'll have to wait until next month :)
ReplyDeleteLOVED THE BOOK! I WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR BUT OF COURSE DO NOT KNOW WHO IT IS OR WHERE TO LOOK. HAVE READ ALL DAN BROWN ETC.
ReplyDeleteANY IDEAS?