The Lucifer Code

It's a miserable rainy fall day outside so I made the most of it by taking a nap while Jess worked on his homework and some laundry. I'm currently working my way through a hefty biography of Andrew Jackson, number seven in my quest to read a biography of every American president. It doesn't seem like times change much: he was lambasted for his marriage to an already married woman and attacked for being illiterate. The latter charge was a complete lie, the former, mostly likely true. Pretty scandalous for the early 19th century!

The Lucifer Code by Charles Brokaw is the sequel to The Atlantis Code featuring linguist Thomas Lourds. Lourds is in Istanbul to speak at the university for his sometime lover and friend professor Olympia Adnan when he is kidnapped by Irish mercenary Cleena, but before she can whisk him away, another group attempts to capture him, and they are on the run for their lives. Brought to a Muslim group, Lourds is presented with a book that no one has been able to translate, and if he can manage it, he just may survive. They aren't the only group who want both Lourds and the book. The CIA, a rogue group of soldiers directed by the Vice-President, and a mysterious group led by Olympia's brother, Joachim, are all willing to kill to keep Lourds from each other. Meanwhile, the VP is trapped in Saudi Arabia after the assassination of its king and his eldest son, leaving the younger son Khalid who is a hothead ready to commit genocide upon Muslim Shiites within his country as well as throwing out American interests of oil within his country. As Lourds tries to translate the scroll, Cleena and Joachim try to keep him safe, and when they all discover just what secret of the book is, they learn that the fate of the world truly rests in their hands. Brokaw's writing occasionally gets bogged down in history, but Lourds is an interesting storyteller so it keeps the story going. The action is thrilling, and the political machinations are very frightening for just how true they are to life. Lourds is a bit of a randy old man, but as Olympia explains, it's part of his charm. I wish that Brokaw had followed the characters on their travels at the very end, but the conclusion is unexpected and terrific.

Thank you to PR by the Book for providing me with a copy of this book for review.