About the Author

James Rollins is the author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the "top crowd pleasers" (New York Times) and one of the hottest summer reads (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets--and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains. New York Times bestselling thriller author Rebecca Cantrell's novels include the award-winning Hannah Vogel mystery series, the critically acclaimed YA novel iDrakula, which was nominated for the APPY award and listed on Booklist's Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth, and The World Beneath, the first book in an exciting new series and the winner of an International Thriller Writer award. She, her husband, and son currently live in Berlin.

Reviews

Masada, in modern-day Israel: a devastating earthquake kills hundreds in the area and reveals an ancient tomb-temple buried in the rock plateau underlying the ancient fortress. A trio of investigators-Sgt. Jordan Stone, a military forensics expert; Father Rhun Korza, a Vatican priest; and Dr. Erin Granger, a brilliant but disillusioned archaeologist-are sent to explore the subterranean temple, which holds the mummified body of a crucified girl. A brutal attack at the site sets the investigators on the run, thrusting them into a race to recover what was once preserved in the tomb's sarcophagus: a book rumored to have been written by Christ in his own blood, and said to hold the secrets to his divinity. The enemy who hounds them is like no other, a force of ancient evil including vampires and vampirelike animals. VERDICT This work is all thriller fans would expect from a combination of Rollins (Bloodline) and the Macavity Award-winning Cantrell (A Trace of Smoke): cutting-edge science, ancient history, and a solid gothic mystery plot. Publishing plans call for this to be a trilogy, but this combination may be just too good to stop with only three books. Fans of the authors will not be disappointed, and those who lapped up The Da Vinci Code will be clamoring for more in this series. [See Prepub Alert, 7/15/12; the prequel, City of Screams, is available as a digital original: ebk. ISBN 9780062262561-Ed.]-Vicki Gregory, Univ. of South Florida SIS, Tampa (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.