The Alexander Cipher

From Booklist *Starred Review* Apparently everybody hates Daniel Knox, an American archaeologist turned dive instructor who is currently living in Egypt. Theres the nasty Hassan, his rich Egyptian boss, whom Daniel beat up in order to keep him from raping a young woman, and Hassans even nastier head of security, Nessim. Theres Gaille Bonnard, the Egyptologist who blames Daniel for the death of her father, and Nicolas Dragoumis, the wealthy industrialist whose own father seems oddly determined to ruin Daniel. Further complicating Daniels life is, of all people, Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who proves that being dead for 2,300 years doesnt mean you still cant wreak havoc in peoples lives. After Alexanders death, in 323 BCE, his body was brought to Egypt in a massive golden funeral carriage; Alexanders power-hungry general, Ptolemy, stole Alexanders body for his own purposes, and the funeral carriage vanished. Daniel thinks he knows where the carriage is, but that pales in comparison to a new discovery: artifacts that might point the way to the long-lost body of Alexander himself. All Daniel, a lifelong Alexander scholar, needs to do is keep clear of all the people who are out to get him long enough to solve the mystery. This is a hugely entertaining thriller, very much in the vein of Matthew Reilly: an adroit mixture of action, character, and history. Daniel and his plucky Australian partner, Rick, make for an engaging pair of heroes, and the author does an excellent job of keeping the story moving at a brisk clip while giving us all the historical background we require to understand what all the fuss is about. Theres also a nice romantic subplot, and one or two smartly constructed twists. Surprisingly, considering its high quality, this is Adams first novel. It was published in the UK in November 2007, and its sequel, The Exodus Quest, in November 08. North American readers of Cipher will eagerly await the arrival here of Quest. Review "[Knox is] a resourceful and appealing hero, and... the action crackles along with betrayals, vendettas and revelations galore." (Daily Mail ) "A cracking adventure in which Alexander the Great is brought to extraordinary life; plus there's a modern-day search for the conqueror's tomb. Enthralling." (Observer ) Workers in Alexandria are excavating for a new building when they discover the ruins of an old tomb, and all work crashes to a halt. According to federal law in Egypt, all discoveries must be properly catalogued by archeologists and this tomb has unusual relics and representations, apparently contemporary with Alexander the Great. Daniel Knox's first love is history and archeology, specifically on Alexander the Great. When he pisses off a local mobster on the coast of Egypt, he heads to Alexandria to an archaeology colleague's apartment to hide out for a while. He learns his friend is getting to participate on the dig for this newly discovered tomb. Sneaking in with his friend, Daniel sees signs that the find is far bigger than anyone realizes and might hold clues to finally unravelling one of the world's greatest mysteries: Where is Alexander the Great buried? In his lifetime, Alexander was beloved as a god, and across the Mediterranean, everyone wanted to be close to him. Upon his death, there was a mad scrabbling among his former allies to secure his empire for themselves. Even now, nearly 2500 years later, Alexander is still being fought over. With the discovery of this tomb and the revelation of its relics, the race is on to find Alexander. Rival archeologists, Egyptian officials, and Macedonian nationalists all scurry and scramble, attacking each other along the way as they hunt for a glorious prize--the body of Alexander the Great.