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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
May 2005, 448 pages
Paperback:
May 2006, 560 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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From the book jacket: During a service at a cathedral in
Cologne, Germany, a band of armed intruders unleash a nightmare of
blood and terror, ruthlessly gunning down worshippers and clergy
alike. As they flee the carnage they carry a prize that could reshape
the world. The Vatican is in turmoil, and Lieutenant Rachel Verona of
Rome's carabinieri is assigned to lead the investigation with the help
of SIGMA Force, an elite covert arm of the U.S. Defense Department.
Comment: It's difficult not to compare Map of Bones to The
Da Vinci Code, because they both involve Catholic conspiracies and
they are both reasonably cerebral thrillers, but in terms of writing
style and action I found them quite different. I enjoyed Map of
Bones as a rip-roaring action adventure but found the plot a
little too incredible at times, which is a pity as the science is at
the cutting edge of reality, but there were just a few too many narrow
escapes against seemingly inescapable odds to hold my credibility over
the long haul.
This is the first in a series. When asked why he has chosen to start
a series instead of continuing to write stand-alone novels, Rollins
says, "For years, readers have contacted me and asked questions about
various cast members from my earlier books....I came to realize that I
wanted to know those answers, too. I was no longer satisfied with the
confines of a single book. So I challenged myself to construct a
series -- something unique and distinct....While there certainly will
be a central recurring character in the series (Commander Gray
Pierce), the supporting players will come and go in what I describe as
a 'revolving set of characters around a central figure.'"
'Rollins has few peers in the research department, which makes the
historical material fascinating, and he keeps the dialogue believably
colloquial and the incidental elements motivated - and plausible, for
at least short stretches. Clumsy romance is mostly overcome by lots of
action.' - Publishers Weekly.
His next book, Black Order, will be published in late June, in which the
elite scientists of SIGMA Force race to crack the ultimate mystery of mankind, a
quest that will save - or destroy - us (again!)
This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in June 2005, and has been updated for the
May 2006 edition.
Click here to go to this issue.
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