The Genesis Secret

The Genesis Secret by Tom Knox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Cleverly told, this tale of a detective from Scotland Yard and a reporter from London weaves together science and adventure in a heady mix. There are some truly gruesome moments - historically, humans have been inventively and disarmingly cruel to one another, as both the detective and the scientist discover when the leader of a gang of not-quite-thugs (more like literate, intelligent college kids) begin re-enacting human sacrifice as it has been practiced in various cultures throughout the ages. Meanwhile, a well-known archaeologist is murdered at his dig site, a site that the reporter was doing a story on, as it may have held evidence of the very earliest human civilization.

This book reminded me of a cross between "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova (one of my favourite all-time books, so that's a compliment there) and Dan Brown's "The DaVinci Code" which I found enjoyable, but wasn't a huge hit with me. Throw in a female Indiana Jones type who becomes a sidekick (and fiancee) to the journalist and you have a well-rounded story that will keep you up late reading. There are some extremely gruesome scenes, which can be skimmed past without losing plot points if you have a weak stomach (or heart, like me.... wow humans were historically cruel.)



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