Egyptologist Daniel Knox's lifelong fascination with Alexander the Great and his tomb, a fabled wonder of the ancient world, could be the death of him. After construction workers excavating in Alexandria expose a catacomb dating back to ancient times, Knox eagerly sneaks in to scout the cavernous and dusty site. Among the relics he finds clues that may solve one of the world's greatest mysteries: the last resting place of Alexander the Great.
An unconquerable warrior king, Alexander was the single most powerful man on the planet and thought to be a god. Now, nearly 2,500 years later, the discovery of his tomb, seemingly lost forever, is within reach, triggering a deadly hunt for one of the greatest treasures of all time. Knox is not the only seeker; others are after the prize, and they would kill to win it . . .
In the spirit of the great adventure-thrillers by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Clive Cussler, Raymond Khoury, and Steve Berry, THE ALEXANDER CIPHER keeps the pages turning with a rip-roaring ride through history, archaeology, and the great deserts of Egypt.
From Booklist
Starred Review Apparently everybody hates Daniel Knox, an American archaeologist turned dive instructor who is currently living in Egypt. There’s the nasty Hassan, his rich Egyptian boss, whom Daniel beat up in order to keep him from raping a young woman, and Hassan’s even nastier head of security, Nessim. There’s 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 Daniel’s life is, of all people, Alexander the Great, the Macedonian king who proves that being dead for 2,300 years doesn’t mean you still can’t wreak havoc in people’s lives. After Alexander’s death, in 323 BCE, his body was brought to Egypt in a massive golden funeral carriage; Alexander’s power-hungry general, Ptolemy, stole Alexander’s 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. There’s 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. --David Pitt
Review
‘A cracking adventure…Enthralling’ The Observer‘The action crackles along’ Daily Mail