Just finished the book “The Wheel of Darkness” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I am sure I have read one of their other books but can’t tell from the title which one.
The book is about a secret box that contains what could be used to end the world through mystical means. The box is guarded by some monks who have never looked inside because it is forbidden. I could compare the box to Pandora’s Box and the movie “The Cradle of Life” but I won’t.
After the box is stolen from the monks, they ask a friend who is has studied the way of the monks and is a private investigator to retrieve it. He follows the box onto a cruise ship that is on it’s maiden voyage and is ripe for greed and evil. Between him and his young charge, they locate and retrieve the box amidst terrifying murders and evil on the ship as it is bound to New York.
The detective opens the box to see what is inside and finds that he has to fight to retrieve his very soul. Anyone who looks in the box becomes evil and hurts others so he struggles to find his way back from that fate.
I give the book two thumbs up – it kept me engrossed and held one surprise that I didn’t see coming. I would recommend it but should say that it is part of an ongoing set to which the author’s recommend reading at least one of the previous ones before reading this one. The others are “Brimstone”, “Dance of Death” and “Book of the Dead.” I had not read any of the others and still found the characters easy to follow in “The Wheel of Darkness.” But I will read them in order now as well.
I do believe the other book I have read of theirs was “Riptide” but I may have also read “Relic”. It is so hard to keep track of all the books I have read.
On a side note – my son informed me that Dean Koontz is not completing the “Frankenstein” series – it is most upsetting news. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters in the two he has written so far and am sadden to think there is no conclusion, no closure. Hopefully he will reconsider his decision.
Monday’s book of choice is “The Sinner” by Tess Gerritsen. I expect to finish it during my 12 hr shift tomorrow. Last time I was at the library, I checked out seven books in all – “Blood Lure”, “Wheel of Darkness”, “The Sinner”, “Endangered Species”, “Gravity”, “Last Breath”, and “Flashback”. My sister sent me the last one but it got destroyed when I dropped it in a mud puddle. I will have to replace her copy but figured I’d check it out to read it rather then risk damaging the new one as well.
