Lately I've been tearing through books like they're going out of fashion. This book was promised to be an adventure thriller, full of Russian spies, conspiracies and family history.There are several prologues setting up the story, which I won't dwell on too much. They're interesting and insightful and they tie nicely into the story later on down the line. The two stories we should focus on are those of Ry O'Malley and Zoe Dmitroff who are brought together unwittingly in search of the altar of bones. Zoe is a strong, likeable heroine, unless it comes to confined spaces and Ry is charismatic and handsome exactly what you'd expect from an action thriller like this one. Although it annoyed me that he was called Ry and not referred to by his full name.Another reviewer said that this reads like a film script and I have to agree. There is cliché after cliché, and so many gun fights I found myself skimming the action to get onto the next part of the actual plot.I enjoyed the historical references and the section that involved Ry's step-dad and Marilyn Monroe. In fact, that could have been a story all of it's own. This book was hefty and I think that was an issue, cut out some car chases and make this book two, or even book three. There was so much scope and it had been crammed all into one novel. I gave this book two stars, because although I enjoyed it and found myself addicted to turning it's pages, I also was glad when it was over. I found it quite predictive and like many thriller books I've read before. The only thing that wound me up, was that while Zoe was on the run, the first (and possibly last) chance she got to eat and she ordered a salad. That's an insane woman, right there. The archetypal "airport novel", this starts with a bang and carries on at a fairly furious pace for 600 pages. Highly derivative in that car are on a hunt for a long lost artefact with the good guys being pursued by multiple baddies; historic events are woven into the story - I guessed what "the big kill" was at its first mention - but all all it is great fun, providing that disbelief is suspended while you are reading.Apparently Philip Carter is a nom-de-plume. Well the writing is better than in much of the competition (two car chase descriptions being particularly noteworthy) and it is all wrapped up at the end obviating the possibility of a sequel.
What do You think about Altar Of Bones (2011)?
Great book!!!! It is well written and I enjoyed it very much.
—Carro171
