THRILLER REVIEW: Altar of Bones - Philip Carter

Release Date: 26/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

Siberia, 1939. Pregnant with her first child, Lena Orlova plans a daring escape from a brutal Soviet prison camp to the one place she knows is safe: a cave containing the legendary Altar of Bones, hidden behind a frozen waterfall deep in the icy wilderness. San Francisco, Present Day. Zoe Dmitroff discovers that she is the last in a line of women who have been entrusted with a secret so great many have died preserving it. Propelled into a dangerous quest to discover exactly what she was born to protect, Zoe is soon running for her life from a vicious assassin and an all powerful businessman with chilling plans. Only ex-Special Ops soldier, Ry O'Malley, can help her survive, but with time running out and the web closing in, Zoe will have to make a devastating decision that will transform her forever. From the frozen wastelands of Russia, to the winding maze of Paris's backstreets, from Washington D.C, through America's mid-west all the way to San Francisco, THE ALTAR OF BONES is a gripping global thriller that spans the generations and unearths the dark secret behind one of the biggest conspiracies of all time.


REVIEW:

Whilst this is first and foremost a thriller, what Philip does best of all within this title is the characters, as they’re not only fully formed but have some great flaws as well as strengths as the stories principle protagonist (Zoe) has to trust those she knows nothing about. It’s gripping, it has some great twists and when you add a masters touch of pace as well as prose, the reader will be glued to the last page in this Dan Brown style thriller. Whilst Brown may be well known for his twists, Carter has taken no prisoners as “he” tempts the adventures with beguiling tricks and misdirection throughout the adventure unfurls.

Finally add to all of this a novel that will keep the reader glued to the edge of their seat to the final page as they try to solve mysteries from seemingly unconnected links and you know that it’s a title that could be this year’s mystery thriller to set your standards by.