Product Description

The new high-concept thriller from the number one bestselling author of The Righteous Men and The Last Testament. Tom Byrne has fallen from grace since his days as an idealistic young lawyer in New York. Now he'll work for anyone -- as long as the money's right. So when the United Nations call him in to do their dirty work, he accepts the job without hesitation. A suspected suicide bomber shot by UN security staff has turned out to be a harmless old man: Tom must placate the family and limit their claims for compensation. In London, Tom meets the dead man's alluring daughter, Rebecca, and learns that her father was not quite the innocent he seemed. He unravels details of a unique, hidden brotherhood, united in a mission that has spanned the world and caused hundreds of unexplained deaths. Pursued by those ready to kill to uncover the truth, Tom has to unlock a secret that has lain buried for more than 60 years -- the last great secret of the Second World War.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #754 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Review
Praise for Sam Bourne: 'The biggest challenger to Dan Brown's crown ! a highly charged, theologically accurate tale' Mirror 'Compulsive reading ! successfully blends ancient teachings with the highly charged ways of the 21st century ! bears all the hallmarks of a blockbuster' Daily Express 'The best thriller I've read in years' Piers Morgan 'More readable than The Da Vinci Code -- the sense of menace is darker and the characters more believable' Esquire 'Sharper and vastly more authoritative than Dan Brown' Telegraph 'A gripping read' Guardian 'Immensely diverting ! a pacy read, constructed with a crisp control of tension and narrative drive' Observer

Daily Express
`Compulsive reading ... successfully blends ancient teachings with the highly charged ways of the 21st century ... bears all the hallmarks of a blockbuster'

Piers Morgan
`The best thriller I've read in years'

Customer Reviews

Steady Start!
Really good book, started off a little slowly for me but once it got going it was up to the usual standards you expect from Sam Bourne - highly recommended!

Gripping read based on a truer than life story
A elderly man is shot dead in front of the UN in New York. A disillusioned ex-UN lawyer is asked to visit the relatives of the deceased and stumbles upon a secret reaching all the way from the Holocaust and some of the darkest times known. Excepting the relationship between the lead male and female characters, the book fairly rattles along and is an easy, gripping read. Other characters come in and out of the novel and are dropped before the climax leaving you with a sense of shadows and unfleshed characters.

The great positive about this novel is that it left me with a desire to find out more about the historical events and people upon which the novel is based. Sam Bourne isn't writing anything incredibly new or original, but for the most part, he is writing it well.

A dark exploration of a tough subject matter
I found this book hugely compelling and it prompted me to buy the rest of Sam Bourne's books.

What impressed me the most was the subject matter that was explored. I found it fascinating and could not put it down - always learning something new and delving deeper and deeper into areas few people have the confidence and sheer nerve to write about. A fascinating read.