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Altar of Bones

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 1,290 ratings · 299 reviews

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 wi...more

Hardcover, 640 pages

Published May 26th 2011 by Simon and Schuster (first published January 1st 2011)

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Mar 05, 2011 Benjamin Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, advanced-reading-copy

Reading "Altar of Bones" by Philip Carter was like reading a two-hour movie of the week. It's got everything you could want in a fast-paced action-oriented novel, including car chases, assassination attempts, exposed conspiracy theories, riddles, potentially supernatural elements, sexual tension, good guys, bad guys, (and sometimes you aren't sure which is which)...you get the idea. Everything but the kitchen sink is thrown at you leading to a page-turning read.

"Philip Carter" is a pseudonym fo...more

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May 12, 2013 Dave Freas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not a book I would have picked up and read just on the basis of the back cover blurb. I don’t go for books with an ‘otherworldly’ component. But my wife read it and said I might like it, so I gave it a shot. I was glad she did and I did.

Zoe Dmitroff is heiress to a deadly legacy. Ry O’Malley is seeking the truth about his recently deceased father after learning he wasn’t the man Ry thought. Both are on the run for their lives from people who would kill to possess the ancient knowledge no...more

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Feb 18, 2013 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

The story opens in San Francisco in the present, but the true beginning was in 1937 Siberia. A young woman with an ages old secret escapes from a Russian prison camp. In San Francisco, her daughter is brutally murdered. Now her great-granddaughter is on the run but from who.

There are two plot lines here. One involves the Russian KGB with some American murders of note. Another involves an American billionaire with the same murders. What is the connection?

The young, resourceful great-granddaughte...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Annette Gisby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: conspiracy, thriller, romance

This was on roller-coaster of a book. The term page-turner hardly does it justice. I was hooked from the first page and just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. Some if it I had guessed, which disappointed me a bit, I would have preferred it if the 'big kill' referred to in the book had been a not so famous kill already.

Nevertheless, the writing flows so well you just want to keep reading. It's a different sort of conspiracy, in that the reader knows quite early on wha...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Barbara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, mystery, philosophy, romance-sort-of

Philip Carter's action-packed novel Altar of Bones reads like Matthew Reilly fanfiction as written by a 16 year old.

The book is in need of an editor, as it tops out at 645 pages. At least three chapters are devoted to the backstory of the altar and how it came into the possession of the likable female protagonist, lawyer Zoe Dmitroff, who works for the rights of abused women. The backstory is a bit science fiction-y as it involves the affairs between JFK, RFK, and Marilyn Monroe; oddly enough,...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yet another book I'm unsure how to rate.
I really enjoyed it. It was one of those books that I just couldn't stop turning the pages of. But it wasn't unputdownable because I put it down a LOT.
Why?
Because the plot was rather bland in my opinion. I mean sure, the idea was cool and all that... but I just felt like it was a book about awesome action scenes rather than the actual altar of bones or the film or whatever else.
Everything seemed to take a back seat to them kicking butt.
And don't get me wro...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Carole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Think Jack Reacher meets The Russian Sopranos meets Uma Thurman in Kill Bill and that will give you some idea of just what sort of a roller-coaster ride you’re in for.

Ry O’Malley, battle-hardened ex-soldier learns of his father’s death bed confession to ‘the big kill’ and of a film that he took many years ago and which someone is desperate to find. So desperate that they’ll stop at nothing to find it. His father wants Ry to find the film or they will kill him. But who are they and what is on the...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Mary Chrapliwy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: amazon-vine

This book grabs you immediately by the throat and doesn't let you go until the end. Carter was descriptive, creating scene and character well, without being too wordy. Told in third person, past tense, this story pulls you in and makes you feel like you are there.

I won't rehash the plot here, as that has been covered well already.

All of the above with regard to the high suspense, high stakes nature of the story, there was a plot point that made me groan due to its implausibility. Another issue...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Full of intrigue. A old elderly homeless woman is murdered. But she is not who she seems, she is not homeless and the murdered, although disguised as homeless is a hired assasin. The woman has a piece of paper in her mouth with an address of Zoe, a young lawyer. When the police come to interview Zoe, the intrigue continues. She recognizes the elderly woman as her long lost grandmother. Her mother, an Russian mafia leader, has always told her the story of her mother dying but when Zoe confronts h...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Jim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, thrillers

Despite a slow start, a likable pair of protagonists make this story somewhat enjoyable, and they hooked me before the many insanely improbable plot elements could get me to walk away. I just had to see how things turned out for those two, and they were by far the best thing about this one. Which, in retrospect, wasn't enough to carry the day. Overall, the pacing is extremely inconsistent, with the narrative bogging down more often than not whenever the bullets aren't flying. Even the writing it...more

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May 13, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Altar of Bones is the first novel by Philip Carter, a pseudonym for an author who is "internationally renowned", according to the cover flap and the author description on Fantastic Fiction.

At first glance, Altar of Bones seems like another 'Da Vinci Code'-type adventure in which contemporary beliefs and mores clash with ancient secrets and truths. However, Altar of Bones is nothing like what you would expect -- especially if you use its position on the bestselling list and its cover art to come...more Altar of Bones is the first novel by Philip Carter, a pseudonym for an author who is "internationally renowned", according to the cover flap and the author description on Fantastic Fiction.

At first glance, Altar of Bones seems like another 'Da Vinci Code'-type adventure in which contemporary beliefs and mores clash with ancient secrets and truths. However, Altar of Bones is nothing like what you would expect -- especially if you use its position on the bestselling list and its cover art to come to whatever predetermined conclusion you may have. In other words, it's not just another Da Vinci Codecopycat -- but wildly original and shocking!

The novel combines several main characters and story-lines that connect in the most astonishing way by the end; including the mystery of a homeless woman's true identity as she runs from an assassin, a shocking confession from an old man on his deathbed who mumbles nonsense about "The Big Kill", and a story of how the daughter of a powerful Russian mafia boss makes a few surprising discoveries about her past. These plots are all birthed at a Russian concentration camp in the late 1930s, when a woman takes her sick lover to a secret spot in the mountains known as the "Altar of Bones" to not only escape their impending deaths but also to cure him. Basically, everyone in the novel is out to either protect or locate this powerful "Altar of Bones", which is rumored to be a fountain of youth or source of eternal life.

Not only is the mysterious power behind the Altar of Bones intriguing enough to capture your interest but midway through the novel, Carter introduces a more complex plot that will surely excite conspiracy theorists. The overall plot of Altar of Bones is definitely a guaranteed ice-breaker and great conversational topic -- not only for the conspiracy theories but also for discussion on the very modern and scientific explanations behind the workings of the Altar of Bones itself.

Altar of Bones is absolutely worth your time! All readers will love it no matter what your favorite genre may be and the suspense alone makes the novel a page-turner, not to mention the creativity and complexity of the plot. Now if only I knew who the real Philip Carter is, so I can dive into their other novels!

Has anybody else read novels like this that are similar to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, but much better? Does anyone know the true identity of Philip Carter?

Read more book reviews at http://dreamworldbooks.com.(less)

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Apr 23, 2011 Stacie Vaughan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was quite the book! It literally grabbed me from the first page right until the very end. This book is very fast paced and there’s action on every page. It was not a slow read at all!

It reminded me a little of The DaVinci Code with the hidden icons, conspiracies and all the jet setting to exotic locales. Of course add to that a dash of intrigue and danger and you are in for a wild ride as a reader. There was a lot going on with the plot but the author weaved the story so that it was easy to...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This mystery starts off at a run and never really slows down. I read this exciting and fast paced book in one sitting. This is a tale of what people have sought since the days of Ponce de Leon - a fountain of youth. But in the case of this story not everyone wants it for the good of mankind.

The book flashes back between three generations of women - the Keepers of the secret of the Altar of Bones. As the story progresses the mythology builds as the current Keeper, Zoe Dmitroff (our heroine) learn...more

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Mar 17, 2011 Stephanie D. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Altar of Bones by Philip Carter is a fast-moving thriller with a plot on hyper drive. From the first page to the last, it's action, action, action. The titular altar of bones concerns a Russian legend about a fountain of youth and immortality hidden in the caves of Siberia. From there the plot spirals to include, among other things, the KGB, the Russian mafia, and a presidential assasination. It was hard to find my footing at first because the book started out bouncing from one character's persp...more
Altar of Bones by Philip Carter is a fast-moving thriller with a plot on hyper drive. From the first page to the last, it's action, action, action. The titular altar of bones concerns a Russian legend about a fountain of youth and immortality hidden in the caves of Siberia. From there the plot spirals to include, among other things, the KGB, the Russian mafia, and a presidential assasination. It was hard to find my footing at first because the book started out bouncing from one character's perspective to another and from the present to the past then to the present again. It wasn't until I reached Zoe's, the present day heroine's, narrative that I finally got my bearings.

Loved the part about the Russian legend, guarded by keepers whose duty is handed down from mother to daughter throughout the ages. I loved the breathtaking chases set in San Francisco, Paris, Budapest, and Russia. This is a fun read, keeping in mind that it's the literary equivalent of a Fast and Furious movie. It's chapter after chapter of unrelenting improbable and unrealistic escapes and scenes which have cinematic appeal - but slightly dizzying on paper. The sex scene could be termed fast and furious too - all the more apt because it’s on the hood of a car. I turned the page and thought, "wow it's over already…but they just blew out a tire."

And the hero's ability to speak 12 languages, which enables him to fluently converse with anybody in whichever country they're in is stretching it a bit, especially since he's supposedly a DEA agent. But what do I know. Another thing I didn't really go for was the assassination part, with a new twist on some well-covered ground, but not convincing enough for me.

Altar of Bones has the skeleton of a riveting story - I would have preferred more fleshed out, three dimensional characters and less flash.

The unexpected mystery I really want solved is Philip Carter's true identity - apparently it's a pseudonym for an "internationally renowned" author. Guesses, anyone? (less)

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Mar 10, 2011 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book starts out with an old homeless woman being pursued by a man. The woman knows that if she keeps running, she just might be able to live another day. Unfortunately, the woman is not fast enough. The last words out of the woman’s mouth is…”They didn’t have to kill him…he never drink from the Altar of Bones. I got it back.”

The next scene takes reads back in time to 1937 in a Norilsk prison camp on Siberia, USSR. It is here that readers start to learn more about what the Altar of Bones is...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”
Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends." And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, t...more “They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”
Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends." And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia...where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.

The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob. KGB spies. Presidential assasination. A doomed Hollywood legend. Deathbed confessions. Corrosive power. Shattered families. Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess. The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.

My Take: This book is reminiscent of Dan Brown's earlier works. The story is engaging, the main characters are likeable and realistic-ish. The ending is satisfying.

Ry is in the field (government spy work) when his brother, Dom, calls to inform him that his father has died. Turns out, his dad was not the man they thought he was. He had a secret past that was riddled with blood. On his deathbed, the old man confesses to his son, Dom, in order to keep his sons safe. Not that he cared much or had a conscience. Not a very nice man. Anyhoo, the moment Mike O'Malley kicks the bucket, assassins come to murder Dom and Ry.

Zoe is an attorney working at keeping women in domestic abuse cases safe. She's working her good will when she discovers that her grandmother, who she thought died before she was born, was stabbed to death in San Francisco. She was posing as a homeless woman. Zoe runs to her mother's house where the reader discovers that her mother is the head of a Russian mafia. She's pretty cold blooded and no love is lost between the two. Zoe gets some of the truth out of Anna Larina, her mother. But Anna does not disclose anything regarding the altar of bones.

Eventually, Ry and Zoe wind up together. There are impossible traps, car chases, explosions, gun fights, knives, and some getting jiggy. Although I couldn't understand how Robert Langdon, a university professor, knew how to get out of sticky spots (Dan Brown protagonist), Zoe's history as a mafia daughter and Ry's military and government work explains much of their expertise with guns, driving crazy, and survival.

It's a solid, action-packed thriller. I quite enjoyed it.(less)

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Mar 28, 2011 Giovanni Gelati rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Welcome to Monday! I for one was looking for another day in the weekend, but alas it was not to be. Wham, Monday is here and it is time to get my act into gear. Early in the day I put up my interview with Best-Selling Author John Locke, if you missed it, go back and check it out; there is some good stuff there. Today on the blogtalk show ,The G-ZONE we have Bri Clark as a guest,the conversation should be lively and fun. Tomorrow my guest will be Betty Otter Thompson. Okay the novel that was in m...more
Welcome to Monday! I for one was looking for another day in the weekend, but alas it was not to be. Wham, Monday is here and it is time to get my act into gear. Early in the day I put up my interview with Best-Selling Author John Locke, if you missed it, go back and check it out; there is some good stuff there. Today on the blogtalk show ,The G-ZONE we have Bri Clark as a guest,the conversation should be lively and fun. Tomorrow my guest will be Betty Otter Thompson. Okay the novel that was in my hands, the one that had all that action and suspense, what was it? Oh yeah, The Altar of Bones, here is what lies between the covers:
““They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”
Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends." And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia...where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.
The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob. KGB spies. Presidential assassination. A doomed Hollywood legend. Deathbed confessions. Corrosive power. Shattered families. Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess. The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.”
Good characters, both good and bad, helped carry this novel for me. I am a big fan of character driven fiction and this is just that. The good guys were very good, and the bad guys were very bad: dark, ominous, ruthless, blood thirsty killers, heartless, and campy. Carter seems adept at pushing the right buttons at the time as far as the action and suspense go. It is very difficult to sense that this is the first go around for this author. I liked the whole thing: mysterious conspiracies, love, betrayal, good subplots, fascinating history elements, your basic by the numbers thriller. I liked it, and don’t hesitate to recommend the read.
What are you reading today? Have you checked out our new blogtalk radio show The G-ZONE? Check us out and become our friend on Shelfari, The Novel Spot &Twitter. Go to Goodreads and become our friend there and suggest books for us to read and post on. Did you know you can shop directly on Amazon by clicking the Amazon Banner on our blog? Thanks for stopping by today; We will see you tomorrow. Have a great day. http://www.gelatisscoop.blogspot.com

(less)

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Mar 13, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First off, Philip Carter, is a pseudonym for an internationally renowned author. Although I have no idea who it is, the book reminds me a lot of Matthew Reilly, Steve Berry, or Dan Brown.

The story starts off with the murder of an old lady in San Francisco who holds a secret that goes back to a Russina prison camp in 1937.

An icon that holds the secret to immortality is hidden in a cave that is protected by women known as "keepers". The secret is passed down from generation to generation.

Zoe Dmitr...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Maryann Conner rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first quarter of the book or so I really enjoyed. Then bam, it hit a wall and exploded into a bad action movie. If I'd had any idea what the premises of this book really were, I wouldn't have read it. But the jacket description sounded really good... Granted this isn't the genre I typically read, and clearly I'll have to be more careful in those I choose in the future. Other reviews say the author is an acclaimed one using a pseudonym. I'd bet big money that whoever it is, it's is a man. The...more

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Jun 04, 2011 Ms.pegasus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: lovers of action thrillers

Shelves: thriller, fiction

A high octane thriller spilling across borders from San Francisco to Siberia, ALTAR OF BONES by Philip Carter is perfect for an escapist summer read. Although individual elements feel derivative, like the obligatory car chase in an action movie, Carter maintains such a frenetic pace of danger that the reader is satisfied to be totally caught up in the plot.

Typical of this genre, an impossible conspiracy (actually, more than one) is slowly uncovered. Fortunately, simultaneous plot developments i...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was suppose to be reading Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" but instead found myself reading this book after I left the previous at home and resolutely chose the latter out of all the other to-read books in my trunk. Surprisingly, the book really pulled me into its plot. All of these questions that I just needed to know the answers to: What is the altar of bones?; What's on the film so many people are so desperate to get?; What is the "Big Kill?" How is everyone connected?

The main protagonists -...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Carrie Kellenberger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers, suspense

Zoe and the woman of her family have been Keepers of the Altar of Bones for centuries. Their duty is to protect the altar at all costs and never let its secret be known to the rest of mankand. Our tale takes place is Norilsk, Siberia at a Russian gulag camp. It's there that Lena meets Nicolai, the love of her life and also a war prisoner. Lena helps Nicolai plot their escape, but he becomes sick and she takes him to the cave that holds the Altar of the Bones. She gives him a sip of water from th...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an interesting mystery involving the KGB, CIA, FBI, FSB and, of course, a lot of conspiracy theories that would make the day of Oliver Stone (although I'd say my fave movie was more of Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman). Oh yes, there are at least 3 major conspiracy theories (one of them having to do with Russia and the Mad Monk, the others are totally American) and a few minor ones which make this whole aspect of finding out what the altar of bones was much more fun.

Th...more

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Mar 10, 2011 Joann Downie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One word-Fantastic! This is truly a masterful piece of suspense/thriller storytelling!

It starts in Siberia(brrr)with a young woman who is in possession of a secret. She helps her so called boyfriend escape from the prison she works in, and they end up in this cave. This takes place a long time ago. Jump to the present. An old man,father of 2 grown sons,ends up in the hospital pretty much on his death bed. His one son, Dom is a priest, his other son, Ry works for the DEA. Well the old man wanted...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: espionage, murder-mystery, mysterious-relics

A homeless woman is murdered in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but she keeps her secret and cuts the killer. A man has a heart attack, but passes on a strange secret to his son just before he dies. A priest is murdered in a church for a secret he will never tell. His brother barely escapes a hit squad, but they try to kill him again. All for an old 8 mm film. All secrets lead back to Siberia. Zoe, a lawyer for female domestic issues receives an intriguing and mysterious letter from a woman s...more

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May 03, 2012 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, girls-kicking-ass, guys-would-like, magic, mystery, mythical, some-romance, thriller

I couldn't decided if I really liked this or was meh about it.

I enjoyed the overall plot and I liked the backstory, however there were some loose ends and some things were left wanting.

I actually read the actual book with real-life pages this time around (someone lent it) and whenever I closed the book when I was done with a reading session, I kept seeing the author's name, Philip Carter. Now, the back of the book says distinctly that that's a pseudonym for another author, so I got curious.

I got...more

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May 03, 2012 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you're a Dan Brown fan than this book is better! Recommended to me by a friend and I will be recommending to others for sure. The story starts in Siberia in 1939 when Lena Orlova escapes from a Soviet gulag to her place of safety - a cave containing the legendary Altar of Bones. The story though is present day when Zoe Dmitroff finds out that she is the last in a line of women who have been entrusted to guard the secret of the Altar of Bones. She finds herself thrown into a dangerous quest to...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Yvonne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zoe Dmitroff is a San Francisco attorney whose grandmother was just found murdered. Zoe learns that she is the new Keeper of the Altar of Bones, a real-life fountain of youth deep in the wilds of Siberia.

Ry O’Malley is a DEA agent whose brother was just found murdered. Ry learns that he is closely related to the person that really killed JFK.

Thrown together in a race for their lives, Zoe and Ry must trust each other if they are going to be able to save themselves and the whole human race.

Altar...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Heidi Gonzalez rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ancient secrets, hidden treasures, and the fountain of youth all things that people would kill to learn more about. The secret of the Altar of Bones has been kept by Zoe's family for generations, but Zoe has never heard of it. A murdered homeless woman who she finds out is her grandmother who she thought had been dead for years leaves her a cryptic note and clues to find a treasure that others will kill for.

Ry, an undercover DEA agent comes home from an assignment to find that his father is dead...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Quickie: A fast-paced new thriller. Loved the conspiracy, it was devilish!

Full: Zoe Dmitroff is on the run. She's got a postcard of riddles, a letter from her recently murdered grandmother, and no idea what she's looking for or running from. She's left her entire life behind- her precious kitties and her career defending abused and neglected wives- to puzzle out her grandmother's cryptic clues and discover her own ancestry.

Ry O'Malley is waiting. He's out for blood, but he must unravel the threa...more Quickie: A fast-paced new thriller. Loved the conspiracy, it was devilish!

Full: Zoe Dmitroff is on the run. She's got a postcard of riddles, a letter from her recently murdered grandmother, and no idea what she's looking for or running from. She's left her entire life behind- her precious kitties and her career defending abused and neglected wives- to puzzle out her grandmother's cryptic clues and discover her own ancestry.

Ry O'Malley is waiting. He's out for blood, but he must unravel the threads surrounding his priestly brother's murder and follow his father's sordid history back until he uncovers the truth and sets things right.

But what is The Altar of Bones? Nobody really seems to know- but everyone wants it. In fact, they want it so badly they're willing to kill for it. And they do. Could it be just a hidden altar made of bones and that's all? Or is it something more? Is it even an altar? Or is it what some folks believe- a fountain of youth. Ry and Zoe have to find out the secret of the altar before they're both killed and the secret's either lost forever or lands in the wrong hands.

What an interesting book. There is a lot of action- I mean a lot. I really loved most of the suspense and edge-of-your-seat action, but there were a few times when I had to put the book down because I was simply exhausted from it all. One car chase in particular would have been a sight to see on the big-screen, but felt too long in a book. I lost my steam in that one. I actually sighed and thought, "Okay, I get it. You're being chased, can we move on?" Other than that though, I did enjoy the suspense and mystery surrounding the conspiracy. And what a conspiracy! I can't say much without spoiling, but I can say that I never saw that one coming. It was a fascinating choice.

Ry and Zoe are adorable. I loved them both from the start. Their romance was intense and believable, but didn't get in the way of the mystery. It developed naturally and slowly, as it should.

A little predictable at times, but that wasn't necessarily bad. It would be a great movie for sure.

All in all, I enjoyed reading The Altar of Bones.

4 out of 5 stars.

Reviewed for: Literati's Literary Library (less)

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