A friend gave me this book, and when I started reading it I had no clue it was actually part of a series (and in fact the last book in a trilogy within that series). I had noticed it in passing at bookstores and such, and always assumed it was a stand-alone book. So when I began reading it, (and subsequently had the feeling I was missing something big) I looked it up online and discovered the truth.

I think it says something about this book that I still enjoyed it, despite my lack of knowledge about the characters or events leading up to the climax. There's a little of everything in this book...mummy curses, daring escapes from maximum security prisons, mad scientists, rogue FBI agents, diabolical psychopaths with outrageously complicated master plans (fueled by revenge, of course). There are some gothic elements thrown into the mix as well, which kept it from being just your average police action thriller. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for that kind of thing. Throw in a spooky mansion and a dark family secret or two, and you can be sure I'll go weak in the knees. Don't get me wrong, this is far from high-brow literature, but it was definitely fun and kept me on the edge of my seat.

This book has officially got me hooked, and I intend to go back and read the series in order to pick up on all the stuff I missed.