I wasn't sure I was ever going to read another Steve Berry novel after "The Alexandria Link" because I felt that book was incredibly anti-Semitic. I had felt that Berry had gone overboard with many of his attacks on Israel and Jews. Waiting two years before reading this book allowed me to calm down and give that last book some distance. After finishing this book, I feel Berry is an exciting writer who is able to write exciting action scenes and infuse his stories with detailed historical fact and mystery. That's not to say that I have forgotten the content of his last novel, but I found this one more enjoyable and much less politically nasty. The story really doesn't lend itself to those types of attacks anyway. This story is more concerned with bringing together many strands into one cohesive finale.

Basically, there is the search for Alexander the Great's final resting place along with his lover/friend/companion Hephastion; the desire of a fanatical despot to recreate much of Alexander's conquests by unleashing deadly biological weapons throughout Europe and Asia; the avenging of a death; and a shadowy cabal of powerbrokers out to control world events to their advantage. A lot of sub-plots are moving along quickly towards a great ending. Berry brings back all of the cast from his previous books and allows them to grow while adding new layers and information about each.

Steve Berry is a good writer, and I will most likely read another of his books. I still stand-by the idea that his last book was anti-Semitic and should be skipped. It's not a necessary read to understand this book.