The Oracle Code

Thomas Lourds #4

by Charles Brokaw

It was the most renowned and respected shrine in the Roman Empire, the object of veneration by Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Octavian, and a host of other luminaries. It stood for centuries within a sacred precinct the size of a large town at the heart of the greatest Greek city in the world. Yet it disappeared without a trace, creating the greatest archaeological enigma of the ancient world. What became of the tomb of Alexander the Great? Does any part of it still survive? Find out in the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series by Charles Brokaw, The Oracle Code. When word of the tomb's secret location and the treasured wisdom of the Oracle of Delphi it may hold materialize in the code of an ancient scroll in Afghanistan, Harvard linguist and archeologist professor Thomas Lourds must quickly find out. That is if the evil forces that wish to obtain the treasure that the tomb holds doesn't stop him first. Russian President Nevsky and his secret police will stop at nothing to harness the power of what the tomb may hold - power to control the world as Alexander the Great did. When the Taliban catches wind of the discovery they’re also dangerously hot on the trail.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Action, Contemporary

396 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Charles Brokaw is a pseudonym for an author, academic, and college educator living in the Midwest. He’s had a rich and varied life, and is fascinated by history, human accomplishment, and archeology. He began the book The Atlantis Code after seeing an article in a scholarly journal. The piece featured a satellite photo, and pointed out ruins visible in Spain which matched closely the description of Atlantis relayed in the writings of Plato. Because the ruins were located in a famous national park, he was certain they would never be explored. That got him thinking about just what treasures are buried beneath the earth. The result was The Atlantis Code. The book is the author’s first published adventure thriller.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/charle...

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brokaw diversifies in his writing style, or at least story structure, in his fourth novel. Instead of a race to some ancient location to begin a discovery, Brokaw places a strong focus on Dr. Lourdes and his personal life, and this mysterious one woman who has the fine doctor as smitten as ever. When the action begins after the discovery of a set of scrolls related to Alexander the Great, the story moves into its traditional pace with Lourdes on the scene, prepared to decipher whatever is on offer. Both the Russians and Taliban are interested in nothing more than killing Lourdes and taking the spoils for themselves. It is apparent that nothing will stop them from both getting the scrolls or the spoils deciphered therein. Meanwhile, the new Russian president is also becoming nostalgic about the Motherland and moves to reunite all that once was part of the great Soviet Empire, a storyline with little apparent connection to the Lourdes plot. The reader is engulfed in short chapters that tease tidbits out of the larger plot, while learning a great deal about ancient civilizations and BCE history. Brokaw does not disappoint in his presentation of history, but may have rushed the larger story to the printer, leaving the reader with a mediocre feeling in their stomach and less to show in their personal finances.

Having been critical of Brokaw’s past mash-up, making Lourdes a ladies’ man while also being the ideal academic and crime fighter, I was impressed with the shift, at least in this small aspect of the book. The story is too slow to begin and while it gathered momentum, it left much to be desired. This is the first Brokaw book I have read, having listened to audiobook renditions of the others. That may account for my lack of dramatic feel for the novel, though other authors do not leave me as concerned. The Brokaw series concept, a mix of Dan Brown and Indiana Jones with a sprinkling of Sam Bourne’s attention to detail, is decent, though the lack of dramatic interaction with the evildoers left me somewhat unimpressed. His sub-plot related to the Russian Federation provided a distraction from the Lourdes storyline, but lacked much substance and fizzled like a warm glass of vodka.

Thank you Mr. Brokaw for finally reacting to your fans’ comments about the Casanovic nature of Dr. Lourdes. Now if only we could up the ante on the story and mix in a monogamous Lourdes, we’ll have found the ideal novel recipe.

[Paula Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Lourds is back again searching for the mysteries of the past in The Oracle Code. He is in Afghanistan to help out his friend Boris. There is another reason for enjoying his time there... Layla. Layla is an Afghanistan police office that he had developed a relationship with.

Any archeology dig in countries like Afghanistan can be dangerous but his is further complicated by the interference of the Russians. The president of Russian, Nevsky, is set to make Russia great by making her the USSR again. He also has a fascination with Alexander the Great, which leads to in interest with the dig.

Lourds has the help of the Afghanistan police and eventually some help from Russia.

Twists and turns, political intrigue and archeology makes for a great story. It doesn't end the way it was "suppose" to so hopefully there will be another book coming from Charles Brokaw.

[Laine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy books that have relatable characters, fast moving action, plausible stories, and include information and details that expand my knowledge base. *The Oracle Code" ticked all those boxes. It kept me turning pages until the very end. The only thing I found myself bothered by was the way the author included background & relevancy-building details in dialog that didn't seem plausible in an actual conversation between those particular characters (i.e., two individuals discussing details they would already have knowledge of, making the mention of such details mute). This is a challenging skill to master, but it's pretty much the only one the author hasn't fully acquired. I quite enjoyed learning about connections between Alexander the Great and contemporary Afghanistan; and my disbelief was generally suspended throughout the story. This is the first of Mr. Brokaw's books I've read, and I am delighted to have finally discovered him, albeit in the middle if a series. I look forward to reading his other novels, and his future works if they're as entertaining, education, and well-crafted as this one!

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well paced story with interesting characters. This is the fourth book in a series and the first one that I have read. There are some eery parallels with current events in the Ukraine. Like Indiana Jones the main characters have little regard for real archaeology and would rather snatch the desired object and leave destruction in their path. The ending is abrupt, some important parts of the story are given proper endings and some are left dangling--those dangling bits leave potential clues to further novels in the series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this one better than the first three. The stories of mythology we're interesting and entertaining.

[Rosalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this and as always so much information included in the story line. Wonderful way of learning and understanding history.
I really hope that we do get more Thomas Lourds books.

[Pat Mcguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is complicated, with intrigue at many levels when you are Thomas Lourds. Two different factions of Russians along with their hired assassins, chase Lourds who also has ties to Afghanistan and their historic artifacts.

This book shows how the distant past still has impacts on the present. It also makes it difficult for Lourds to be with the love of his life.

As always, action-packed and well worth an afternoon or late-night read.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, author pulls you in quickly with a very interesting historical figure and feeds it with various myths and charachters from acient times. Myth, what's not to love! The primary present day charachters going through the paces, a good formula used many times but entertaining none the less. Worth a couple days of reading. Look forward to the next book.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak

Weakest of the four by far. Never gets started and then just ends. Between the annoying use of the politically correct garbage acronyms of A.C.E and B.C.E and the weak storytelling, I'm much less likely to pick up the next book. Which is too bad as Lourds is an interesting character and I'd enjoy him in a stronger story.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting adventure with Professor Thomas Lourds. This time he’s looking for the tomb of Alexander there Great. Plenty of action with evil Russian assassins and spies and “good” Russian Generals and journalists.
An intriguing book which was written before current events but seems almost prophetic.

[Richard Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure.

Once again a fabulous read. Love the history, adventure and love of this book. Can't help feeling sorry for poor Lourds though. A great read, one I enjoyed greatly. Non stop adventure and action. Who know's what will come next.

[Kristle]

I did enjoy reading this book but I'm also glad that it is the last in the series. Again, the book is filled with exciting adventure and suspense. Then it all gets wrapped up in the last 15 pages; again, the ending fills rushed.

[RICHARD C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought the book was great. Easy quick read, not pulling any punches, and was fun. I also read books 1 , 2, 4 but can't find book 3 listed anyplace to be able to read on kindle.

[DIANNE DIXON]

History

I am a mythology buff so I found this story quite appealing to me.
It was easy to follow as I was familiar with much of the story line.

[Marion Muhoberac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oracle Code

I enjoyed this book. It flows, and entertains. I impatiently await all of the Thomas Lourdes books. Bravo, Tom Brokaw.

[alan cupitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Another great book by Charles Brokaw in the Thomas Lourds series hope more to come and looking forward to reading them

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

More investigation; less archeological work

This was a great book. It's too bad that I didn't read it back when I read the 1st three books!

[gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

Another great book in this series, well written , a great story line and looking forward to the next instalment.

[Ed Chabot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the four books!!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let’s start with the positives - I am pleased to have to say that the author must have been taking notes of what reviewers of the previous books were saying, because he’s made a positive and definite shift away from Lourdes being such a womaniser in this novel. We also had much more of a focus on the protagonists personal life and so he felt a bit more real and detailed and likeable in this book which was great. The downside for me was that this novel, compared to the others in the series, was a very slow starter which left it overall feeling a little bit lacking in my opinion. I still enjoyed it and I was kept interested, plus it does pick itself up further on, but ultimately it still left less of a dramatic impact on me than the other books so I couldn’t rate it higher than I did. All in all, pleasing improvements in characterisation but then losses on the drama and action elements to the writing. Still glad I read it

[Stacei · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow never know what the Greek Gods are up to

This book was so interesting. I learned a lot about Greek mythology and history. It was a story that played on current events and history. I liked the way relationships played a major role in the story. I did not see where this story was going. This is the 4th book in the Thomas Lourds series, but never having read any of them this book stands alone and I don't feel I have missed anything. Highly recommend this book and plan to read the others in the series.

[Mike Dishmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner in the Ben Hope series. The story keeps the reader interested. The locations are fantastic, and takes Ben to places he has not visited in the series. The characters are some that we have met before, and the story takes place a little after the previous release, which makes for some interesting storylines. The truth of the matter is-Don't mess with Ben and those he cares about.

If you are not a fan of Ben Hope, you will be.

[Jack Getz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story but slow to develop

Both my wife and I read this book, and came to the same conclusion. It takes far too long for the intrigue to build enough to keep you riveted. I thought the storyline was good, the writing is fine, and the setting was intriguing, but it took almost 75% of the book before we got hooked. That's not to say this is not a good writer or anything of the sort. It's just that he uses a great deal of color to paint his picture.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe it was that I read the first three books in this series back to back, but in time Thomas Lourdes had begun to drag on and on. I took several months off of this series, and when I cam back to it...WOW! Brokaw delivers a great story with reams of action, Cold War era traps and tricks, and a real Indiana Jones feel to the tomb raider sections. I greatly enjoyed this book.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A suspense novel with events surrounding an archeologist and his friends, the author ties in large world events to what the archeologist is discovering. A good read but not a great plot, this particular book in the series could have been 3x as long if all the plot pieces had been used. It felt like they just threw them in there and didn't explain.

[Teresa l. Yrure · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, I'm sorry the series has ended....I hope this isn't the last of Thomas Lourdes. This book was captivating It was hard to read, my eyes were anxiously rushing forward. ward


I shall continue to follow Charles Brokaw....his books are amazing and absolutely captivating. He is at the top of my li
st of favorite authors.

[KathyK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A great story line, wonderful character development and a page turner that held my interest. I would highly recommend The Oracle Code if you like strong female characters, adventure, intrigue and a bit of romance.

[Laxmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

an archeological mystery

A very good read. Full of thrills and suspense. President Nevski of Russia resembles Putin somewhat. He attacks Ukraine just like Putin. Lots of Greek mythology is embedded in the text. Archeologist Lourdes is looking for the tomb of Alexander the Great.

[Susan]

A rather fast-paced thriller with lots of action....interesting characters and non-stop
Switching plots all over Europe. Russian president Nevsky seems like a full blown study of Putin! Good read.

[Vic Mattes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bizarre out of the blue storylines in the book made it difficult to conceive the ending. Seemed like it got long enough so an ending was contrived.