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Marah Chase #1
Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb
Once a rising star in the field of archaeology, Marah Chase is now a black-market treasure hunter, her services available to the highest bidder. But when she’s caught “rescuing” relics in Syria before they’re destroyed by war, an MI6 officer named Joanna Mason approaches her with an offer she can’t refuse: help save the world or rot in prison.
All Chase has to do is find Alexander the Great’s lost tomb, recover an ancient weapon of mass destruction he may have used to conquer the earth, and destroy it before the bad guys can get it. Among those adversaries are a powerful church that believes in a forgotten epoch of advanced alien technology, the white supremacist thugs in its employ, and the rival archaeologist who recently left Chase for dead.
Chase can’t resist a challenge—or the British spy recruiting her. There’s just one problem. If Chase has any hope of unearthing Alexander’s tomb before the forces hot on her heels do, she’ll need the help of the one person she’s been afraid to see since her fall from grace: Zoe Forrester, the heir to a hidden journal that holds the key—and Chase’s ex-girlfriend.
A contemporary homage to the best adventure stories of literature, television, and film, Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb is an action-packed, globe-trotting quest, perfect for anyone who’s ever thought Indy really ought to be Jewish, female, and gay.
All Chase has to do is find Alexander the Great’s lost tomb, recover an ancient weapon of mass destruction he may have used to conquer the earth, and destroy it before the bad guys can get it. Among those adversaries are a powerful church that believes in a forgotten epoch of advanced alien technology, the white supremacist thugs in its employ, and the rival archaeologist who recently left Chase for dead.
Chase can’t resist a challenge—or the British spy recruiting her. There’s just one problem. If Chase has any hope of unearthing Alexander’s tomb before the forces hot on her heels do, she’ll need the help of the one person she’s been afraid to see since her fall from grace: Zoe Forrester, the heir to a hidden journal that holds the key—and Chase’s ex-girlfriend.
A contemporary homage to the best adventure stories of literature, television, and film, Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb is an action-packed, globe-trotting quest, perfect for anyone who’s ever thought Indy really ought to be Jewish, female, and gay.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 2, 2019
About the author
Jay Stringer
32 books130 followersJay Stringer was born in 1980, and he’s not dead yet.
He’s English by birth and Scottish by rumour; born in the Black Country, and claiming Glasgow as his hometown.
Jay is dyslexic, and came to the written word as a second language, via comic books, music, and comedy. He writes hard boiled crime stories, dark comedies, and social fiction.
His first three books, the Eoin Miller Trilogy explored the political and criminal landscape of the West Midlands.
He now writes books set in Glasgow and New York.
Jay won a gold medal in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920. He did not compete in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952, that was some other guy.
Jay is represented by Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
He’s English by birth and Scottish by rumour; born in the Black Country, and claiming Glasgow as his hometown.
Jay is dyslexic, and came to the written word as a second language, via comic books, music, and comedy. He writes hard boiled crime stories, dark comedies, and social fiction.
His first three books, the Eoin Miller Trilogy explored the political and criminal landscape of the West Midlands.
He now writes books set in Glasgow and New York.
Jay won a gold medal in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920. He did not compete in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952, that was some other guy.
Jay is represented by Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 26, 2019
To be reviewed over at Fresh Fiction!
July 24, 2019
Action. Spies. Intrigue and betrayal. Tunnels and sewers under London. What more could we ask for? This was definitely an action story... a little light on the plot construction, and lots of scenes that read like a movie script or proposal. I admit I had a hard time following all the factions and travels, and keeping tabs on where the characters were.
I freely admit I was excited about this book because of one character’s name, and maybe I let that sway me... it was okay, not exactly my cup of tea (I’m not an action reader). Another early reviewer mentioned Jack Reacher - I can see the connection - and there’s an obvious connection to Indiana Jones. And maybe also some Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Han Solo, Richard Kimball, or Rick Deckert... well, a substantially younger female version of all those.
I freely admit I was excited about this book because of one character’s name, and maybe I let that sway me... it was okay, not exactly my cup of tea (I’m not an action reader). Another early reviewer mentioned Jack Reacher - I can see the connection - and there’s an obvious connection to Indiana Jones. And maybe also some Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Han Solo, Richard Kimball, or Rick Deckert... well, a substantially younger female version of all those.
July 17, 2019
In the vein of many of these novels we don't delve into in depth character studies and the action sacrifices probability for fun. As such, Marah Chase and Conqueror's Tomb is precisely what it sets out to be and I enjoyed the hell out of it. If you love action-adventure novels that walk a line between Indian Jones (or Tomb Raider) and the X-Files you'll likely enjoy the hell out of this book. It has me inspired with a stack of similar novels to dig into next (Bill Schutt and J. R. Finch, David Golemon, and Patrick Lee).
April 28, 2019
In Marah Chase and the Conquerors Tomb, Jay Stringer punches you right in the face with a giant boxing glove filled with action and adventure. Right from the gecko, he presents you with a well thought out novel. With helping after helping of historical facts and back story, he brings this exciting treasure hunting story alive with an abundance of thrills, close calls, and crazy twists that you may or may not have seen coming.
As you follow the main character, Marah Chase, around, you soon realize why she is the star of this novel. She's smart, beautiful, good with a gun, and a bit crazy. To some, this might leave her looking a bit rough around the edges. To me, this left an impression of her being the love child between Tom Cruises character Jack Reacher and Aileen Wuornos. She was more than enough to keep you glued to the pages just to see what trouble would walk into her life next.
Along this feat of relic hunting, she surrounds her self with a few colourful supporting characters. First of all, you have Zoe Forrester, brought up by money and a dysfunctional family, Joanna Mason who is probably just as sharp shooting with a firearm as Marah Chase, and Chuy Guerrero, who had the best lines in the story. I enjoyed this mixture of these protagonists as they swirled together like some type of romantic breakfast smoothie. They made the book, not only exciting but added the romantic flair to the plot here and there.
Out of the good guys, I felt Guerrero was one of the most enjoyable characters in the book as he brought a few smiles to my face with his comic relief. It would be awesome to read a whole novel of some of his adventures.
Just like every book, if there is a good guy, there is a bad guy. This book didn't fall short and had some pretty ruthless protagonist. Out of all of them, I found Parish to be the evilest of them all. Jay Stringer hit the nail right on the head when he made this character as he made him into somebody that you wanted to slap silly if you ever saw him in the street.
One thing that I didn't like about the story was that there were too many factions. This could have just been me, but I had to keep it sorted on who belonged to what faction.
Overall, this book is fast paced, exciting, and filled for thrills. The story of the search for Alexander the Great's tomb and the might Aten was a well worth read. If you are a devoted fan of finding lost treasure and a slew of danger that goes with it, give this book a try! Especially if you enjoy reading authors like James Rollins, Steven Berry, or Matthew Reilly.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As you follow the main character, Marah Chase, around, you soon realize why she is the star of this novel. She's smart, beautiful, good with a gun, and a bit crazy. To some, this might leave her looking a bit rough around the edges. To me, this left an impression of her being the love child between Tom Cruises character Jack Reacher and Aileen Wuornos. She was more than enough to keep you glued to the pages just to see what trouble would walk into her life next.
Along this feat of relic hunting, she surrounds her self with a few colourful supporting characters. First of all, you have Zoe Forrester, brought up by money and a dysfunctional family, Joanna Mason who is probably just as sharp shooting with a firearm as Marah Chase, and Chuy Guerrero, who had the best lines in the story. I enjoyed this mixture of these protagonists as they swirled together like some type of romantic breakfast smoothie. They made the book, not only exciting but added the romantic flair to the plot here and there.
Out of the good guys, I felt Guerrero was one of the most enjoyable characters in the book as he brought a few smiles to my face with his comic relief. It would be awesome to read a whole novel of some of his adventures.
Just like every book, if there is a good guy, there is a bad guy. This book didn't fall short and had some pretty ruthless protagonist. Out of all of them, I found Parish to be the evilest of them all. Jay Stringer hit the nail right on the head when he made this character as he made him into somebody that you wanted to slap silly if you ever saw him in the street.
One thing that I didn't like about the story was that there were too many factions. This could have just been me, but I had to keep it sorted on who belonged to what faction.
Overall, this book is fast paced, exciting, and filled for thrills. The story of the search for Alexander the Great's tomb and the might Aten was a well worth read. If you are a devoted fan of finding lost treasure and a slew of danger that goes with it, give this book a try! Especially if you enjoy reading authors like James Rollins, Steven Berry, or Matthew Reilly.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 25, 2020
Waiting for the sequal!
July 3, 2019
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
Right after I finished Stringer's How to Kill Friends and Implicate People , I jumped onto NetGalley to request this -- despite being woefully behind on everything else (including NetGalley books!), curiosity prevailed. I had to know how Stringer would approach this particular premise and character.
What a fun, strange, ride! This is pure escapist entertainment. There's no message, there's no pondering foibles of contemporary society, there's no commentary on social ills (or celebration of social triumphs), just a wild and crazy story about a "renegade archeologist" and a spy battling a cult, a plot to take over the government, and historic artifacts that could easily change the course of civilization. (there is some pretty well-done character growth and development -- which grounds the lunacy a bit)
It's difficult -- at best -- to not mention the Pop Culture Icon that Marah Chase will remind readers of, and I've decided that I'm not up for difficult right now (after trying a few times). Marah Chase is essentially a contemporary, female Indiana Jones -- without the legitimate day job. Circumstances forced (well, forcefully encouraged) her to abandon the more scholarly, accepted archeology and to become a "relic runner" or "gold dog." Someone who finds historic, hard to find, artifacts and sells them to private collectors. It's hard to say just how successful she is at it -- enough to be a known figure throughout the Middle East (to people on both sides of the law), but not enough to get overly-choosy about what jobs she takes.
She's on the run from a group that pretends to be an arm of ISIS to cover up their criminal activities after scooping a treasure from their grasp when a British spy recruits her to go on the hunt for an artifact rumored to be a powerful weapon. I'll leave the details to Joanna Mason as she briefs Marah, but what's driving her to get Marah on the hunt is that she's convinced a powerful church has decided that a. the weapon is real and b. they are close to finding it. Marah's always been fascinated by the researcher they're basing their search on and she's in probably the best position to stop them before it's too late.
All she has to do is find the tomb of Alexander the Great -- a location that has stumped archeologists, treasure seekers, and zealots for centuries -- in the next few days. All she has to do is deal with white supremacist soldiers, faux-ISIS goons, a wealthy and powerful church, an ancient secret society, and worst of all, the granddaughter of the one man in history who may have found (and then covered-up) Alexander's tomb -- her ex.
Marah may be the star of the book -- and her name's in the title -- but don't think that Mason doesn't play as nearly vital a role in these events. While Marah's on the hunt for the tomb, Mason's trying to prevent a bloodless coup from within her own government, one that'll pave the way for the church to take over.
Both of these women seem to be the embodiment of an amped-up Murphy's Law -- If anything can go stunningly, horribly, mindbogglingly wrong, it will -- and usually will involve mortal danger, and then leave you in a worse (and more dangerous) predicament. I quickly stopped thinking that anything would work for either of them and just held my breath until things went from precarious to worse. It's a tribute to Stringer's imagination that he was able to keep that up for as long as he did.
Both Marah and Mason are surrounded by a great cast of characters -- enemies and allies alike. Honestly, either story line would've been enough to keep a novel going and be a lot of fun. You stick both of them together and you've got gold on your hands. I'm not sure this is the kind of story that invites in-depth analysis -- it's the kind of story that invites cheers, fist pumps, and would work best with a bowl of popcorn at your side.
For those looking for the Jay Stringer of the Sam Ireland books, they're going to be disappointed. For those looking for a Jay Stringer using his skills to create a new world, new voice with the same quality, they're in for a treat. His sense of humor is still evident, it just shows itself in different ways -- just as delightful, however. The banter between Marah and her smuggler friend is like catnip to me -- I could read it all day long. The action scenes, in particular, are outstanding -- there's one fight on board a plane that will . . . well, no, I'd better not.
Fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled, adventure with a couple of the most marvelous female protagonists you'll find this year -- Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb is a guilt-free pleasure and a fantastic introduction to what had better be a long-running series.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from W. W. Norton & Company via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this opportunity.
---
Right after I finished Stringer's How to Kill Friends and Implicate People , I jumped onto NetGalley to request this -- despite being woefully behind on everything else (including NetGalley books!), curiosity prevailed. I had to know how Stringer would approach this particular premise and character.
What a fun, strange, ride! This is pure escapist entertainment. There's no message, there's no pondering foibles of contemporary society, there's no commentary on social ills (or celebration of social triumphs), just a wild and crazy story about a "renegade archeologist" and a spy battling a cult, a plot to take over the government, and historic artifacts that could easily change the course of civilization. (there is some pretty well-done character growth and development -- which grounds the lunacy a bit)
It's difficult -- at best -- to not mention the Pop Culture Icon that Marah Chase will remind readers of, and I've decided that I'm not up for difficult right now (after trying a few times). Marah Chase is essentially a contemporary, female Indiana Jones -- without the legitimate day job. Circumstances forced (well, forcefully encouraged) her to abandon the more scholarly, accepted archeology and to become a "relic runner" or "gold dog." Someone who finds historic, hard to find, artifacts and sells them to private collectors. It's hard to say just how successful she is at it -- enough to be a known figure throughout the Middle East (to people on both sides of the law), but not enough to get overly-choosy about what jobs she takes.
She's on the run from a group that pretends to be an arm of ISIS to cover up their criminal activities after scooping a treasure from their grasp when a British spy recruits her to go on the hunt for an artifact rumored to be a powerful weapon. I'll leave the details to Joanna Mason as she briefs Marah, but what's driving her to get Marah on the hunt is that she's convinced a powerful church has decided that a. the weapon is real and b. they are close to finding it. Marah's always been fascinated by the researcher they're basing their search on and she's in probably the best position to stop them before it's too late.
All she has to do is find the tomb of Alexander the Great -- a location that has stumped archeologists, treasure seekers, and zealots for centuries -- in the next few days. All she has to do is deal with white supremacist soldiers, faux-ISIS goons, a wealthy and powerful church, an ancient secret society, and worst of all, the granddaughter of the one man in history who may have found (and then covered-up) Alexander's tomb -- her ex.
Marah may be the star of the book -- and her name's in the title -- but don't think that Mason doesn't play as nearly vital a role in these events. While Marah's on the hunt for the tomb, Mason's trying to prevent a bloodless coup from within her own government, one that'll pave the way for the church to take over.
Both of these women seem to be the embodiment of an amped-up Murphy's Law -- If anything can go stunningly, horribly, mindbogglingly wrong, it will -- and usually will involve mortal danger, and then leave you in a worse (and more dangerous) predicament. I quickly stopped thinking that anything would work for either of them and just held my breath until things went from precarious to worse. It's a tribute to Stringer's imagination that he was able to keep that up for as long as he did.
Both Marah and Mason are surrounded by a great cast of characters -- enemies and allies alike. Honestly, either story line would've been enough to keep a novel going and be a lot of fun. You stick both of them together and you've got gold on your hands. I'm not sure this is the kind of story that invites in-depth analysis -- it's the kind of story that invites cheers, fist pumps, and would work best with a bowl of popcorn at your side.
For those looking for the Jay Stringer of the Sam Ireland books, they're going to be disappointed. For those looking for a Jay Stringer using his skills to create a new world, new voice with the same quality, they're in for a treat. His sense of humor is still evident, it just shows itself in different ways -- just as delightful, however. The banter between Marah and her smuggler friend is like catnip to me -- I could read it all day long. The action scenes, in particular, are outstanding -- there's one fight on board a plane that will . . . well, no, I'd better not.
Fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled, adventure with a couple of the most marvelous female protagonists you'll find this year -- Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb is a guilt-free pleasure and a fantastic introduction to what had better be a long-running series.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from W. W. Norton & Company via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this opportunity.
October 8, 2019
This was my first book by Jay Stringer, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it was going to be different from my usual read, but the blurb really appealed to me. And I'm so pleased I went for it, because I loved it.
This was a complicated story line which I needed to focus on. But that was easily done, because it's a fun action packed tale full of colourful characters. And it is absolutely begging to be made into a movie - the references to Indiana Jones (with an added dash of National Treasure, I reckon) in the blurb are justified, but Marah has her own kick ass way of doing things!
The story begins in Syria, where relic hunter Chase is separated from her colleague and friend Ryan whilst trying to outrun the mercenaries chasing them. And from there, things just get crazier!
Marah is tasked by MI6 to find an ancient weapon with an immense power. A weapon from stories and myth - Hitler and Ian Fleming both get a mention - that it seems actually exists. And The Church of Ancient Science has plans for the weapon that need to be stopped...
I loved Marah. She's very much her own woman, confident, capable and sassy. And whilst she doesn't quite have a girl in every port, she certainly has an interesting love life! I also really liked her pilot pal Chuy Guerrero. He's a charmer with the ladies, and full of tall tales. He's very fond of Marah and their relationship is great.
I can't tell you much about the plot without spoiling it for you! It's full of Egyptian and Greek mythology, some real (if you know what I mean!) and some that the author has made up. All the major characters, and there are a fair few of them, are well drawn and, in the main, really interesting. Some of the MI6 guys are (deliberately) a bit grey though, lol. It's an adrenaline filled story from beginning to end, with moments of genuine peril, when my heart was in my mouth. And there are some epic, and varied, chase scenes!
I loved every minute of this read - it's loads of action packed fun. A great, imaginative story, brilliantly written. I'm not sure if there are any plans for it, but I would love to see more of Marah. Whether that happens or not, I'm very much looking forward to reading more of Stringer's work.
This was a complicated story line which I needed to focus on. But that was easily done, because it's a fun action packed tale full of colourful characters. And it is absolutely begging to be made into a movie - the references to Indiana Jones (with an added dash of National Treasure, I reckon) in the blurb are justified, but Marah has her own kick ass way of doing things!
The story begins in Syria, where relic hunter Chase is separated from her colleague and friend Ryan whilst trying to outrun the mercenaries chasing them. And from there, things just get crazier!
Marah is tasked by MI6 to find an ancient weapon with an immense power. A weapon from stories and myth - Hitler and Ian Fleming both get a mention - that it seems actually exists. And The Church of Ancient Science has plans for the weapon that need to be stopped...
I loved Marah. She's very much her own woman, confident, capable and sassy. And whilst she doesn't quite have a girl in every port, she certainly has an interesting love life! I also really liked her pilot pal Chuy Guerrero. He's a charmer with the ladies, and full of tall tales. He's very fond of Marah and their relationship is great.
I can't tell you much about the plot without spoiling it for you! It's full of Egyptian and Greek mythology, some real (if you know what I mean!) and some that the author has made up. All the major characters, and there are a fair few of them, are well drawn and, in the main, really interesting. Some of the MI6 guys are (deliberately) a bit grey though, lol. It's an adrenaline filled story from beginning to end, with moments of genuine peril, when my heart was in my mouth. And there are some epic, and varied, chase scenes!
I loved every minute of this read - it's loads of action packed fun. A great, imaginative story, brilliantly written. I'm not sure if there are any plans for it, but I would love to see more of Marah. Whether that happens or not, I'm very much looking forward to reading more of Stringer's work.
July 20, 2019
If you like rip-roaring Tomb Raider style adventures, Marah Chase is the heroine you've been waiting for. Recruited by British Intelligence to find the tomb of Alexander the Great and a mysterious, powerful artefact it contains before a quasi-religious cult (obviously thinly based on Scientology, which cracked me up).
The action is non-stop and we get to meet quite a few characters from Marah's past, including her former mentor and her ex, as well as the attractive operative who recruits Marah and is a secondary protagonist in the story, Joanna Mason.
Oh, that's right. Didn't I mention that? Marah's an unabashed lesbian, just as happy to flirt with a pretty woman as James Bond. There's nothing more explicit in the story than a few kisses and closed-door bedroom scenes, but it's refreshing to see an LGBT story in this genre.
The book’s pacing was overall very good, some clever reveals coming at just the right moment; the only issue I had with it was that Chey Guerrera, a smuggler/pilot who is effectively Marah’s sidekick on the principal tomb raiding adventure, isn’t introduced until way too late in the story for the important role he ends up with. Nevertheless, this was a great story and I’d love to read further books in the series. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
The action is non-stop and we get to meet quite a few characters from Marah's past, including her former mentor and her ex, as well as the attractive operative who recruits Marah and is a secondary protagonist in the story, Joanna Mason.
Oh, that's right. Didn't I mention that? Marah's an unabashed lesbian, just as happy to flirt with a pretty woman as James Bond. There's nothing more explicit in the story than a few kisses and closed-door bedroom scenes, but it's refreshing to see an LGBT story in this genre.
The book’s pacing was overall very good, some clever reveals coming at just the right moment; the only issue I had with it was that Chey Guerrera, a smuggler/pilot who is effectively Marah’s sidekick on the principal tomb raiding adventure, isn’t introduced until way too late in the story for the important role he ends up with. Nevertheless, this was a great story and I’d love to read further books in the series. Five stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
June 21, 2019
What a wild ride. This story was action packed from the beginning. It starts off with Marah Chase attempting to smuggle a priceless artifact out of Syria so it won’t be destroyed by a terrorist group. She makes a daring escape into Israel only to be coerced into helping MI6 find an ancient relic believed to be a weapon of mass destruction. It’s a race against time to find the weapon before a terrorist group gets it and uses it to upend the world as we know it. This story has everything a la Indiana Jones including espionage, archeological digs, political intrigue betrayal and evil empires, all the while being a terrific, modern globe trotting adventure. I hope this becomes a series because it has a lot of potential. I really liked it and will read other works by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 15, 2020
Fun adventure with a surprising amount of time spent on the research side of things.
I really liked this and thought the pacing was great with a good split between Marah and Agent Mason.
I liked that the characters didn't need to be in there same place as the time and trusted each other enough to get things done on both ends of the adventure without having to have long expositions about their reasons about why they were doing things in a certain way.
I liked the reveals of who was a bad guy all along, though they were kind of obvious it was fine because it leads to a good conflict.
I'm looking forward to more in this series Also: it was nice to read an adventure where the sexual orientation of the heroes is just accepted by everyone without a lot of fuss or bother. Who cares if someone is gay, straight or bi when they're traveling the world saving civilisation from an ancient weapon of war?
I really liked this and thought the pacing was great with a good split between Marah and Agent Mason.
I liked that the characters didn't need to be in there same place as the time and trusted each other enough to get things done on both ends of the adventure without having to have long expositions about their reasons about why they were doing things in a certain way.
I liked the reveals of who was a bad guy all along, though they were kind of obvious it was fine because it leads to a good conflict.
I'm looking forward to more in this series Also: it was nice to read an adventure where the sexual orientation of the heroes is just accepted by everyone without a lot of fuss or bother. Who cares if someone is gay, straight or bi when they're traveling the world saving civilisation from an ancient weapon of war?
September 14, 2019
Her name is Marah, rhymes with hurrah (accent on the second syllable) and she is self-reliant with trust issues. From the first sentence Jay Stringer yanks me into the story. There isn't a moment Marah isn't thinking herself out of a bad situation. It's non-stop action and the dialogue is quick, sexy, fun, and deadly. From the beginning scene of Marah trying to kick start a stolen motorcycle to get away from terrorists and a military unit the writing is tight. There's no room for unnecessary verbiage. I enjoyed this story and I couldn't put it down. I especially liked that Marah was queer and comfortable with herself. Read this action packed page turner.
September 1, 2019
SO. MUCH. FUN. A jam packed, pacey read that’s like Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider meets the X Files but better. One of the few books that I actually stayed up late to finish. If you like fast paced, plot driven reads this is a must. Can’t wait for more Marah! More Mason too please.
October 7, 2020
Liked the story and characters. It felt very much like a homage to the old style treasure hunting movies, which was exactly what I wanted.
The constant cliffhangers about things I already knew the answer to was a little frustrating, but otherwise, I thouroughly enjoyed the book.
The constant cliffhangers about things I already knew the answer to was a little frustrating, but otherwise, I thouroughly enjoyed the book.
July 3, 2021
Marah Chase is an interesting character, but the action scenes frequently stretch credibility way too far, and I found that the story didn't really hold my attention. Struggled to finish. Great plot idea, but could have been better executed.
July 10, 2019
More Marah Chase, please. Inject it into my veins.
July 15, 2019
A fun, fast read for fans of Indiana Jones.
November 20, 2019
Not what I was looking for.
October 3, 2020
Exploding planes! Landmark destruction! Improbable escapes! Sexy spies! This was great fun :)
June 23, 2022
Absolutely bonkers. It's like reading a Michael Bay movie, but in a good way.
October 8, 2019
The award-nominated Scots-Midlands crime author (who, full disclosure, is my husband) branches out into adventure fiction. Marah Chase – a female, gay, Jewish twist on the Indiana Jones archetype – has been hanging out in Stringer’s brain for a while, and she’s not even the best character in this fast-paced, continent-traversing tale of ancient myths, double-crossing and spycraft.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews