Book of Souls [Mass Market Paperback]

Glenn Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

The Library: Only a handful know it exists . . . It holds the world's most astonishing—and terrifying—information . . . But the one book that is the key to the greatest secret of all time . . . is missing.

Former FBI Special Agent Will Piper solved—and survived—the "Doomsday Killer" case . . . and his reward was a forced early retirement. But the shattering truths he learned about the government's most covert operations won't let him rest—and now he's on the trail of a mysterious volume that's been lost for six centuries. This is the book that inspired Shakespeare and the prophecies of Nostradamus, and once Will gets his hands on it, his life will be worth nothing—his death sentence a top priority handed down from the very highest levels of power.

Because there are some truths too dangerous for anyone to know—those that concern the future, world domination . . . and the end of everything.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

GLENN COOPER is the author of three internationally bestselling novels: Library of the Dead, its sequel, Book of Souls, and The Tenth Chamber. He graduated from Harvard with a degree in archaeology and received his medical degree from Tufts University. After practicing medicine, he was the chairman and CEO of a biotechnology company in Massachusetts. He is also a screenwriter and film producer. Visit him online at glenncooperbooks.com.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harper; Original edition (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061721808
• ISBN-13: 978-0061721809
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

SECRET OF THE SEVENTH SON is my debut thriller. It's been translated into 25 languages as LIBRARY OF THE DEAD and I'm amazed to say it's been a top-ten bestseller in the UK, Germany and Italy so far. I've had rich and interesting experiences and I'm drawing on them to make my novels come to life. My undergraduate degree from Harvard was in archaeology and I love to insert archaeological themes into my books. I'm a medical doctor who specialized in infectious diseases and tropical medicine and that's provided a wonderful knowledge base. I've been a CEO of a public biotechnology company so I know how the business world works. I've also written and sold many screenplays and have a film production company, Lascaux Pictures, that's produced a psychological thriller, LONG DISTANCE that's available on Amazon etc. I'm concentrating on novels now. The sequel to SECRET OF THE SEVENTH SON. BOOK OF SOULS, will be released in 2010 worldwide and other thrillers are in progress. I live and write in Massachusetts in one of the oldest houses in America.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exhilarating and exciting, April 1, 2010

By 

sianacap "sianacap" (new york) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Souls (Mass Market Paperback)

Book of Souls is one of those rare great sequels. Library of the Dead, Cooper's smart and heart-pounding thriller, is obviously a tough act to follow, but we quickly go along for the ride as Will tries to unlock the mystery and secrets of the library. I liked the references to the original, which were just enough for someone like me who had read it a year ago and needed a bit of a refresher, while giving newcomers the chance to get in on the action. Plus, in this book, we also get to ponder some fascinating alternative realities for Shakespeare and Nostradamuss! Though this seems to be Cooper's final word on the topic, I can't help wondering what we have in store for us on February 9, 2027. Once again, if you are looking for an intelligent thriller, Book of Souls brings it home. Ignore the one star rating that is only about kindle pricing and has nothing to do with the book.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for a summer page turner? This book delivers., March 31, 2010

By 

Daimion - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Souls (Mass Market Paperback)

I know that we are still only in the first few weeks of spring, but I've just finished my first good summer book. "Book of Souls" is the sequel to "Secret of the Seventh Son" (which I read last year, and highly recommend). If you are a fan of Dan Brown, James Rollins, and the like - you are in the right place with "Book of Souls". If you are going to be stuck on a cross-country flight this week, you can easily sing your teeth in to "Book of Souls" and dispatch the time with ease. If you are going to be stuck at a family reunion over the weekend, this book is a perfect balm for hearing about Aunt Matilda's corn surgery for the 3rd time. If you are just sitting at home, feet up, television off, kids in bed, glass of wine on the coffee table next to you - this is a good book to have in your hands.

I really enjoyed this book. It's an interesting take on the religious thriller genre, and raises some great questions about the nature of choice versus predestination in the world. Cooper leaves the end of the story wide open for another sequel and I hope he takes the opportunity to deliver one. I could see that book going quite a few different directions and would be anxious to see what Cooper would do next in the world that he has created.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars `The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected.', April 9, 2010

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Book of Souls (Mass Market Paperback)

`Book of Souls' is the sequel to `Library of the Dead.' It follows the same ancient library, listing everyone together with their dates of birth and death, but is particularly focussed on one previously missing volume, for 1527, which has appeared at a London auction.

Two groups particularly want this volume: the government who wants to keep everything to do with the library classified, and a group of former employees who want the world to know about the library, and to discover the truth behind the last date listed in the library (9 February 2027). Through these former employees, Will Piper, whom we met in `Library of the Dead', becomes involved in the hunt for the 1527 volume.

There are three separate, interconnected timelines in this novel and the story moves between them. The earliest of these follows the fate of the Abbott of Vecti's priory, after the fire that he believes destroyed the library. The second follows how the 1527 volume ended up separated from the others, and the third is in the present.

I enjoyed this novel as a fast page turning read - 3.5 stars rounded to 4 - although it didn't engage me quite as strongly as `Library of the Dead'.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith