From Publishers Weekly
Gregory and Tintori follow their first thriller,
The Book of Names (2007), with another average
Da Vinci Code knockoff. In the near future, MSNBC reporter Dana Landau is murdered in Iraq after the chance purchase of the Eye of Dawn, an amulet believed to have supernatural powers. Fortunately, Landau managed to send off the talisman to her sister, a curator at a New York City museum devoted to the ancient Near East, before the bad guys who want to use it for evil tracked her down. The U.S. government also seeks the Eye of Dawn in hopes of harnessing its potential to solve the energy crisis. Muslim extremists scheming to destroy the Temple Mount in Jerusalem complicate a plot full of overly familiar action sequences and chase scenes. Still, the authors deserve credit for one original element—an underdeveloped attempt to link J.R.R. Tolkiens saga of magical jewels,
The Silmarillion, with the Old Testament.
(Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"The Illumination might invite comparisons to The DaVinci Code. Some similar plot twists aside, this is a better story. More nuanced characters and vastly superior writing quality make for a breathlessly fun read."--The Star-Ledger
"The intrigue is high. The excitement is palpable. The story is priceless. Combining mysticism, history, and fanaticism, this is one thriller that's simply impossible to put down until you've reached the ending--breathless and so well satisfied. Tintori and Gregory are first rate story tellers! " --M.J. Rose, international bestselling author of The Memorist and The Reincarnationist
"Jill Gregory and Karen Tintori return with another extraordinary thriller after their outstanding The Book of Names. Their new novel, The Illumination, skillfully weaves history, ancient art, dark legend and religious fanaticism into a story of high-stakes terror and international intrigue. The excitement stays at a high pitch from the opening scene at the looted Iraqi National Museum to the final sensational twist. A page-turner extraordinaire." --New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston, co-author of The Monster of Florence and The Wheel of Darkness
"Stirring and imaginative. A tense, intelligent, and surprising thrill. Drum tight in execution, fueled by imagination, the plot is as sharp as a broken shard of glass. If you like your tales loaded with intrigue, treachery, and a wealth of secrets you're going to love The Illumination." --New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry, author of The Charlemagne Pursuit and The Templar Legacy
