Customer Reviews

Sphinx

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I saw this book in the library, I picked it up immediately as I am both a fan of Robin Cook, and interested in ancient Egypt. This book is not a medical thriller. I'd say it's half way between a drama and thriller.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and read the whole thing over two days. I could hardly put it down. I have personally spent time living in Egypt, and can tell you, Robin Cook has really done his research, making his Egyptian characters come to life, in the way that Egyptians REALLY DO think and act. Most novelists would miss this, as they don't understand the Egyptian personality. This really made the novel realistic to me. I absolutely loved the hereoine, and could really identify with her. I could imagine being an Egyptologist, and going to Egypt in her place. I also liked it that she stood up to her doctor boyfriend, had her fling there as well, and comes out in the end having learned a lot about herself, and about Egypt. A good mix of drama and adventure, sent in modern Egypt.

From the back of the book "Amid the awesome temple in Egypt's Valley of the Kings a fabulous Treasure is waiting to be discovered, a treasure worth dying- or killing - for.

This book contains a little bit of something for everyone. It's a little mystery, adventure and romance. Like the title says, this is not a typical Robin Cook medical thriller. I found the book to be extremely enjoyable. It was easy reading and fascinating. Erica Baron travels to Egypt to escape/get away from a romance that she isn't sure she wants and to fulfil her dream as an Egyptologist what could go wrong. During a visit to an antique shop Erica meets Abdul Hamdi the proprietor who shows her an authentic life size statue of Seti I. But what she didn't bargain for was seeing Hamdi murdered before her very eyes. This starts a trail of intrigue, romance, and danger as Erica decides to help do something about the black market trading of Egyptian antiquities.

As usual, Mr. Cook's characters are colorful and seem so true to life. He brings the story alive and sets the various scenes without wasting words on descriptions. The characters are few and you don't really know who is friend or foe.

Again, don't be fooled. If you're a fan of Mr. Cook and are looking for his usual medical thriller this isn't one. Don't leave it off of your reading list though. For you die hard Cook fans, this is one of his earlier works and may be hard to find. I this book and read it in one day at the beach.

Mr. Cook, this book shows that you definitely have the ability to venture into other areas of writing rather than just medical thrillers. I will be placing this book on my shelf alongside your other novels. You are a great author in my opinion and greatly enjoy your works.

I gave this book 4 stars because I felt it could have been a little more exciting and was just a little slow starting. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys mystery, romance and intrigue.

Other books I have read by this author include Fever, Brain, Outbreak to many others to list here.

Again don't leave this book off of your reading list.

Once I started this book I didn't know if I would like it. I saw it in my school's libary and I thought to myself that I ought read this. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I finished it in less than a week. That is good for me because I am a slow reader. This book is the very best you can find on ancient Egypt and its mysteries.

This was an excellent book. Robin Cook is extremely adept at writing medical thrillers. This book showcases his abilities in a completely different light. Sphinx is a mystery that takes place in Egypt. The book starts out in ancient Egypt with a tale of grave robbing and then takes you to modern Egypt. The book reads well and the characters are well developed. Sphinx got me interested in other books about ancient Egypt and life in the time of the Pharaohs. If you seek a more detailed account of life in ancient Egypt, I recommend Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer.

This was Robin Cook's 3rd novel and it is very different from his rest. This book is about a young college student who goes to Egypt for a assignment and ends up getting more information then she asked for. A cult, a terrorist group, and an ancient entity all add up to a thrilling climax that will make you think for days. By all means, read this book!

This book is an excellent read! It was full of mystery and intrigue, while still keeping the plot believeable. I wasn't sure when I started reading whether or not I would want to read a whole book centered around Egypt and archaeology, but once I got into a few pages I was hooked. I would reccommend this book whole heartedly.

Robin Cook brings us a book of mystery and intrique set in modern day Egypt. Erica is a 28 year old Egyptologist who has always wanted to visit the land that inspired her studies. What she quickly finds upon arrival is that all of her training could not prepare her to deal with the powerful criminal element she encounters. The novel traces her efforts to hunt down murderers, black market traders, and above all, ancient artifacts. But all the while she finds herself in mortal danger not knowing who she can trust...if anyone.

This is not one of Cook's better books. It is entertaining in a mindless kind of way, but the heroine is fairly weak and unbelivable. Certainly in real life she never would have suceeded in her efforts, but that is not necessarily the point of entertaining fiction. Overall, it is a fun read and a page turner, but it is not of much substance. Cook's medial thrillers are the way to go instead of this attempt at historical fiction.

Like all other Cook's books this one keeps you at the edge of your seats . As Erica progresses through the harsh reality of Egypt we ourselves are tranferred into the scene especially if someone like me is very fond of Egyptian history. Its a must read for all fans of Robin Cook.

I thought that this book was very good and enjoyable. None stop action throughout and it also has some cool twists and turns at the end. I really recommend this book!

This book is great!!
It's the first Robin Cook book I've ever read and since reading it, I've read just about all of them.
Excellent story that makes you want to see a movie based on it (I know they made one a while back but I've never found it).
One extremely minor complaint is related to the main character. She's drawn up with as a very intelligient person with a degree from an ivy league school but she makes some very dumb decisions... but I've noticed most of Robin's characters' do this. I'm guessing he does this based on human nature's 'heat of the moment' type bad decision making so I'm considering it not a factor to diminish the book's level of enjoyment.

If you're looking for excellent books, you can't go wrong with Robin Cook, I would rate all his books five stars for real without hesitation!!