The Sign

March 9, 2009
Set against a backdrop of ancient and modern religious conflict, this solid thriller from bestseller Khoury (The Last Templar
) explores a number of current planetary preoccupations, from far-right political demagoguery to global warming. While in Antarctica covering the breakup of the continent's ice shelf, TV reporter Grace Logan and her crew are astounded to see a “bright, shimmering sphere of light” in the sky. They film this astronomical anomaly as it runs through a variety of tricks, then disappears. People around the globe wonder: is it a UFO? a sign from God? or some sort of techno trick fashioned by perpetrators unknown? After the blazing sign reappears over the Arctic, a possible link emerges to an old Catholic priest, who has heard on a desolate mountain in Egypt a portentous voice in his head (“Are you ready to lead your people to salvation?”). Unrelenting action and a suitably twisted ending compensate for the clichéd prose.

April 1, 2009
Khoury's third high-concept thriller (Sanctuary, 2007, etc.) features much ado about an apparition in the Antarctic sky. Is it a sign from God—or maybe not so much?

TV journalist Gracie Logan can't believe her telegenic eyes. There she is in Antarctica, doing a piece on global warming when suddenly…OK, what exactly is it up there?"It was beyond understanding, beyond definition." Well, whatever it actually is, it's awesome: big, bright and more than a little scary."It's a sign," says one onlooker as she crosses herself, clearly a believer."Of what?" someone else asks skeptically, thus launching a debate that will grow ever more heated in the days to come. Meanwhile, in another part of the planet (Boston, to be precise), hulking ex-convict Matt Sherwood, currently committed to the straight and narrow, meets with nerdy Vince Bellinger, who is the bearer of shocking tidings. Seeing the televised apparition has activated neurons in Vince's spectacular cognitive apparatus, convincing him that Danny Sherwood, Matt's beloved younger brother and Vince's fellow brainiac, did not in fact die two years ago in an accidental chopper crash into shark-infested waters while working on some extremely hush-hush science project. For reasons beyond the ken of ordinary folk, Vince has become certain that foul play was involved. Before he can do much to explain, however, he too meets death by taser and syringe, a fate Matt narrowly evades. Matt, in whom the blood of action heroes flows, now knows he has no choice but to dig for answers. Not easy. Secret agendas and dueling conspiracies form daunting obstacles, but he presses on to the end of the tunnel, where he'll find Gracie waiting along with the answers, eternal and otherwise.

Uninspired.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from April 1, 2009
Lately, several thrillers (i.e., Tom Knox's "The Genesis Secret") have taken potshots at religion, pitting sophistication and intellect against devotion and personal faith. In a departure from his time-shifting narratives about document-protecting secret societies (e.g., "The Last Templar, The Sanctuary"), Khoury's new novel challenges that dichotomy. During filming in Antarctica, a news crew witnesses a shimmering sphere, unexplainable by any scientific expert. Meanwhile, in Egypt, the broadcast of the event startles a group of Coptic priests, who recognize the symbol as identical to one rendered by a prominent priest visiting their monastery. Is the mysterious symbol a sign from God or a hoax to discredit the faithful? Speaking through Father Jerome, Khoury pitches an eloquent argument for the value of personal responsibility toward one another while maintaining careful stewardship of the earth. This is a thoughtful book with a powerful message and yet also a thrilling read with compelling, well-developed characters. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 1/09.]Laura A.B. Cifelli, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., Ft. Myers, FL

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Khourys thrillersengage the readers mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. His first two novels, The Sanctuary (2007) and The Last Templar (2006), were first-rate adventure yarns, and so is this one. It begins in Antarctica, where television news reporter Grace Logan is shocked to see a sphere of light appear out of nothingness and then, minutes later, disappear. As the world tries to figure out what this thing was, Grace learns of a priest who has apparently been drawing the apparition, over and over, for the past seven months. Was the sphere a sign of Gods presence, or did it have a more earthly explanation, one perhaps connected to a mysterious high-tech project that led to several suspicious deaths? The book has thematic similarities to Douglas Prestons recent Blasphemy (2008), which also approached the science-versus-religion debate from an interesting new angle. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khourys books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)