Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb

May 13, 2019
This enjoyable, if over-the-top, series launch from Stringer (How to Kill Friends and Implicate People) opens with a bang as Marah Chase, who earns large fees for retrieving valuable archeological treasures, dodges peril on a mission in Syria. When she manages to escape into Israel, she’s taken into custody on the orders of British spook Joanna Mason, who needs Marah’s help. Islamic terrorists have teamed with the Visitologists, members of a cult who believe that ancient aliens mentored humans in the past, and that the aliens will return once humanity becomes enlightened. Together, they’re seeking the tomb of Alexander the Great, which is reported to house a mysterious weapon of incredible power. Joanna asks Marah to find the tomb first and keep the “relic of mass destruction” out of the wrong hands. Readers should be prepared for numerous stock situations—Marah must evade several deathtraps, and Joanna has to deal with adversaries within her own department. Those willing to suspend disbelief, and who don’t demand novelty, will find this a fun ride. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary.

Starred review from June 1, 2019

The black market for antiquities has grown, and Marah Chase is a treasure hunter, one of an elite group of rogue archaeologists who can name her own price. After a wild escape from a group in Syria, she's arrested in Israel. There, an MI6 agent, Joanna Mason, offers her an opportunity. If she successfully completes a risky job, finding the tomb of Alexander the Great and a hidden weapon, Marah's history as a grave robber will be wiped clean. Marah knows, though, that she'll have to crawl back into her own past and reunite with former lover, Zoe Forrester, to find the clues left behind by Zoe's great-grandfather. This action-packed adventure by Stringer ("Eoin Miller" trilogy; "Sam Ireland" series), fast paced from page one, will remind readers of the drama of Indiana Jones and James Bond as Marah and Joanna try to save the world from a radical group. VERDICT Fans of car chases, flawed, courageous protagonists, and save-the-world adventures should grab this exciting page-turner featuring two take-charge women. Their dangerous quest is as daunting and riveting as any in movies or thrillers.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2019
Archaeologist-turned-relic-runner Marah Chase, who's acquired a "reputation" in the Middle East, rationalizes that the antiquities she recovers and sells on the black market are at least saved and not destroyed. She's running for her life in war-torn Syria, nearly killed by her old friend and former colleague Ryan Wallace, but manages to escape to Israel, where she is promptly arrested. High-level MI6 agent Joanna Mason offers Marah freedom if she'll find the lost tomb of Alexander the Great and destroy the horrific weapon of mass destruction it reputedly contains. This requires Chase to reconnect with her former lover, Zoe Forrester, whose late grandfather was the foremost authority on Alexander. As Chase pursues the tomb, Mason becomes a target in a power struggle in British intelligence. Both women are repeatedly in cliff-hanger situations, unsure of whom to trust, as former friends become enemies, with a power-hungry religious sect at the heart of things. Stringer, author of the Sam Ireland and Eoin Miller mysteries, has a winner here with Marah Chase?pulse-pounding adventure, in the best Indiana Jones tradition, with a charismatic gay woman fueling the action.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)