The Exodus Quest

February 1, 2010
At the start of Davis's fast-paced if exhausting second antiquities thriller to feature archeologist Daniel Knox (after The Alexander Cipher
), Knox is strolling through a market in Alexandria, Egypt, when he spies what appears to be a valuable artifact, an earthenware bowl, which the young hawker claims is the “fruit bowl of Alexander the Great.” The bowl, which turns out to be connected to the Dead Sea Scrolls, leads Knox to a dig being conducted by the Rev. Ernest Peterson and his team of earnest young theology students. Peterson, a raging religious maniac, is on the trail of a portrait of Christ and will stop at nothing to possess it. Several corrupt Egyptian policemen, each with his own agenda, create too many subplots to keep track of or care about. Egyptian antiquities aficionados will be happy with the historical material, but those with less specific interests will find the frenzied chase confusing, tiring, and something of a letdown.

Adams's antiquities thriller once again features Daniel Knox (THE ALEXANDER CIPHER), an American archaeologist who stumbles onto an ancient temple near Alexandria. David Colacci's empathetic and fluid narration style reflects the story's emotional highs and lows as Knox learns that he's on the hook for a friend's murder, his partner's been kidnapped, and someone is trying to kill him. The suspenseful action allows Colacci to demonstrate his facility with accents and well-cadenced pacing. His reading brings out the best in a crackling adventure tale involving Nefertiti, Moses, and a hoax that may have some basis in truth. Listeners will feel like they're following Knox's investigation as it happens. S.C.A. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine