The wisdom of faith. The power of science. The evil of man.
In the U.N. building in New York City, a U.S. Ambassador contracts an unknown virus after opening a threatening letter. In a slum near Paris, a rogue geneticist is found dead, tortured and defiled. His last message, a desperate plea for help, was sent to an old friend and fellow outcast, the ex-CIA agent and former mercenary named Hawker. His final legacy appears to be the fingerprints he left all over the letter to the Ambassador.
Consumed by thoughts of revenge but fighting to see the truth, Hawker teams up with NRI operative Danielle Laidlaw on a quest to find the killers and track down the secrets his dead friend may have lost or sold.
From the streets of Paris to an underground auction in the catacombs of Beirut to the merciless deserts of Iran, Hawker and Danielle find themselves hunting a murderous cult leader whose scientific arsenal could lead humanity to a new Eden—or unleash hell on the Earth itself.
The Eden Prophecy is the first book I’ve read in the Hawker/Laidlaw books written by Graham Brown. My loss. I will be getting my hands on the other two books, Black Sun and Black Rain, as soon as I can.
I need to retire so I can read all the time.
NRI operatives Hawker and Danielle Laidlaw are hot on this case, and they make a great pair. Hawker appears to be the loose canon of this team, driven by a fury that is deep-seated and the result of a hard life with multiple losses. Laidlaw is the level-headed agent, the “company person” who makes every effort to follow the rules of NRI. After all, Laidlaw has to report to her superior Arnold Moore (who must report to those above him). Hawker and Laidlaw are assisted by Hawker’s old comrade Keegan, another loose canon-type with an eye for the ladies.
This story moves as quickly as the geography changes, with Hawker and Laidlaw disagreeing on almost everything. Their relationship is complicated, making the story more interesting, especially when Hawker’s old love Sonia becomes part of the action. Brown explains the Hawker-Sonia back story by using a flashback, and it’s very well done. It gave me just enough information to understand what was up with these characters. The story did not lose its rhythm for me, and most importantly did not confuse me with the details. There seemed to be no wasted information in this flashback, just the facts, so that the current story could move along.
Graham Brown manages to show, rather then tell, what his characters were thinking, feeling, and doing. I felt Hawker’s anger, Laidlaw’s jealousy, Moore’s job stress, and Keegan’s appreciation of a pretty woman as I read this book.
The Eden Prophecy caught me on the first page and kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. Any writer who furnishes me with interesting characters and keeps me wondering what the heck is going to happen next has me hooked. Graham Brown has hooked me, and I will keep an eye out for the next Hawker/Laidlaw book.
I give The Eden Prophecy 5 stars, a must read wow that will leave you wanting more (at least I hope so!).
GET YOUR COPY FROM AMAZON.COM!
Click here for paperback!
Click here for Kindle format!
