Black Order - James Rollins

Black Order
James Rollins
William Morrow

Thriller - Action

During the last days of World War II, while American scientists perfected the atomic bomb, Nazi scientists were hard at work on a device that could be even more dangerous. Before the fall of Berlin, they managed to smuggle this experiment out of harm’s way, in order to continue their work. Now, events around the world seem to indicate that the experiments continue to this day.

In a Himalayan monastery, a strange sickness inflicts madness and death on the monks, spurring an investigation by SIGMA force operative, Painter Crowe. In Europe, it slowly becomes clear that someone is quietly, but insistently, collecting the books and papers of scientists such as Darwin. Whoever this collector is, he or she is willing to kill for these materials. Grayson Pierce, another SIGMA member, is looking into this strange series of events. It will take time, and some twists of fate, but eventually, these threads and many more will intertwine to create a fabric of conspiracy and danger, centering on the very origin of life.

Readers who have not yet discovered James Rollins would be well advised to block out some time and enjoy BLACK ORDER, and the rest of the SIGMA force novels. Rollins manages to blend action, intrigue, espionage, and global threats into compulsive reading. He presents scientific theories and facts simply enough that they don’t bog down the flow of the story, but in enough detail to be both interesting and relevant. There will be the inevitable comparisons to Clive Cussler and Dan Brown, I’m sure. But Rollins writes his own blend of action-adventure novel. Readers who appreciate intelligent action won’t want to miss this one.

Rating: 9
July 2006
ISBN# 0-06-076388-4