Thursday, March 10, 2011

Altar of Bones by Phillip Carter Review and Probably Giveaway

The Altar of BonesThe Altar of Bones by Philip Carter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”
Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history. Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends." And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda. Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia...where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.

The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob. KGB spies. Presidential assasination. A doomed Hollywood legend. Deathbed confessions. Corrosive power. Shattered families. Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess. The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.

My Take: This book is reminiscent of Dan Brown's earlier works. The story is engaging, the main characters are likeable and realistic-ish. The ending is satisfying.

Ry is in the field (government spy work) when his brother, Dom, calls to inform him that his father has died. Turns out, his dad was not the man they thought he was. He had a secret past that was riddled with blood. On his deathbed, the old man confesses to his son, Dom, in order to keep his sons safe. Not that he cared much or had a conscience. Not a very nice man. Anyhoo, the moment Mike O'Malley kicks the bucket, assassins come to murder Dom and Ry.

Zoe is an attorney working at keeping women in domestic abuse cases safe. She's working her good will when she discovers that her grandmother, who she thought died before she was born, was stabbed to death in San Francisco. She was posing as a homeless woman. Zoe runs to her mother's house where the reader discovers that her mother is the head of a Russian mafia. She's pretty cold blooded and no love is lost between the two. Zoe gets some of the truth out of Anna Larina, her mother. But Anna does not disclose anything regarding the altar of bones.

Eventually, Ry and Zoe wind up together. There are impossible traps, car chases, explosions, gun fights, knives, and some getting jiggy. Although I couldn't understand how Robert Langdon, a university professor, knew how to get out of sticky spots (Dan Brown protagonist), Zoe's history as a mafia daughter and Ry's military and government work explains much of their expertise with guns, driving crazy, and survival.

It's a solid, action-packed thriller. I quite enjoyed it.

So ~ I'm going to go ahead and post a giveaway under the hope that Gallery Publishing will sponsor two books to be granted to readers.  Because I have great faith in these people.  I do.

Ends March 26th

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

great review, would love to win.

Gina said...

Sounds like a thrilling ride indeed. I definitely know a reader or two who'd love to know about it. Thanks for sharing...and happy reading!

Anonymous said...

Great review! This book looks so good!!

Unknown said...

Awesome review hon! Thank you for this amazing opportunity<3

Vivien said...

This sounds like a great ride!!

Anonymous said...

You sound skinny, but I can't be sure :) *Thanks* for the giveaway!
theluckyladybug[at]gmail[dot]com

Jessica ( frellathon ) said...

I loved your review. Glad you enjoyed.

Sheena Gossett said...

Sounds like a lot of fun to read. Thanks for bringing this book & author to my attention.

chamsmama@gmail.com

karenk said...

thanks for the chance to read this fabulous story...

karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

Stacy at The Novel Life said...

wonderful review!!!

CountessLaurie said...

In addition to skinny, pretty and popular, you are witty, intelligent and you married well.

A perfect nightmare for the rest of us :-)

(P.S. The last part was in case Scott was lurking around here somewhere.)

Theresa N. said...

Great review, you've got me hooked.
Theresa N
weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

Laura H. said...

Uhhhh....sure! You're skinny! :-)

BornajhawkATaolDOTcom

Meadowlark Layne said...

You crack me up!

Beyond that, I'm sure you are skinnier, prettier and more popular than me. Hrmph.

rebekah at roscoehill dot org

~Enamored Soul~ said...

Great review, and Nancy, you're so funny. I wanted to choose "No-Please don't sic the Russian mafia on me" just for kicks. In the end, decided against it - only coz I'd prefer the Italian Mafia, please.

Thank you so much for hosting this amazing giveaway!

Email: Enamoredsoul@gmail.com or Enamoredsoul(at)gmail(dot)com

Andra Lyn said...

You are VERY pretty, Can handle whatever life throws at you, and are good at sports :D