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The Doomsday Key
| Title | The Doomsday Key |
| Writer | |
| Date | 2025-07-05 22:16:04 |
| Type | |
| Link | Listen Read |
Desciption
James Rollins, the "New York Times" bestselling master of nail-biting suspense and historical mystery, combines cutting-edge biotechnology with a centuries-old secret in an apocalyptic story that reveals where humankind is truly headed"The Doomsday Key"At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. In Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. The three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: all the victims are marked by a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh.The bizarre murders thrust Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force into a race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The first clue is discovered inside a mummified corpse buried in an English peat bog -- a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world.Aided by two women from his past -- one his exlover, the other his new partner -- Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Gray will have to sacrifice one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom.Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint -- an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.
Review
I began read the Sigma Force series written by James Rollins earlier this year. I intended to read one per month to catch up but I fell behind... Finally, I pushed myself to jump back in and read the sixth installment, The Doomsday Key, this week. What a wild ride! If you like action adventure novels with an international thriller style, you'll love these. Sure, there's a lot of suspending reality and looking things up to decide what's real and what's not, but the author also includes a section at the end where he explains all his research, so readers know what's an accurate account of history or technology (or in this case, food production) vs. fictionalized enhancement. On three different continents, victims are brutally murdered and left with a sign burned into their foreheads. Commander Gray and Director Crowe get involved, and there might be a leak in Sigma again. What's even more complicated - it involves Rachel, someone Gray's loved in the past, and she's been kidnapped by a familiar character. Seichan is back, and I LOVE her, even though she can be a bit unstable and evil. There's a charm about the woman, and I really want to know - is she good or bad? All that said, fire and ice are the theme in this book, and it has to do with population control. Which countries support it? What does an American senator have to do with the underground happenings? Most take place in Oslo, a lovely change of scenery for this time of year!One of the most intriguing things I learned was that a sainted man from the 12th century had predicated the end of the world based on a certain order of popes. In his account, which has been lost (or hidden), popes are described with a few brief sentences. The last few in the 20th century have been spot on. That said, did we pick popes based on the fragments of his prophecies, or are we looking for connections to make his wording work? Nonetheless, he predicated up to the current pope (#111 since his time) and then the document basically says the last pope comes and the world ends. But no one knows whether he stopped at 111 and died before writing the rest or whether the 112th pope (the real-life next one) will be the last.Scary! But the book was great. Loved the back-and-forth and all the amazing action. Good to slip back into this genre each month, and I'm back on track to finish the series by this time next year.
