Date published: January 31, 2012
ISBN: 9780345527806
Thriller
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Publisher
National Research Institute (NRI) operative Hawker finds himself in the middle of an arms deal that has him wondering just what it is he’s missing. When offered lower grade missiles than he wants he opts for a better weapon but the dealer tells him no. As he drives away from the site something doesn’t sit well with him. Something is off but he can’t quite figure out what.
Across the world a former NRI agent, now working for the United Nations is the victim of a chemical attack. At the same time a genetic scientist comes under attack and a renowned archeologist rediscovers an object he thought lost years ago. Each incident on its own is curious, frightening, but taken together, the entire world and life as we know it is at stake.
Answering the call from an old friend, the father of the woman he might have married, Hawker calls on his NRI contact, Danielle Laidlaw to come to the rescue. Reunited once again, Danielle and Hawker set about saving the world yet again. This mission is edged with the growing feelings between Hawker and Danielle yet they do not succumb.
From the towers of New York to the streets of Paris to the sands of the middle east Hawker and Danielle follow the trail of a virus that could be the salvation of the planet or its ultimate demise. With their enemy always a step ahead, anticipating their every move, time is running out. On an island in the Arabian Gulf the pair meet their enemy one last time.
In THE EDEN PROPHESY author Graham Brown takes his key operatives, Hawker and Danielle on yet another death defying adventure and adds new depth to his characters. In the first of the “Laidlaw” series, named after Danielle, BLACK RAIN the pair meets and takes stock of each other. They need each other, but it is a tenuous relationship until they learn to trust each other. In BLACK SUN, book 2, when Danielle is in danger, Hawker drops everything to rescue her, risking his own life for her. There is the hint of something more developing between the two. In book three, THE EDEN PROPHECY, their relationship begins to take shape, but it felt forced to me. Danielle is a totally smart, kick-butt, world wise and snappy heroine. Her mentor, Arnold, does mention her myriad degrees and she does seem to have a bit of knowledge about just about everything. She’s definitely someone you want in your corner.
Hawker is mysterious. Forced into being an outsider and renegade because he backed the wrong horse—doing the right thing for the right reasons but ending up as the wrong doer, he operates under the radar. He too has evolved through the three books from a hard drinking angry at the world former CIA operative to your basic hero. He seems to be falling for Danielle. Unfortunately the blossoming relationship between the two distracted me from this story. They read much better as partners working toward the same goal. They didn’t start out as a couple ala the old Hart to Hart television show but more like the camaraderie seen in say the original Cagney and Lacy or Simon and Simon. Granted those were same sex pairings, but the time has definitely come for a male/female partnership that doesn’t include romance and sex. At times it felt like the author was trying to create a situation like Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but it falls short because there just isn’t a spark between the two. I have to admit I do like Keegan in the mix.
Keegan you say? You’ll have to read THE EDEN PROPHECY to find out more about him but suffice to say, I’m hoping to see more of him…a lot more of him.
The idea of a virus, harking back to Eden, that can not only save lives but prolong them is intriguing. The borderline between using it for death or life is palpable and the competing interests each bring something to the intrigue table.
You do not have to read either BLACK RAIN or BLACK SUN to enjoy THE EDEN PROPHECY. Mr. Brown does a fabulous job bridging the stories to each other so you know who is who without having read the first two. THE EDEN PROPHECY is very much a standalone story. That said, I do recommend the first two books. There is some great action adventure in them and the groundwork for what takes place in THE EDEN PROPHECY.
This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.
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