Helpful Score: 8
from the back cover -
"Greetings from the dead" declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated near a half a billion dollars' worth of art, gems and artifacts before vanishing...along with his entire collection ...from his mansion in New Mexico.
As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The race is on. If they wish to claim their inheritance they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb.....but they aren't the only ones after it!
A friend at work gave me this book, and I thought it sounded "okay", then i started reading it and couldn't put it down. If you love action, this is the book for you. Great characters, the brother's don't get along at first, a love interest for one of the brothers, wonderful description of the location (don't want to give it away!) an evil bad guy. This book's got it all. I ended up having 5 other people read it in the office and we all agree it would make a GREAT movie!
"Greetings from the dead" declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated near a half a billion dollars' worth of art, gems and artifacts before vanishing...along with his entire collection ...from his mansion in New Mexico.
As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. The race is on. If they wish to claim their inheritance they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb.....but they aren't the only ones after it!
A friend at work gave me this book, and I thought it sounded "okay", then i started reading it and couldn't put it down. If you love action, this is the book for you. Great characters, the brother's don't get along at first, a love interest for one of the brothers, wonderful description of the location (don't want to give it away!) an evil bad guy. This book's got it all. I ended up having 5 other people read it in the office and we all agree it would make a GREAT movie!
Helpful Score: 5
A very exciting book. An archaeological thriller. Reminds one of Indiana Jones movies.
Helpful Score: 2
The was one of Preston's better books. The story is well written and it leaves you wanting for more.
Helpful Score: 2
Fantastic read with unexpected twists and very well-written characters.
Helpful Score: 2
Never finished it. Too Implausible even for a day dreamer like me.
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic thriller!
Helpful Score: 1
One of my favorite authors, this book combines Indiana Jones with Amazing Race-type action and a twist of mystery and intrigue. An excellent read.
Helpful Score: 1
An action-adventure mystery. A good vacation read.
Helpful Score: 1
Cool story with all kinds of action!!
Helpful Score: 1
This is the second book by Douglas Preston that I've read. I really like his books. This book started a little slow but by midway I didn't want to put it down.
Helpful Score: 1
Prestoon is now on my list of authors to watch out for. Good reading and a page turner too.
Helpful Score: 1
"The Codex" is a pretty typical jungle/treasure adventure. However, Doug Preston throws in enough twists and suprises to make it a good read.
Three brothers embark on independent journeys to recover their recently departed father's hidden treasure. Disasters and treachery result in the brothers working together to find the treasure before the bad guys.
The story twists and turns through betrayals,double crosses,love affairs,battles and suprises leaveing the brothers with a fourth heretofore unknown member of the family, a fiance and a medical treasure beyond imagination.
I am a big fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child both individually and as a team. This is a solid handling of the story. Few authors could make this well-used storyline interesting enough to keep me reading till the end. The second half of the book gets more and more interesting and ends on a positive.
The chracters are well developed and the backstory is pretty cool. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure, and especially to anyone who likes Preston and Child.
Three brothers embark on independent journeys to recover their recently departed father's hidden treasure. Disasters and treachery result in the brothers working together to find the treasure before the bad guys.
The story twists and turns through betrayals,double crosses,love affairs,battles and suprises leaveing the brothers with a fourth heretofore unknown member of the family, a fiance and a medical treasure beyond imagination.
I am a big fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child both individually and as a team. This is a solid handling of the story. Few authors could make this well-used storyline interesting enough to keep me reading till the end. The second half of the book gets more and more interesting and ends on a positive.
The chracters are well developed and the backstory is pretty cool. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys adventure, and especially to anyone who likes Preston and Child.
This book was quite enjoyable. A nice mix of Art and Action that has bit of intellectual twist with morals of money and family duty.
Enjoyed it. I think Douglas Preston could write an interesting dictionary.
A typical Preston novel- engaging and entertaing, but predictable in that "oh-- I should have seen that coming" way. A fun ride and a quick read.
Excellent! Fast paced; unpredictable twist; couldn't read it fast enough! One of Preston's best books. Yes, some of the book is predictable and some of it is unbelievable (if you take the time to think about it rationally), but the story and the characters sweep you into the jungle of Central America and before long you can't put the book down.
If you like Lincoln Child's or Douglas Preston's other books, you must read this one!
If you like Lincoln Child's or Douglas Preston's other books, you must read this one!
could not put this book down, a real page turner with lots of action.
Great jungle adventure, with villains ahead, behind, and on all sides!
I found this book to be one of the best ones that I've read written by this author.
This was a great read and highly imaginative.
If you are looking for the usual high quality writing of Douglas Preston, this book is not for you. It reads more like a romance novel.
Extremely good. I picked this up because in the true narrative of Chasing the Thrill, it's mentioned that Douglas Preston loosely on Forrest Fenn. The Codex turned out to be much more engrossing than I expected. It has a jungle quest, a mixed up family, some half-Westerned Indians and of course a treasure hunt with several psychological twists - all good fun.
A father pits his children against each other to find the Codex and they each set off on their own quest to locate it.
This is a great read
Very good - lots of suspense and action!
I enjoyed it - a good quick read.
A good book- very interesting if predictable
"Greetings from the dead." declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing--along with his entire collection--from his mansion in New Mexico. If his sons want their inheritance, they will have to follow the clues to find their father's carefully concealed tomb. The race is on, and Broadbent's sons aren't the only ones after the treasure and the priceless codex--an ancient book of Mayan knowlege that holds the secret even more priceless than all the other treasures!
Awesome book! The cover says "Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Amazing Race", which pretty much sums it up!
GREAT BOOK UP ALL NIGHT TO FINISH
A great page turner with a twisting ending!
Very good book!
One of my favorite authors. I will buy pretty much anything he and Child care to write.
According to my dad: Very good, would make a good movie.
Adventure about hidden treasure and an ancient Mayan codex.
I really enjoyed this one! A great adventure taking a group of brothers to the Honduran jungle in search of their legacy that their father has hidden away in his tomb in an ancient Mayan temple. Of course there is a very wicked bad guy to deal with who is also after the loot. And among the treasure is an ancient Mayan codex that could contain cures or remedies for many of today's illnesses. Great adventure Indiana Jones style! I have several Preston/Child books on my bookshelf that I haven't read yet - I need to get to them soon!
Fantastic book! Maxwell Broadbent is a treasure hunter and tomb robber who disappers from his home along with all his treasures.
As a challenge to his three sons he has buried himself and his treasures somewhere in the world.
it's up to the sons to work together to find not only the treasure but there father as well.
As a challenge to his three sons he has buried himself and his treasures somewhere in the world.
it's up to the sons to work together to find not only the treasure but there father as well.
this was fast moving - easy to picture it as an adventure movie
Douglas Preston does it again with this thrilling adventure reminiscent of Raiders of the Lost Ark. We got family rivalries, a love interest, buried treasure, murder plots, corporate intrigue, and loin-clothed Central American natives, and a pet monkey all rolled into one fabulous read!
This guy is now on my list of "Authors I Have To Read Everything They Have Written", and I hope he keeps writing!
This guy is now on my list of "Authors I Have To Read Everything They Have Written", and I hope he keeps writing!
Excellent suspense thriller set in the jungles of Honduras. A great plot of a rich father that buries himself with all his treasures and challenges his sons to find him!
This was the first of Preston's books (not as part of the dynamic duo) I have read. I really enjoyed it and wish that I had had time to finish it days ago. Instead, I've been stealing time here and there to finally finish it. Well worth reading!
A fast read! A treasure hunter and tomb raider hid his fortune in the jungle and challenged his sons to find his tomb and claim their inheritance. Of course, there's a bad guy after the fortune too!
Entertainment Weekly called it "Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Amazing Race".
It was the first book I've read by this author, but already ordered a couple more. I highly recommend it.
Entertainment Weekly called it "Raiders of the Lost Ark meets The Amazing Race".
It was the first book I've read by this author, but already ordered a couple more. I highly recommend it.
excellent story could not put it down
An entertaining read... Indiana Jones meets the Dysfuntional My 3 Sons.
High adventure springing plenty of niffty surprises alson the way.
Half of the Preston-Childs team, on his own. The story features the usual McGuffin (a plot device that is ultimately irrelevant to the story... classic Hitchcock ploy) method, but a fun, fast read.
Siblings are sent on a wild adventure into the jungles of South America to retrieve their inheritance - but will they get there first or will they even emerge alive.
A fun read, definitely a page turner.
Described on the back of the book as a mixture of Indiana Jones and The Amazing Race.
That pretty much sums it up!
It was an enjoyable book, with a fast paced story line, and humorous characters!
That pretty much sums it up!
It was an enjoyable book, with a fast paced story line, and humorous characters!
Half of the writing team responsible for Relic, The Cabinet of Curiosities and other adventure bestsellers takes a solo flight, as Preston's writing partner, Lincoln Child, did in last year's Utopia. Like Child, Preston flies high and fast, turning in a briskly involving science-based thriller. The titular book is a Mayan artifact containing the sum of that people's knowledge about the medical applications of indigenous plants. The information is worth billions to any pharmaceutical company, but the Codex, along with numerous other priceless objects, was taken deep into the Honduran jungle by dying legendary tomb robber Maxwell Broadbent, to be buried along with him in a secret crypt. Max left instructions to his three grown sons that the only way to get their inheritance will be for them to track him and find the tomb. Max, who viewed his progeny as "quasi-failures," reasoned that by accomplishing this daunting task, the three-a veterinarian, a hippie spiritual seeker and a second-rate professor-will have proven themselves as men. What follows is rip-roaring jungle adventure, outfitted with a nasty villain (a sadistic PI who's also after the treasures), a beautiful blonde (partner to the vet), two memorable Indian characters, hosts of wild animals, terrific atmosphere and cliffhangers galore.
I liked it very much. a good read
Enjoyed book...kept me turning pages...
I was excite about the premise of this story but found it not to be a well written story. The actual Mayan Codex this book is titled after seems to have been an after thought when mentioned most of the time. I have been spoiled by better writers. Take it on vacation or to the beach but don't let it delay you from reading other books. And the monkey is safe as long as its in the Tom's pocket because its not ever in the violent events Tom is in.
From Publishers Weekly
Half of the writing team responsible for Relic, The Cabinet of Curiosities and other adventure bestsellers takes a solo flight, as Preston's writing partner, Lincoln Child, did in last year's Utopia. Like Child, Preston flies high and fast, turning in a briskly involving science-based thriller. The titular book is a Mayan artifact containing the sum of that people's knowledge about the medical applications of indigenous plants. The information is worth billions to any pharmaceutical company, but the Codex, along with numerous other priceless objects, was taken deep into the Honduran jungle by dying legendary tomb robber Maxwell Broadbent, to be buried along with him in a secret crypt. Max left instructions to his three grown sons that the only way to get their inheritance will be for them to track him and find the tomb. Max, who viewed his progeny as "quasi-failures," reasoned that by accomplishing this daunting task, the three-a veterinarian, a hippie spiritual seeker and a second-rate professor-will have proven themselves as men. What follows is rip-roaring jungle adventure, outfitted with a nasty villain (a sadistic PI who's also after the treasures), a beautiful blonde (partner to the vet), two memorable Indian characters, hosts of wild animals, terrific atmosphere and cliffhangers galore. The novel's main weakness is its lack of a strong central protagonist-the characters work more as an ensemble cast-such as Preston/Child have presented in their wonderful series detective, Special Agent Pendergast. Yet as always, Preston delivers the goods in a first-rate beach novel that most readers will be enjoying-at least in hardcover-while looking at snow rather than sand.
Half of the writing team responsible for Relic, The Cabinet of Curiosities and other adventure bestsellers takes a solo flight, as Preston's writing partner, Lincoln Child, did in last year's Utopia. Like Child, Preston flies high and fast, turning in a briskly involving science-based thriller. The titular book is a Mayan artifact containing the sum of that people's knowledge about the medical applications of indigenous plants. The information is worth billions to any pharmaceutical company, but the Codex, along with numerous other priceless objects, was taken deep into the Honduran jungle by dying legendary tomb robber Maxwell Broadbent, to be buried along with him in a secret crypt. Max left instructions to his three grown sons that the only way to get their inheritance will be for them to track him and find the tomb. Max, who viewed his progeny as "quasi-failures," reasoned that by accomplishing this daunting task, the three-a veterinarian, a hippie spiritual seeker and a second-rate professor-will have proven themselves as men. What follows is rip-roaring jungle adventure, outfitted with a nasty villain (a sadistic PI who's also after the treasures), a beautiful blonde (partner to the vet), two memorable Indian characters, hosts of wild animals, terrific atmosphere and cliffhangers galore. The novel's main weakness is its lack of a strong central protagonist-the characters work more as an ensemble cast-such as Preston/Child have presented in their wonderful series detective, Special Agent Pendergast. Yet as always, Preston delivers the goods in a first-rate beach novel that most readers will be enjoying-at least in hardcover-while looking at snow rather than sand.
Douglas Preston at his best. Fast paced, exciting with twists and turns to keep you reading. Can't put it down.
A great story of adventure, intrigue and exploration.
Maxwell Broadbent has buried himself and his half-billion dollar treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If his sons wish to claim their inheritance, the must find his carefully concealed tomb.
Maxwell Broadbent has buried himself and his half-billion dollar treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If his sons wish to claim their inheritance, the must find his carefully concealed tomb.
THE CODEX is enjoyable, an ideal novel to take to the beach.
-AudioFile
-AudioFile
Greetings from the dead, declares Maxwell Broadbent on vedeo tape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance
"Greetings from the dead," declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half a billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing- along with his entire collection- from his mansion in New Mexico. As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the sons wish to claim their inheritance, they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb. The race is on, but among Broadbent's treasures is an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a secret far more important than the wealth of riches among it, and Broadbent's sons aren't the only ones after it.
