Kiss of the Pharaoh (Book Two inthe Case Files) by Mark D. Richardson

Synopsis

An ancient curse and a disease supposedly eradicated centuries ago threaten to decimate the human race.
The medical world is in turmoil as scientists struggle to save lives as all treatments fail.
Jack Case and LARA must find the answer buried in messages in an ancient tongue to unravel the secret, hidden for 3000 years, in the hope that a cure can be found.
Battling through treacherous ruins, inhospitable lands and impossible odds, Jack and his team must overcome modern weaponry and an ancient prophecy with choices that could, if made incorrectly, set the world back thousands of years.

Review

Last year I read The Eagle Legacy, the first book featuring Jack Case, ex-military and now a Special Operative with LARA (Land & Air Reconnaissance Agency), and was really excited when Mark contacted me about a review for Kiss of the Pharaoh. As the title suggests, Jack finds himself in Egypt on the hunt for a cure for a pandemic that is killing millions across the world. Jack is employed along with a team, including an archaeologist, and other military personnel, in decripting an ancient scroll in the hope of a cure. We shouldn’t have guilty pleasures in reading, but mine is definitely this type of action thriller, where the hero searches for lost art, ancient texts, legendary artefacts whilst fighting those who get in the way. These feed my fascination of finding fabled artefacts, and my interest in Classical history including Egyptology.

Kiss of the Pharaoh is an epic and ambitious read at over five hundred pages, but it is such a riveting read that the time flew by and it didn’t feel like a big book. Mark D Richardson certainly didn’t waste any words, there was no rambling and every word was important to the story. Mark’s love of Egyptology shines through in this book, as does his research. I was fascinated by the Egyptian Field Of Reeds, their Paradise where you go if you are found worthy, and the trials of getting there. At times I think I was more excited than the characters on the journey, I was so immeresed in the book, feeling the excitement and fear of the characters as their quest developed. The fast paced, adreniline rush is kept throughout the book, there is adventure, danger and and plenty of action that had me gripped. The world of a pandemic is something we all know well, but interestingly this book was written before we ever heard of COVID, so it feels a familair setting rather than a shocking idea it was probably meant to be.

Jack Case is a character that I really liked catching up with again. We know he is ex-military, but not much about his background. With LARA (Land & Air Reconnaissance Agency) he is part of a team that is paid for different missions; protection, recovery, and security to name a few. Jack is someone with morals, wantng to do the right thing, help those who need it, but his moral code is stretched in this book in his dealings with Gordon Nightly, head of a pharmaceutical company and the man behind the idea of the scroll leading to the Field of Reeds and a cure for the pandemic. Jack is use to working with his own team and I really liked the dynamic Jack had with another ex-military operative Mitch Dawson, who is working for Gordon Nightly. There was the juxtaposition of working for different opponents in the race for a cure whilst also having the military code between them, it added a different dimension to the reltionship between them and the other characters. There are a interesting mix of characters who are trying to solve the clues of the scroll, Professor Faversham archaeologist, who is in constant danger as he is the one who can translate the scroll, Tia his protege, and of course there has to be a villain, or two including Gordon Nightly, his nemesis Caelan Khan who also wants what the scroll reveals and his female assain Gabrielle. All of these character were so well drawn, it was like reading a film adaptation as Mark caprutured the distinct physical and psychological elements of each character and their emotions and beliefs as they are tested in the progression of the plot.

To say that I enjoyed Kiss of the Pharaoh would be a huge understatement, it was absolutly brilliant. Mark D Richardson has created a truely epic read, with a heady mix of action, adventure, thrills and a quest for the Egyptian Paradise. The atenttion to detail, and imagination regarding Ancient Egypt were sublime and I was so involved with the book and characters my heart was in my mouth in places and I was more excited than them as to what came next. If you like your action thrillers then I can’t recommend this book highly enough, and if not I still recommend this book as it is a brilliant story; simply stunning!!