Ivan the Terrible, the sixteenth-century Russian czar, had, or so the legend goes, a vast library filled with gold- and jewel-covered books. It was lost to history, but now the CIA has uncovered a terrorist bank account that could lead to the Library of Gold (the novel's title refers to one of the books in the library). The company turns to Eva Blake, a rare-book collector with a troubled past; as the story opens, she's about to go to prison for a drunk-driving incident that took her husband's life. Sprung early from prison, Eva teams up with Judd Ryder, a former intelligence agent with his own troubled past, and the two of them try to uncover the secrets of the lost library. The book is fast paced and exciting, but it's a bit overwritten: the author has loaded her characters up with a lot of baggage, and readers may wonder whether it's all necessary. They might also wonder how it is that an expert in rare books has never heard of the Library of Gold. But these are small quibbles; the book is, overall, a solid adventure yarn. --David Pitt
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
A legendary library, containing written works dating back to ancient Rome and Greece, forms the tantalizing background of this winning thriller from bestseller Lynds (_The Last Spymaster_). When The Book of Spies, one of the bejeweled volumes of the Library of Gold (a rare book archive people have sought for centuries) surfaces, the CIA links a terrorist plot with the library and a cabal of powerful men who have been its keepers. Rare-book expert Eva Blake and former intelligence agent Judd Ryder have personal reasons for joining in the hunt for the library. Eva, released from prison for vehicular manslaughter in the death of her husband, learns that her husband, an authority on the library, is alive. A sniper shot Judd's father, a CIA agent, soon after the father claimed to have learned important information from the library. These two complicated, appealing characters complement the satisfying, conspiracy-laden plot that smoothly moves throughout Europe at breakneck speed. (Apr.)
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From
Ivan the Terrible, the sixteenth-century Russian czar, had, or so the legend goes, a vast library filled with gold- and jewel-covered books. It was lost to history, but now the CIA has uncovered a terrorist bank account that could lead to the Library of Gold (the novel's title refers to one of the books in the library). The company turns to Eva Blake, a rare-book collector with a troubled past; as the story opens, she's about to go to prison for a drunk-driving incident that took her husband's life. Sprung early from prison, Eva teams up with Judd Ryder, a former intelligence agent with his own troubled past, and the two of them try to uncover the secrets of the lost library. The book is fast paced and exciting, but it's a bit overwritten: the author has loaded her characters up with a lot of baggage, and readers may wonder whether it's all necessary. They might also wonder how it is that an expert in rare books has never heard of the Library of Gold. But these are small quibbles; the book is, overall, a solid adventure yarn. --David Pitt