I love a good thriller, even more so if the backdrop is a mystery or conspiracy that indeed could be true. Using Noah’s Ark as a historical catalyst, author Boyd Morrison launches a highly entertaining novel into the stratosphere by combining non-stop action with archeological details about one of the Bible’s greatest stories. The Ark is like a theme park ride with a touch of romance and international travelogue rounding out the rambunctious thrills and intrigue.
The story centers on smart, lovely archeologist Dilara Kenner, sent on a dangerous mission to find a man who might help her locate one of the world’s greatest mysteries: the ark that Noah built to survive the Great Deluge. Dilara barely escapes several attempts on her life before finding the man she needs to help her achieve that mission. Tyler Locke is an engineer on an oil rig in the North Sea, and when Dilara finally reaches him, he knows nothing about the Ark - or even the man who sent Dilara to find him. When the rig itself is almost blown to bits, he realizes that he, too, is now part of a bigger and deadlier mystery that must be solved…or billions of lives could be lost.
The story’s trajectory takes the plot into some interesting waters, including religious fanaticism, end-of-the-world doom and gloom and, of course, a deadly plague-like disease with the potential to end life as we know it. It’s all done in a flashy and fun Hollywood style, making it perfect fodder for a summer blockbuster film. The religious undertones are never offensive or offsetting, instead adding a nice touch of historical backbone to the thoroughly modern archeological quest.
The characters are on the mark, the dialog fast and crisp, and the action and pace are true to the thriller genre. This isn’t a groundbreaking book, or one that truly takes the genre to a whole new level, but the level it plays upon is great fun and offers a page-turning read that feels like an Indiana Jones adventure in print.
Whether or not the Ark truly exists remains the fodder for conspiracy radio and reality TV treasure-questing shows. If it does, it’s doubtful its discovery will be anywhere as breathlessly entertaining as The Ark. Buckle up!