Stones of Fire, by C.M. Palov

July 2009, Penguin

559 pages

Review copy

Thriller

Cushions: 5/5

Daggers: 2/5

Paperclips: 4.5/5

Smiles: 3/5

Overall rating: including content 3/5. Excluding content 5/5 (see note on content at the end of the review).

The Arc of the Covenant (the religious artefact) was found, and lost during the Crusades. For those who wished to wield its cosmic power, they needed the Stones of Fire, a breastplate said to have been owned by Moses, with beautiful gems set in it. It is this breastplate which Edie, a bubbly photographer is called to take pictures for a rather concerned professor. It's not just another assignment for cash - it's one that'll set a bunch of crazed Christians fanatics on her heels, eager for her death. At no cost can she die - if she does, the world could be destroyed.

What I loved most about this debut thriller from C. M. Palov, based around a hunt for a religious artefact (a popular theme these days), was the fact that instead of starting with the male protagonist, Caedmon, it started with Edie. It is Edie's story as well as Caedmon's, and most of the action centers around her. She may not have military or espionage training like Caedmon, but she uses common sense to get herself out of situations I honestly didn't think she could escape. Caedmon, with a shady past uses his unique skills to keep them alive past the first hour of their meeting. Without his expertise, Edie would never have jetted around the globe in persuit of the stones of fire.

There are twists and runs in virtually every chapter, with distinctive voices for each of the point of views shown in the book. The names of the characters could be taken away and I'd still know whose chapter it was. It contains everything needed in a thriller: fast paced action, with an occasional respite. A few explosions, a fair amount of fighting and an unexpected ending. On this alone I give it 5/5.

Content: this is what brings the overall rating down to 3/5. Initially, one of the antagonist's points of view uses coarse language. It suits the nature of the character, but the language used involves a lot of cursing. Themes of rape are dealt with in this book. It's not the content I minded, but the language used. Also, all of a sudden, instead of closing the door on a consenting adult relationship, the event was discussed in detail. It's repeated mention warrants the high paperclip rating. It's more detailed than some thrillers I've read, and puts me off a second re-read (unless I just mark the relevant chapters). It felt a little odd to have this change of direction in the book, for me it just didn't fit in with the rest of the story for there to be such detail.

Apart from that, I would give this book 5/5, with a warning about the adult content.

Like this? Try Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski or Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda