Loved this, it was very suspenseful. Could have used a little romance though. ( )

I'm struggling to see what the point of this one was. It didn't seem to be about anything much, though it desperately wanted to.

Sometimes it seemed to be wanting to be Dan Brown, sometimes a Robert Ludlum, sometimes Michael Connelly.

Sometimes it seemed like it might be going into interesting areas, then it didn't. But there was always a long way between any interesting revelations and when they came, they really weren't that interesting.

I think it was about some mad Italian mobster trying to get his hands on a map to the whereabouts of some Templar treasure under the streets of Naples. About the FBI or CIA or Some Other Agency, running an operation to stop him, some professor and The Vatican getting involved and an FBI sketch artist being mixed up in it all. I think. How all that lot was supposed to hang together, I'm not sure, because I'm not sure it did.

The lead character, given this is subtitled 'Sydney Fitzpatrick #2', wasn't up to it either. She was there, but not really developed very much and the main man who might be working for this that or the other Govt agency (I kind of lost count really) 'Griffin', was much more interesting. By comparison, that is.

Then the end, when it finally came, seemed to be a mixture of side-stepping because it knew it really wasn't worth the bother of going through the previous god-knows how many pages (I read it on my iPhone) and getting it over quickly because it wasn't worth…and the other.

It's competently enough written, but lacking excitement, enough tension and pay-off. More of something to measure a proper historical secrets chase novel by than a good one in itself. ( )

This book is quite complex, with many different elements, such as secret societies, ancient codes, bio-weapons, ancient crypts, conspiracy theories, etc. There is so much going on throughout the story that I don't think the reader will get bored or tired of.

The author, Robin Burcell, has worked as an FBI trained forensic artist, so she knows what she is writing about.

The story has plenty of action scenes (ex. car chases), thrills (ex. government moles), suspense (ex. missing people), and mystery (ex. hidden treasures).

There are about 35 characters in total in the story, and about 15 of these have major active roles. The characters are realistic, and I really enjoyed the dialogue in the story.

Overall, this is a great Detective Fiction book that I think anyone who likes reading this Genre of books will enjoy. ( )

Continuing on from the prior book 'Face of a Killer' Special Agent Sydney Fitzpatrick is now an FBI headquarters in Quantico teaching forensic art.

That is, until the mysterious covert government investigator Special Agent Griffin arrives and draws her into a web of corruption, deceit and mystery which commence with the murder of a young woman whose face has been carved off leaving a pyramid of skull behind... and no finger tips for identification either.

From Washington to Rome we follow the new stubborn and shifty Special Agent Fitzpatrick to the hidden chamber of a legendary tomb as she hunts down the fabled treasure of the Knights Templar.

I found the Knights Templar part a bit me-tooish when reading the blurb but the author pulls it off in the book so that it's not sensationalized clap-trap but actually a good story with some unforeseen turns. ( )

FBI forensic artist Agent Sydney Fitzpatrick is on her way to visit family for the holidays when she is called back to reconstruct the face of a murdered girl, a case she has already turned down. The whole thing seems a bit off from the beginning, but when the agent requesting her help, Zachary Griffin, keeps a friend’s murder from her because ‘the case comes first’ Sydney feels guilty and is determined to find out why her friend was murdered.
Zachary Griffin needs Agent Fitzpatrick’s cooperation to get the sketch done and nothing else. She is said to be by the book and won’t cause any problems, only follow orders. Whoever told him that was sorely mistaken. As he boards a plane to Rome, who is in the seat behind him but Sydney Fitzpatrick! She has unearthed more in her short investigation than he thought possible, and put her life in very real danger. He and his team know all the risks, it is what they signed up for, but Sydney has walked blindly into more danger than she could imagine.
Sydney uses all the resources at her disposal including old partners, ex-fiancés and friends to figure this case out. The problem is, she has attracted too much attention and now the people who killed her friend want her dead! Sydney has more questions than answers and the deeper she digs the more questions she has. She agrees to join a dangerous mission, but the stakes may be higher than she expected.
Award-winning author, Robin Burcell, weaves a suspenseful tale of intrigue, deception and historical facts that will keep you engrossed until the last page. This is a book you will not want to put down!

Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine ( )