Thursday, March 10, 2011

The Altar of Bones by Philip Carter Blog Tour

Altar of BonesFrom Goodreads:
“They didn’t have to kill him…He never drank from the altar of bones.”   
Cryptic dying words from a murdered homeless woman in present day San Francisco unlock a decades-buried secret that changed history.  Now a pair of ruthless assassins are sent to cut the few living "loose ends."  And a young, resourceful woman on the run encounters a determined man with his own connected past and vengeful agenda.  Forced to partner for survival and answers, a fast-paced and deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, taking them across the globe from the winding streets of Paris to the faded palaces of Budapest to the frozen lakes of Mongolia...where destiny, passion, and further betrayal await them.   
The Altar of Bones has it all: The Russian mob.  KGB spies.  Presidential assasination.  A doomed Hollywood legend.  Deathbed confessions.  Corrosive power.  Shattered families.  Guardians of an ancient religious icon housing a secret others will kill to possess.  The dark promise of immortality. And it delivers on its ambitious premise to leave you stunned and breathless at the end.
This is an interesting mystery involving the KGB, CIA, FBI, FSB and, of course, a lot of conspiracy theories that would make the day of Oliver Stone (although I'd say my fave movie was more of Enemy of the State with Will Smith and Gene Hackman). Oh yes, there are at least 3 major conspiracy theories (one of them having to do with Russia and the Mad Monk, the others are totally American) and a few minor ones which make this whole aspect of finding out what the altar of bones was much more fun.

The altar does take center stage throughout the theories, action and mystery but so does Zoe. The last Keeper of the secret. She doesn't even find out about the secret until she is faced with a mystery given to her by a grandmother she never knew. Zoe's character was also further enhanced by her earlier experiences with family and her job. Her mother became the head of the Russian mafia in her area when she was just a child, and her job helps domestic violence survivors escape their dangerous lives. This made her ability to handle all the dangers believable while solving the mystery. I also enjoyed the characters of Ry who became a partner in solving the mystery as well as a great romantic interest.

I give this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the adventure even though it felt like it was taking so many turns you weren't sure if the mystery of the alter would be solved. The characters in this book were well interesting. Even though there were more villains than good-guys in this story, they also added a needed dimension in the book.

I was given this book by the publisher and no compensation for my review was given.

16 comments:

  1. I'm loving the cover and am a sucker for adventure. Thanks for reviewing this it goes on my ever growing tbr list.

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  2. Thanks for the recommendation, I also love conspiracy theories. This reminds me of a book I read a while ago which was also set in America and involved a conspiracy theory involving the last Russian Zsar and his family who were of course all executed ....... or where they?

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  3. A good suggestion for a rainy day- conspiracy theories are not bad !

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  4. I love a good conspiracy theory! Sounds like this one has a little of everything with the strong characters, good mystery, and an enjoyable romantic interest:) Nice review Melissa!

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  5. I just finished reading this book as well. I enjoyed it for the fun ride, but I thought it jumped around a lot too.

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  6. I love a conspiracy theory story! Thanks for the tip. :-)

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  7. I have no idea at all what FSB is...nope never head about them

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  8. @LM... I know how that tbr grows! :)

    @...Petty... Well, the mad monk is in this one briefly too! :)

    @anachronist... There are several here.

    @Jenny... I think the characters were more interesting than the plot, but it all still works.

    @Stephanie... Yes, it did jump around. I have to admit, it probably didn't notice that because I had a couple of migraines while reading it (not b/c of the book) so I had to stop and put the book down. :) lol

    @Mel... It was all done by one large bunny at the edge of a forest.. Oops! ;)

    @Blodeuedd... FSB is the new KGB! ;)

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  9. hmmm... I wonder if this one would work for the Men in Uniform RC I have committed myself too. What does Ry wear? ;)

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  10. @Missie...lol Such a loaded question for me... Oh the answers I could give! Not fair. ;)

    Actually, he is more like a spy... so no uniform. Heh. Sorry, bad joke crept in my brain...

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  11. Blahahahah! You took the bait.... like I knew you would.

    :P

    If would be helpful if he at least had a clock of invisibility, huh?

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  12. @Missie... YOU ARE COMPLETELY EVIL!! No wonder I like you! :D

    Fine... I like my men OUT of uniform... ;)

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  13. Oh wow. :) Sounds like a great read. :) I like my conspiracy movies too. ;D But I don't think I've ever read any books with it. Thanks for the great review!

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  14. LOL. I just read your's and Missie's comments.

    Great review. It kind of sounds like a complex mystery. Not my usual type of book but it has me interested :)

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  16. Great review -- I also enjoyed this book immensely!
    Here's mine:
    http://centralcaligrrrl.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-blog-tour-for-alter-of-bones-by.html

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