The Temple Mount Code by Charles Brokaw: Book Review

Each generation will reap what the former generation has sown.
                                                             Chinese Proverb

Probably my favorite sub-genre of suspense/mysteries is the historical, adventurous, swash-buckling type that has an Indiana Jones for the protagonist and filled with interesting facts about history and foreign countries.  Yes, I admit, I was taken in by most of Dan Brown's books - the last couple being too cookie-cutter for me to really enjoy.  So when I received Charles Brokaw's The Temple Mount Code with a quote on the front from Deepak Chopra stating "If you enjoyed The DaVinci Code, The Atlantis Code will take you to a new level of mystery, wonder, adventure, and excitement;" I was thrilled to read this third book in the Lourds series.

In The Atlantis Code, Brokaw introduced Thomas Lourds, the world's foremost expert on linguistics, and a man with a passion. A professor at Harvard, he became swept up in a race to find the lost city of Atlantis,Well and nearly died as a result. Now in The Temple Mount Code, Lourds sets out to Jerusalem to examine an ancient manuscript and decode its secret.

An old friend has summoned Lourds there to study an ancient text that has recently been discovered. But Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also wants the same document. Khamenei and many others believe that the book contains the secret that will allow its owner to rule all of Islam and wage a Global Jihad the likes of which has never been seen before.

Arriving in Jerusalem, Lourds discovers that his friend has been murdered and his apartment ransacked. With the help of Miriam Abata, a beautiful Iranian-American Jewish graduate student, he races against the clock to unearth the dangerous document: Lourds is determined to save civilization while his enemies hope to destroy it.

There is certainly quite a bit of adventure in The Temple Mount Code.  Thomas Lourds travels from a significant historical find in the Himalayas to Jerusalem in order to help his friend, Lev Strauss, with an archeological find of epic proportions.

Throughout the book there are many references to Lourds being married to his job.  He has left a string of broken hearts and relationships in order to pursue his archeological finds.  So, when his friend gets a message to him on top of a Himalayan mountain, it seems rather strange he would leave immediately to assist his friend; however, he does explain his departure by stating his friend saved his life. More importantly, it is another mystery from history for him to solve.  This character flaw seems to sum up Lourds - he is shallow and a womanizer, but he is always up for the next mystery.

"You're weak enough to let a friend pull you away from this. {Himalayan find} I didn't think that would matter to you." {Gloria}

Guilt flushed through Lourds, but he didn't say anything. He knew in his heart that it wasn't just the friendship for Lev that was drawing him to Jerusalem. It was the hint of the mystery, all the things that Lev hadn't mentioned, that had pulled Lourds from the temple. (p. 141).

I did not find the plot believable (although, granted, you don't always expect that with these types of suspense/thrillers) but the progression of the book is flawed in several ways.  First of all, the characters are one-dimensional, and I could not find a semblance of likability in any one person.  Secondly, I found some critical plot points about the lost manuscript confusing and misleading.

My other problem with The Temple Mount Code is the way women are portrayed throughout the book.  Granted, Miriam is a Mossad agent, Gloria is an intelligent, archeology student, and Alice is a love long lost and married to one of the evil-doers of the novel.  But, they all just fall at Lourds feet in sexual abandon, it would seem, on every other page.  Not only is Lourds a "man-whore," he does so with little consequence. Sure, fighting the Ayatollah, racing for your life and being shot would be a bit stressful, so Lourds would need a stress-relief, but to have these women act powerless around him really put me off.  Although, a redeeming quality of Lourds is that he did step in to save a woman, twice! ~ even at his own detriment.

The book is fast-paced; however, I had some issues with it that kept me from enjoying it as much as I hoped and that keeps me from being able to recommend it.  If you've read it, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you haven't and you're looking for a grand adventure I would recommend Layton Green's The Summoner or Timothy Ashby's The Devil's Den.  

 Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary review copy.
A tremendous thank you to Jenners at Life...With Books for editing the review.

Sites of Interest: Charles Brokaw | Muhammad/Wikipedia | Buy the Book

Publisher: Tor/Forge | Published November 11, 2011

Genre: Suspense/Thriller | 352 pages | ISBN: 978-0-7653-6069-4

Happy Reading!