Review: "The Doomsday Key" by James Rollins

I don't normally read action/adventure novels; I normally stick to reading fiction or women's fiction. In the case of James Rollins, I make an exception. His fast-paced novels draw you in and before you know it you're at the end of another one of his exciting books! "The Doomsday Key" is no exception to the James Rollins rule.

The book begins eerily enough- it is Spring of 1086 and a small group of the King's confidantes have been dispatched to a small town to investigate what it is that has killed all of them suddenly. When they arrive it is as if everyone has simply died where they have fallen, for no other reason than starvation. Yet when a primitive form of autopsy is conducted, it is found that the bellies of the deceased are full. How is it that one can starve with a full belly?

The story shifts to present day, and we meet up with the Sigma team again, who have been assigned to investigate several seemingly unconnected events around the world. A field growing genetically modified experimental corn has been burned to the ground and the village members murdered. A senator's son was killed in the tragedy and the senator is demanding answers. Rachel, Gray's former lover, has asked Gray to come to Rome to help her investigate why her uncle, a priest, was almost killed in a blast in his church. Seichan, a woman with a past full of double-crossing has appeared in Rome and either wants to help or to hurt Sigma, although Gray isn't sure which one yet. The CEO of Viatus, the company that has engineered and funded the GM corn fields is worried about the demand for food outstripping the supply as the population continues to boom, and he will do just about anything to get his message across. The action just keeps getting better as these stories come together and Sigma searches for 'The Doomsday Key" before it is too late- for them and for the world.

Rollins certainly knows how to write an action-packed novel. There wasn't a dull moment and Rollins, as always, certainly knows how to incorporate eerie facts into his books. He manages to leave his readers with something to think about long after the last page has been read. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves action/suspense novels, or to someone like myself who is just looking for a different read.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for this review copy. You can also browse inside the first pages of the book here.