Well, I had planned to do something else with my afternoon but once I got about 10% into this exciting and interesting book, that was that, and 5 hours or so later I hadn't moved... I loved it!
Rand O'Neal, the unlikely hero of the book, is tasked by his grandfather's last wish to destroy a secret and mysterious map. A stranger in a smart suit offers him a whole lot of money for it, and he somehow knows everything there's is to know about Rand...What follows is full of action, adventure, intrigue and excitement as Rand tries to work out who to trust and what to believe, as secrets emerge about his family history and the secrets kept from the whole world.
Well written with likable and believable characters, wonderfully descriptive set pieces, and an entertaining plot line with slight hints perhaps of the DaVinci Code, but not so much it's an issue. I love the 'shadowy secret organisation controlling the world from the shadows' type of thing - why yes, I am a fan of the X Files - and there was a nice little hint of a romance without it being as over the top as some of these books can have a tendency to do. All the characters were great, and I could completely visualise a great film being made of this book one day. It bounced along at a great pace and kept my attention throughout - as I said at the start, I was compelled to finish in one sitting! It works fine as a standalone, but equally there is a second in the series, and I look forward to reading the next one as soon as possible. I would recommend this to anyone and might in fact have to buy a copy for a couple of my immediate family, because I know they'd enjoy it!

-I received a free copy of this book from net galley in return for an honest and unbiased review (and am very glad I did!) ( )