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Reviews for The Sign
"There’s a fine line between science and religion. Too often that border becomes blurred, or confused, usually through either ignorance or fanaticism, which nearly always leads to conflict. The Sign expertly explores this ever-shifting line of myth and reality. But this book is not a religious thriller. Nobody is trying to destroy the Catholic Church; Christ is not being cloned; and there are no ancient theological secrets that could change the course of history. Instead, Raymond Khoury explores the concept of religion by posing the ever-present question What if? in a unique and appealing way. Protagonists Matt Sherwood, a former car thief (which is interesting in and of itself), and news reporter, Gracie Logan, are who Khoury calls upon to determine if God has finally decided to reveal himself, or is something more sinister afoot? I like that in a Khoury book the title actually means something. That was true in The Last Templar and The Sanctuary, and it is equally true here. The sign is important. This story captivates with plausibility and imagination. It’s fiercely intelligent and equally curious. Khoury casts his fictional world in a dark pall—a fitting atmosphere for his protagonists as they race both time and shadowy instincts toward a scintillating conclusion. The Sign is a rapid paced adventure that delivers equal quantities of story and lesson, neither one suffering in the process. Khoury’s background as a screenwriter shows. He is especially adept at action scenes. His expertly chosen verbs cause the scenes to leap from the page. You can literally feel the blows as they’re landed; wince as the bullets find their marks. He has an intense brand of storytelling all his own. The Sign is a prize to be savored." - Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Charlemagne Pursuit
"Lately, several thrillers (i.e., Tom Knox's The Genesis Secret) have taken potshots at religion, pitting sophistication and intellect against devotion and personal faith. In a departure from his time-shifting narratives about document-protecting secret societies (e.g., The Last Templar, The Sanctuary), Khoury's new novel challenges that dichotomy. During filming in Antarctica, a news crew witnesses a shimmering sphere, unexplainable by any scientific expert. Meanwhile, in Egypt, the broadcast of the event startles a group of Coptic priests, who recognize the symbol as identical to one rendered by a prominent priest visiting their monastery. Is the mysterious symbol a sign from God or a hoax to discredit the faithful? Speaking through Father Jerome, Khoury pitches an eloquent argument for the value of personal responsibility toward one another while maintaining careful stewardship of the earth. This is a thoughtful book with a powerful message and yet also a thrilling read with compelling, well-developed characters. Highly recommended." Laura Cifelli, Library Journal "Khoury’s thrillers engage the reader’s mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. His first two novels, The Sanctuary (2007) and The Last Templar (2006), were first-rate adventure yarns, and so is this one … Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury’s books very much. Given the high quality of each of his novels, it seems fair to say that he may be around for a while." David Pitt, Booklist (Starred Review) "Set against a backdrop of ancient and modern religious conflict, this solid thriller from bestseller Khoury explores a number of current planetary preoccupations, from far-right political demagoguery to global warming … Unrelenting action and a suitably twisted ending …" Publishers Weekly "The Sign” is an extraordinary thriller. Raymond Khoury has a fantastic ability to construct his stories in a way that you never really know where you’re going, and “The Sign” is no exception. It takes some very tough lines on certain issues. You get a spectacularly good thriller with all the twists and conspiracy theories that you could wish for, but at the same time, it makes you stop and think. It has been a long time since I read a thriller that was as relevant to its time, and as meaningful, as this one. Raymond Khoury is already one of my favourite thriller writers, and “The Sign” has only confirmed this. For all those who like an exciting, fascinating and breakneck-paced story with a something more to chew on – read it!" - Ugeavisen Vejle (Denmark) "The Sign, by Raymond Khoury is an intriguing adventure novel. It weaves elements of religion, the military, and science together to create a well-written and descriptive story. This is a very entertaining read. It is fast paced and very interesting. It presents itself as a bit of mystery novel, posing the question of origin of this unique vision … However, there is enough adventure, double dealings, and action to keep the story interesting until the end. The story has very strong ideological underpinnings, both religiously and politically, which can sometimes distract from the story if you have leanings of the opposite direction. However, don’t let this scare you away. The story is worth the read even if you may get a few ruffled feathers. Armchair Interviews says: The Sign is an exciting and entertaining adventure that will not disappoint." Nicole M. Winget, www.armchairinterviews.com "It's always a pleasure to read a book that is both thought provoking and entertaining. Raymond Khoury's The Sign does just that. The novel addresses current issues in a new and unexpected way while not shying from the suspenseful action many people love. The book jumps between several points of view and is set in five main places: Antarctica, Egypt, Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and Texas. The first chapter begins in Grace Logan's perspective. The news reporter is covering the break-up of the ice-shelf in Antarctica with her team when all hell, or heaven in this case, seems to break loose. A bright sphere of light suddenly appears over the chaos occurring on the shelf, and Grace finds herself in the middle of the biggest story of her life. At the same time, all across the world people are flocking to television sets to watch images of the "sign" being broadcast live. In Egypt, Yusuf Zacharia watches in a small bar. Shocked by what he sees, he crosses himself repeatedly. In Massachusetts, Vince Bellinger, a scientist, and Csaba Komlosy, an engineer, toss ideas around as to what the strange phenomenon could be, but are unable to explain it using existing technologies. With no obvious scientific explanation for the sighting, the public turns to religion. It appears that God has sent a sign to the world. It's the mystery and wonder behind the ideas this novel presents that make it so thrilling. The book opens the mind and encourages the consideration of other people's viewpoints. Khoury challenges the reader to take a look at his or her own actions and beliefs and analyze their effects both on others and the world around us." - Ellen Godbey, The Anniston Star
Reviews for Sanctuary "[THE SANCTUARY] may be the most ambitious fictional work of 2007...enough adventure, excitement and speculation to fill three books." "Here is one of those novels that spans centuries, interweaves stories from past and present, and involves a brave hero trying to uncover the truth behind an ancient conspiracy that unnamed individuals will kill to protect. It's hardly a new premise, but here's the good thing: in Khoury's hands, it feels fresh and exciting again. When archaeology professor Evelyn Bishop is kidnapped, her daughter, Mia, vows to find her and to find the secret behind the artifacts that apparently led to Evelyn's abduction. Her odyssey takes her into unexpected corners of history, quickly putting her own life at risk. The action takes place mostly in Iraq but also journeys to eighteenth-century Italy and present-day Lebanon. The large cast of characters includes plenty of villainous types, including "the hakeem," a doctor whose grisly medical experiments seem linked to a centuries-old mystery. There are dozens of ways this novel could have collapsed under its own narrative weight, but Khoury makes the conspiracy feel utterly believable and imbues his characters with infectious passion for finding the truth. A surefire hit with fans of conspiracy-based historical thrillers." David Pitt, Booklist "Remember the impact of The Last Templar? Well, here we go again. More dual time (1750 and 2003), this explores the secret of human longevity. Terrific Stuff." Sarah Broadhurst, Bookseller Magazine (UK) "Chases, shoot-outs, kidnappings and suspense: nothing is missing from this breathless blockbuster." LIRE Magazine (France) "Khoury maintains a perfectly-judged balance between convincing realism and conspiracy theory run amok. Brilliant entertainment for your next holiday read." Politiken (Denmark) "Much more than a novel, The Sanctuary is a fabulous voyage." City Strass newspaper (France) "A woman searching for her history, a race against death across the globe, Raymond Khoury doesn’t leave us a moment’s rest! As in The Last Templar, he plunges us into the mysteries of history on the trail of one of humanity’s best kept secrets. And I know, like me, you’re going to have a hard time putting the book down before you finish it!" Guillaume Musso, for France-Loisirs Magazine (France) "Khoury's specialty is melding extensive historical research into a blockbuster thriller narrative, and that is a trick he pulls off again in his new book. From a sinister experimental camp in Saddam's Baghdad to every dark corner of the globe, Khoury ensures that the pace never relents." The Good Book Guide (UK)
"Screenwriter Raymond Khoury won great reviews for his rollicking debut, The Last Templar, and the signs are that he will achieve more of the same with this one. Ancient, mysterious clues mingle with the latest scientific advances in this cinematic thriller. The pace is fast, the dialogue sharp, the characters plausible. Khoury knows what he is doing." Glasgow Evening Times (Scotland) "The scenes set in Lebanon are atmospheric, and the author catches well the febrile aura of that beautiful and troubled country. Khoury is a screenwriter and the novel's tight construction and hyper-fast pacing owe an obvious debt to that discipline. Comparisons with Dan Brown are inevitable but, in truth, Khoury is a much better writer. Overall, the book delivers a high-octane rollercoaster ride of thrills and spills." Hugh Bonar, The Irish Mail on Sunday "For those who live ancient secrets, Raymond Khoury's SANCTUARY makes smashing listening. Lauren Lefkow's reading perfectly matches the non-stop action." Kati Nicholl, Daily Express (UK) Reviews for The Last Templar "Fans of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code who are searching for another outstanding historical thriller need look no further than Raymond Khoury's spectacular debut novel... An insanely fast paced thriller that includes breathtaking twists and jaw-dropping bombshells on practically every page... the highly volatile subject matter discussed within The Last Templar will spark endless hours of heated debate -- and the conclusion (oh, the brilliant conclusion!) will leave readers absolutely dumbstruck." "What's the next Da Vinci Code? To satisfy your historical-thriller cravings until Dan Brown's next novel, read The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury -- as suspenseful, and with a female lead." Glamour Magazine
(USA) "The novel is full of water cooler moments. For example, after reading just a few pages you will never walk past New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art again without looking toward Central Park in expectation of seeing four foreboding mounted knights riding out, lances at the ready... Khoury's extensive screenwriting experience holds him in good stead here. His narrative vision is cinematic in scope, so the story unfolds like a seamless film reel across the imagination. Any reader encountering The Last Templar will want 1) a film version, and 2) more novels from Khoury, not necessarily in that order. Recommended." "There's no doubt that Khoury's Last Templar has one of the most gripping opening scenes among recent thrillers... Khoury is a screenwriter, and his story is nothing if not cinematic, as it skips across three continents and climaxes with a storm at sea of biblical proportions. A nice twist at the end spins the Christian history everyone's been chasing." Booklist
"With 'Templar' in the title, this debut novel will inevitably draw comparisons to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Set in post-9/11 New York City, the action begins with a daring raid on the Metropolitan Museum of Art by four horsemen during the gala opening of an exhibition of Vatican treasures. When one of the witnesses to the crime, archaeologist Tess Chaykin, recognizes that the bandits masqueraded as Knights Templar, Chaykin and FBI agent Sean Reilly become involved in an intrigue whose roots date back to the 1291 fall of Jerusalem. Among the artifacts stolen from the museum is a rare rotor encoder. What will it decode? Can Chaykin and Reilly authenticate certain Templar assertions? How far will the Vatican go to protect the faithful? Khoury proffers a unique Templar secret and a subsequent Vatican cover-up that, if revealed, would change Christendom forever. For those fatigued by the recent spate of Mary Magdalene/Holy Grail books, this novel will come as a welcome relief. Recommended for most popular fiction collections." Library Journal
"The Last Templar is a fast-paced, highly cinematic romp through several continents in search of the infamous Knights Templar secret treasure… Enjoyable stuff… The Last Templar grips and is a perfect summer read for those for whom Dan Brown was the start but not the finish." The Sunday Express
(UK) "If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you'll adore The Last Templar. If you hated The Da Vinci Code, you'll adore The Last Templar." LIRE Magazine (France)
Click here for full review "…a magnificent cocktail of detective work, romance and religious-historical speculations in spectacular settings… " "Raymond Khoury uses one of his few breaks in this fastpaced story to send an ironic greeting to The Da Vinci Code and all the esoteric, pseudo-historical controversy surrounding Dan Brown's novel, after which, to great effect and in an extraordinarily entertaining style, he manages to outdo Dan Brown with an even more magnificent parahistorical story. Based on the extensive and colorful mythology surrounding the Templars, Khoury unfolds a ingenious mystery with two parallel tracks... The result is a magnificent cocktail of detective work, romance and religious-historical speculations in spectacular settings from the sewers in New York to the Vatican and a flooded medieval village in Turkey. It is splendid, exciting, and compared to The Da Vinci Code, which it would be rather disingenuous not to mention here, Khoury's characters are, if not totally credible, then furnished with a lot more depth and humour than Dan Brown's. Their arguments about faith versus science are fascinating, and their debate about what to do with 'The Ultimate Truth,' if and when they find it, is of a profundity rarely found in popular fiction." "Entertaining, gripping, exciting and funny... A thoroughbred renaissance racer." Sentura
(Denmark) "Not only is it extremely exciting, but the book also gives us solid, in-depth depictions of its lead characters, FBI Agent Sean Reilly and archaeologist Tess Chaykin… Khoury doesn't hold anything back when inviting us along their struggle to get hold of a lost testimony from the very early times of Christianity: murders, car chases and a nailbitingly exciting diving expedition, together with separate chapters depicting the titular last Templar's desperate struggle after leaving the Holy Land in 1291. The book's readers will be literally bolted to their chairs. "Khoury's twist is that he mixes solid action and a touch of romance with a well-written, highly insightful debate on religion and faith, where Tess, schooled in reason and a scientific skeptic, has to confront the faith Reilly so strongly believes in. To what lengths is is it morally permissible to go in order to preserve an illusion, and does this illusion ultimately serve a greater purpose? Is it acceptable to deceive millions of people who have little more than faith to lean on in a world of poverty and suppression? Or is religion in itself suppressive? … It's been a long time since I read a thriller with as much substance as in Raymond Khoury's The Last Templar. Other overrated bestsellers can take a hike - this is the real thing." Weekendavisen
(Denmark) "An explosive pageturner… Raymond Khoury's answer to these meaty questions is the stuff that bestsellers are made of… The scene is set, literally, since Khoury's past as a screenwriter is undeniable. This novel is written in a powerful visual and filmic language, and it could easily be transferred into a Hollywood blockbuster with George Clooney in the lead role. Such a movie would be most welcome, without a doubt, as The Last Templar is entertainment at its very best, and highly informative." Fyens Stiftstidende
(Denmark) "The greatest secret of all… Raymond Khoury makes a memorable debut with this frenetically paced, page-turning adventure. Fans of The Da Vinci Code will love this thrilling blend of conspiracy, action and mystery." The Mystery and Thriller Club
(UK) "How I wish I hadn’t read The Da Vinci Code… Every story in this genre is now always going to suffer by comparison, and in many ways this is a better book. Raymond Khoury is an experienced scriptwriter and it really shows in the brilliant plotting of this book. It’s fast-paced, and you can really imagine the story making a great movie... The ultimate secret contained in the Templar manuscripts (yes, it is revealed…!) is both fascinating and thought provoking, and the journey, both physical and emotional, undertaken by the main protagonists in discovering it is truly page-turning stuff. My only real problem is with the ending of the book. It’s literally a cliffhanger (no, I won’t spoil it…), and personally I’d rather have seen things getting a bit less “wet”. I do seriously urge you to read the book though - and you’ll know what I mean!" www.crimesquad.com
"Fans of The Da Vinci Code will certainly enjoy this book. Its thesis isn't quite as controversial as Brown's book, but Khoury presents an alternative concept that is fascinating. It is another good entry into the true secret of the Knights Templar, and the historical flashbacks are vivid and poignant." www.reviewingtheevidence.com
"This is a fabulous historical detective tale, rich in detail about the Templars and the political forces of the Middle Ages. Avoiding the obvious temptation to stray into Dan Brown territory, Khoury writes entertainingly, with believable characters and lots of tense moments that will thrill you." Good Reading Magazine
(Australia) "Unlike many recent novels in this genre, Khoury knows when to stop adding detail and let the plot flow. The hypothesis behind the novel - the 'secret' of the Templar treasure - is intriguing and original, and almost credible. And whatever you do, pay attention to the last page - that's where the plot is given a final twist by the author." ABC Wide Bay Queensland
(Australia) "Solidly crafted, close to the zeitgeist and already a bestseller." NDR radio
(Germany) "A page-turner filled with suspense from beginning to end." Gesund und Leben
(Germany) "The book is full of unforgettable elements combining fascinating historical fact with vivid imagination. It gallops through the action at reckless speed, but it never loses the story or becomes too complicated." M Plus
(Pan European Business Journal) |