The Doomsday Key

By James Rollins
William Morrow, $27.99, 448 pages

Commander Guy Pierce and Sigma Force return under the prolific writing hands of bestselling author James Rollins. In The Doomsday Key, Rollins brings a cache of different and seemingly individual elements together in a fast-paced adventure that will leave you reading on the edge of your seat.

Three bodies are discovered on three continents, all murdered under mysterious circumstances and all bearing a unique Pagan symbol: a cross within a circle. Sigma Force is brought in to investigate. As the facts are discovered, it is revealed that the giant Norwegian corporation Viatus is somehow behind it all-a company that specializes in crop and seed development. As Pierce and the gang dig deeper, they find themselves involved in an unsolved mystery that goes back thousands of years. The question is, will all be able to stay alive long enough to solve it?

Rollins has outdone himself in The Doomsday Key, using a variety of reliable historical sources including the Doomsday Book, Druid and Pagan religion, the history of Neolithic Britain, and the early days of the Christian church. Combining these with present-day biotechnology and the Doomsday Vault (a real seed vault under heavy protection in the Svalbard archipelago near the North Pole), he skillfully brings it all together into an incredible story that is perfect for readers waiting for the next Dan Brown book.

Reviewed by Alex C. Telander