Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper Search Amazon for other books by or about Glenn Cooper. Rating: Reviewed by: Bob Walch

Imagine a single volume that provided the inspiration for the sonnets of William Shakespeare, the prophecies of Nostradamus and the philosophy of John Calvin. This astonishing book was secreted away in a special, ultra-secret, government installation in Nevada, but the centuries old volume has gone missing. Now it has suddenly appeared in an auction house in London.

Enter former FBI special agent Will Piper who is hired by some former employees of the secret, desert library who wish to obtain the book, solve the mystery of its disappearance and delve into its contents.

It will come as no surprise, given the nature of this type of thriller, to discover the ancient book contains "truths" that mankind may not be ready to hear. And, naturally, there is another group of individuals whose duty is to guard the antiquity and keep its existence secret.

Like other fictional searches for ancient artifacts which have been the focus of a variety of thrillers, the formula for how this latest quest unfolds is fairly predictable. But, to give Glenn Cooper his just due, there are a few unexpected twists that will catch even the most sophisticated readers off guard.