Lost Temple - Tom Harper - Rated 
This was a good read, although it never got truly gripping or compelling. A previous reviewer (11/01/08) has mentioned the siege of Antioch, but he/she is mistaken as that event does not appear anywhere in this book, nor is this novel set in the Crusades. Indeed he/she seems to be reviewing a different book. Previous reviewers have done an adequate job in describing the novel, the plot and its good and bad points, so I shall keep this brief.
The book is different in that the secret or historical mystery is not concerned with Christianity, but with ancient Greece and Mycenae, the age of heroes and of Homer, and the Linear B text. In this respect the novel is an original, and welcome, addition to the historical thriler genre. The book remained interesting, and there was plenty of pace. However, things did get predictable and you could spot the bad guy a mile off. Most disappointing of all was the weak ending - a bit of a cop-out - and it made all that had gone beforehand irrelevant and perhaps a waste of time.
In conclusion, I would recommend the book, but be prepared for a let-down at the end!
I wanted to like this book - Rated
The main character is weakly drawn, the murder mystery not quite believable in development or finish; it does not generate any who-dunnit interest or surprise. But the author has done alot of homework to set the scene of the Christian siege of Antioch and then, through a real life turn of events, the Christian defense against a siege as they are trapped inside Antioch, all with a actually-happened miraculous ending. The grit, sweat and barbarity of the first crusade is solidly told. Interesting book for a crusade story, not much for a Medieval murd3r mystery, as in the Da vinci code!! If you missed Da vinci code go and read it, if you've already read it, read Tino Georgiou's bestselling novel--The Fates!
I think some of the other reviewers are a bit generous on this. - Rated
This book is not up to the strength of the other Harper books. It is an enjoyable summer holiday read, but if you have seen the Indiana Jones films and read the Da Vinci Code you know precisely what is going to happen before it does in the book. It is pretty well written and readable but very much a mixture of previous fictional plots.
Intelligent page turner, up with the best - Rated 
Well, I picked this up for the novelty, expecting it to be a pretty run-of-the-mill adventure, and was pleasantly surprised.
Ok, so it's basically a treasure hunt. Ex-Special Forces chap teams up with Oxford Professor, hot Greek girl and aggressive government agent to find a hunk of meteorite that is now being used for, er, something else (don't want to spoil it!). Bear in mind that this novel is set in the late 40s, early 50s, and not, as one might expect, a modern day setting.
So, the plot is logical and unfolds with a degree of momentum. The actual meat of the plot is based on historical fact, and although I can't comment on the validity of the investigation (not being a classical scholar), it all seems very credible. One minor gripe is that it does get a bit academic, when our protagonists get stuck into Greek history - there is a wealth of academic information to get one's head round. Notwithstanding that, doesn't really stop the plot too much and is written in a language that is fairly easy to understand.
The characters are all pretty good for this type of novel. I don't expect great depth, but they're all believable enough. Also, the subplots associated with each gives decent depth without interupting the main thrust of the piece. One minor point - Sam Grant is described as a `disgraced' SF soldier, but it's not until three-quarters of the way through we find out why he's disgraced. Apart from that, the villains are all good enough and the denoument is clear and credible.
Comparisons with the Da Vinci code are inaccurate, as there is no real conspiracy in action here. It's a straight up treasure hunt, more akin to Indiana Jones than anything else. It's an intelligent thriller, well written and paced well and pretty educational too. Forget Clive Cussler's rather cartoonish adventures and give this a try. I'd certainly read more by Tom Harper in future. Five stars!
I couldn't put this down - Rated
Tom Harper's fourth novel is set just after the second world war and is an imaginative, fast paced and intelligent tale of the deciphering of Linear B (an ancient Greek language that was actually decoded in 1952).
The book's heroes are "Sam Grant, a disgraced ex-Special Forces soldier... a brilliant Oxford professor and a beautiful Greek archaeologist". Together they set off to beat an assortment of hoodlums, former Nazis and KGB agents in a race to crack the code.
I liked Dan Brown's da Vinci Code, and Lost Temple is, to some degree, similar. But I think there is much more going for Tom Harper's tale. For a start, Harper's grasp of history is better than Brown's, as is his story telling. Think of it as a cross between the da Vinci code, Indiana Jones and James Bond, with some extra special "Harper spice" thrown in and you might be close to the mark.
Very good indeed.
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