I vacillated between giving this 3 or 4 stars, but settled on 3. There were pros and cons. One knew what to expect, as this was compared to The Da Vinci Code in the description. I often find books written in the present tense awkward reading, but this worked. It started off quite slowly, though, and it seemed like I read for a long time before anything of consequence happened. Until then, it was simply learning about many different people involved, all with different agendas. Finally the box was unearthed and later the possible contents revealed. Then the plot began to get interesting. Much of what kept me with it were the two main characters, Dr. Sophia Altay, the archaeologist, and Joseph Travers, the American representing one of the corporations involved. The plot moved and hooked me to find out what would be resolved, both with the characters and the relics. There were several problems I had with the book, however. First of all, it was too complicated, with too many characters with different agendas, representing different organizations, and I never completely understood the whole thing. In fact, even when it was done, I wasn't completely sure who did what, and why. The ending just left too many questions. And, ultimately, I wasn't really sure as to the purpose of the entire book. With the Da Vinci Code it was clear that Dan Brown was throwing up an alternative to the accepted version of Christ in the Bible, and a rather intriguing one. It also contained all sorts of puzzles to figure out in search of this answer. Here, I felt a new version was given but I was just not sure I got the purpose and meaning of the ideas thrown at us, and what it meant for the world. I wasn't even sure the world would get to hear about it. So, to sum up, after a slow start, interesting plot with characters you come to care about, but too confusing in its complications and not clear as to its real intent. So a mixed review from me.