The Lost Island

by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
368 pgs  (Gideon Crew series #3)

Let me first say that Preston & Child's series featuring Gideon Crew is not my favorite. It pales in comparison to their Pendergast series. But, the series has its moments, so I continue reading it. The Lost Island is the third book in the series and while I enjoyed the book, it definitely had its eye-rolling moments.

The book starts off strong, with Gideon, once again in the employ of Eli Glinn, given the job of stealing a priceless book, a seemingly impossible task. The ingenuity with which he accomplishes the heist constitutes one of those "moments" that justify reading the series. From there things quickly become outlandish and a little too absurd. The book contains a map to an island somewhere off the coast of Central America, which legend says contains the fountain of youth.

As Gideon and his companion search for the lost island and its promise of both longevity and riches for his employer, they begin to realize that they are following the same route as another ancient traveler, the tale of whom the world has always considered fictitious--Odysseus. To say much more would require a spoiler alert, so I'll just say that if you recall some of the more memorable parts of The Odyssey, you have an idea of the direction Preston and Child went with this one.

★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆