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Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel

Review

Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel

James Rollins returns with another rollicking, action-packed thriller involving Commander Gray Pierce and the elite Sigma Force. Taking their orders from Director Painter Crowe, one of the Washington, D.C. Intelligentsia with a direct line to the President of the United States, Sigma’s missions are always extremely dangerous and highly important.

Up to this point, there has not been a mission that hit as close to home for the President as the one outlined in BLOODLINE. Specifically, his own daughter, Amanda, has been kidnapped.  Complicating matters is the fact that she's pregnant. Sigma not only must safely return her and the unborn fetus she carries, but also must try to figure out what group could be behind this abduction --- and why.

"[A]ll are guaranteed to lose breath, and perhaps some sleep, over the incredible plotlines James Rollins weaves through this engaging, insightful and witty thriller."

The story is that Amanda was the victim of a kidnapping at the hands of the infamous Somalia pirates. Crowe knows better as he and Sigma Force believe the actual culprit may be the very agency they have sworn to take down --- the Guild. As they dig further into the abduction, they uncover a vast conspiracy far more frightening than they ever could have imagined.

Legend has it that back in Galilee in the year 1025, the last of the Templar Knights came upon a momentous discovery --- the Bachal Isu, or staff of Jesus Christ. This staff also allegedly passed into the hands of Ireland’s St. Patrick and was the very same staff he used to ward off snakes.  The legend further details that this staff --- carrying the DNA of Jesus Christ Himself --- held the key to immortality. It is now up to Crowe and Sigma to figure out how this legend of purported immortality plays into the abduction of the President’s daughter.

The action runs from stateside to the Middle East with an incredible sequence taking place in Dubai and the myriad of secret islands that surround that area. The team is aided by a former Army Ranger named Tucker Wayne and his trained K-9 colleague, Kane. Pierce and company also benefit from a huge assist at the hands of Jack Kirkland, the hero of DEEP FATHOM. While Pierce and his mates are battling in the Middle East, his comrades Lisa Cumming and Kat Bryant are tasked with infiltrating a fertility clinic that may be the front for a much darker agenda.

All roads lead back to President Gant and his family lineage. Could his lineage include a direct line to the group known as Bloodline? The intentions in kidnapping Amanda had less to do with her and more to do with her unborn child, who this group believes may hold the key to immortality. The President’s brother, Robert, is also deeply involved as the current Secretary of State --- making it difficult for Crowe to figure out who he can trust. The plot hurtles forward, and the group realizes that the only way to smoke out the enemy is to fake the assassination of President Grant --- using Gray Pierce as the assassin!

When you pick up a copy of BLOODLINE, you will be treated to a front cover that depicts the Templar Cross with a series of double-helix DNA strands running through it. This only represents a small part of what is to come as all are guaranteed to lose breath, and perhaps some sleep, over the incredible plotlines James Rollins weaves through this engaging, insightful and witty thriller.

Reviewed by Ray Palen on June 29, 2012

Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel
by James Rollins

  • Publication Date: March 26, 2013
  • Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • Mass Market Paperback: 656 pages
  • Publisher: Harper
  • ISBN-10: 0061785660
  • ISBN-13: 9780061785665