If you are into adventure along the lines of Raiders of the Lost Ark then this is the book for you.

Gideon Crew has about 2 months left to live so what does he decide to do? Join forces with his friend Manuel Garza and take off for Egypt in search of a possible treasure trove. How their journey evolves with all it's ups and down is the emphasis of the book.

Not one of my favorites, (I'm a big fan of the Pendergast series) but a good read all in all.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.



This book was a lot of fun. In typical Preston and Child fashion, we got adventure and action and romance and science and it was a blast to read. I read it in less than a day! Makes me want to go treasure hunting!!!



My biggest gripe is that, since it's the last Gideon Crew novel, I was hoping for a spectacular ending. Overall, I wasn't wowed by the ending, and in fact felt a little bit unsatisfied, so I had to do four stars instead of five. But I did really enjoy the book and the series, and would highly recommend it as a fast-paced, crazy fun story to pick up for a nice day on the beach or road trip where you don't have to drive. Set aside some time, because you won't want to put it down. :)

4 stars

Eli Glinn has disappeared. He has closed his facility at EES (Effective Engineering Solutions), and cut off his workers’ pay with no notice. Gideon Crew has received the bad news from his doctor that he has about two months to live. Manual Garza is fit to be tied with the loss of his pay and the betrayal by Eli.

Before they leave the building for the final time, they discover that a computer that has been working on a problem for five years has finally finished. They come up with a scheme to get Eli’s attention. He agrees to see them. Their plan to fool Eli works with the aid of a sleight of hand by Manuel. They can now decode the information they stole from the computer on the last day at EES.

It is a very desolate place in Egypt, surrounded by – well, nothing. It is called the Hala’ib Triangle. They are looking for the lost Phaistos Disk.

They smuggle themselves aboard a scow, pretending that they are “adventurers” who like to take vacations in out of the way places and mix with the locals. Something goes wrong with the boat of over five hundred people, cars and donkey carts and the crew abandons ship. Gideon says they have to swim for it, but Manuel confesses he doesn’t know how to swim. They save as many people as they can. Gideon loses sight of Manny and swims for the shore. He wanders along the shore calling Manny’s name, but to no avail. Gideon sets out on foot and gets picked up by the military. They confiscate his passport and after a brief interview, they toss him in a cell with about forty other people. Gideon is overjoyed to see that one of the other prisoners is Manny.

Once again, they bluff their way out of the prison. They travel to the nearest town and try to rent some camels from the local dealers. The first four they speak to will not go to the Hala’ib Triangle. The last trader is willing to go but charges an exorbitant sum. While they are haggling, an English woman named Imogen who is a geologist steps in and rents the camels. She is going to Gebel Umm a place close to where Gideon and Manny want to go. An argument ensues and they settle for traveling with her. They set out with the trader Mekky in the lead. Gideon wakes suddenly in the night and discovers that he and Manny are quite alone. Everything is gone, the camels, their water and their food.

They are captured by a tribe of Egyptians who believe the Arabs were invaders. At first, they are treated badly and threatened with death several time. Gradually they work up reputation with the tribe.

The story ends in an exciting chase through the mountains. Near death awaits at every turn. Gideon and Imogen arrive at the Nile without Garza. Gideon is bereft. Mogen reveals one last secret. Then Gideon returns to his cabin in New Mexico.

Okay, this is a very good adventure story. My major problem with it, for I was all set to give it a five star rating, was that some of the situations they got into were highly improbable. Oh, they were clever enough to get their way out of them, but really? One disaster after another seemed too many. Even James Rollins doesn’t have this many McGyver-like scenarios.

The book was well written and plotted, aside from my comment about the comedy of errors the protagonists went through, and the story held together well. I like Manny and Gideon, of course, and the introduction of Imogen added color to the story. I liked her as well. The three of them seemed to get along well together, aside from Manny’s grumbling. But, that’s just his pugnacious character. The story was meant to be an action/adventure one. And it succeeded in that. The descriptions of the desolate desert were both descriptive and colorful. It was wonderful.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I began reading Gideon Crew because I love the Pendergast series by the same author. Even though I've kept reading the series, Gideon Crew is just not as interesting a character to follow. I thought we might gain some momentum in this series when I read Beyond the Ice Limit, but apparently, it was revisiting an old idea that created a good story, not an evolution of Gideon Crew. Pharoah's Key seemed rather plodding honestly. There were long stretches of the journey through the desert that seemed never-ending. The plot twists were rather transparent and Garza remained a flat character regardless of some interesting plot choices. I don't expect action/ thrillers to be Pulitzer worthy books, but I don't like to be bored in the middle of them either. For me, this book just didn't make it past barely engaging. However, it is a book written by popular authors, and my branch of the library does own the rest of the Gideon Crew series, so it is one we will likely add to the collection, despite my apathy.

While checking up on his boss Eli Glinn's mysterious disappearance, Gideon Crew teams up with Manuel Garza to discover the meaning behind the Phaistos Disc recent decryption. They head to the Hala'ib Triangle one of the most inhospitable areas on the Earth for one last adventure. I greatly enjoyed this book which has all the thrills, puzzles and adventure of the Gideon Crew series and I love learning about new places, history and people I didn't know about before. I also enjoyed learning more about Manuel Garza's character who has been an enigma until now. Very entertaining book that was hard to put down!

Gideon Crew has just learned he has a terminal illness and only months to live when he hears that Eli Glinn has disappeared, shutting down his engineering firm overnight. Manuel Garza contacts Gideon with information about the last case EES worked on – the translation of a stone tablet from a previously unknown civilization. The Phaistos Disc has many secrets yet to reveal, and Gideon and Manuel head off on a wild adventure that will either kill or save Gideon. This series reminds me of Preston and Childs’ earlier books, before they started the Pendergast series, and that were to me, superior and more exciting