This was a somewhat uneven read for me. I appreciated the originality of the protagonist, Marah Chase, and the new twist on the "turn the criminal to work for the police" motif. But the setting and mission Marah is tasked with pushes believability--even in this high-concept adventure novel. As an anthropologist, I'm loathe to admire anything about black market "treasure hunters," as also in J. Michael Orenduff's "Pot Thief" series, so I'm not the target audience for this particular book. Having said that, I think for the type of novel it is, Stringer did a decent job, especially with the LGBTQ-friendly romance.

I love Indiana Jones and Lara Croft so this seemed like the perfect read for me, it sounded fun, full of action and like a rewarding romp across a few countries running away from the bad guys. Being honest it was actually all of these things but it didn't quite deliver in the way I expected it too. The story was good, the details great. It was completely over the top and required a little suspending of disbelief which I had no problem with at all. The bit that was lacking though, was that I didn't care what happened to any of the characters. Whether Marah or Mason (for the book is split almost equally between them) survived didn't really matter to me. There was nothing at all wrong with the descriptions, action sequences or any of that, it was just missing an intangible component that would have made it amazing. It was a good read, don't misunderstand, just lacking in something that I can't fully explain but that was not there at all, for me. For all of the action, peril and impossible stunts in planes it was all a bit flat.  It's a good read, definitely an escapist story if you want something quite different, and you may enjoy it more than I did, it definitely seems to be getting mixed reviews but unfortunately didn't quite live up to my expectations.

If you like rip-roaring Tomb Raider style adventures, Marah Chase is the heroine you've been waiting for. Recruited by British Intelligence to find the tomb of Alexander the Great and a mysterious, powerful artefact it contains before a quasi-religious cult (obviously thinly based on Scientology, which cracked me up).

The action is non-stop and we get to meet quite a few characters from Marah's past, including her former mentor and her ex, as well as the attractive operative who recruits Marah and is a secondary protagonist in the story, Joanna Mason.

Oh, that's right. Didn't I mention that? Marah's an unabashed lesbian, just as happy to flirt with a pretty woman as James Bond. There's nothing more explicit in the story than a few kisses and closed-door bedroom scenes, but it's refreshing to see an LGBT story in this genre.

The book’s pacing was overall very good, some clever reveals coming at just the right moment; the only issue I had with it was that Chey Guerrera, a smuggler/pilot who is effectively Marah’s sidekick on the principal tomb raiding adventure, isn’t introduced until way too late in the story for the important role he ends up with. Nevertheless, this was a great story and I’d love to read further books in the series. Five stars.

Was not able to finish this. Too many Indiana Jones' rip0ffs and incredulous happenings. I did not care about the characters, nor did I believe them capable of any of the actions taking place. Not my cup of tea at all.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Right after I finished Stringer's How to Kill Friends and Implicate People , I jumped onto NetGalley to request this -- despite being woefully behind on everything else (including NetGalley books!), curiosity prevailed. I had to know how Stringer would approach this particular premise and character.

What a fun, strange, ride! This is pure escapist entertainment. There's no message, there's no pondering foibles of contemporary society, there's no commentary on social ills (or celebration of social triumphs), just a wild and crazy story about a "renegade archeologist" and a spy battling a cult, a plot to take over the government, and historic artifacts that could easily change the course of civilization. (there is some pretty well-done character growth and development -- which grounds the lunacy a bit)

It's difficult -- at best -- to not mention the Pop Culture Icon that Marah Chase will remind readers of, and I've decided that I'm not up for difficult right now (after trying a few times). Marah Chase is essentially a contemporary, female Indiana Jones -- without the legitimate day job. Circumstances forced (well, forcefully encouraged) her to abandon the more scholarly, accepted archeology and to become a "relic runner" or "gold dog." Someone who finds historic, hard to find, artifacts and sells them to private collectors. It's hard to say just how successful she is at it -- enough to be a known figure throughout the Middle East (to people on both sides of the law), but not enough to get overly-choosy about what jobs she takes.

She's on the run from a group that pretends to be an arm of ISIS to cover up their criminal activities after scooping a treasure from their grasp when a British spy recruits her to go on the hunt for an artifact rumored to be a powerful weapon. I'll leave the details to Joanna Mason as she briefs Marah, but what's driving her to get Marah on the hunt is that she's convinced a powerful church has decided that a. the weapon is real and b. they are close to finding it. Marah's always been fascinated by the researcher they're basing their search on and she's in probably the best position to stop them before it's too late.

All she has to do is find the tomb of Alexander the Great -- a location that has stumped archeologists, treasure seekers, and zealots for centuries -- in the next few days. All she has to do is deal with white supremacist soldiers, faux-ISIS goons, a wealthy and powerful church, an ancient secret society, and worst of all, the granddaughter of the one man in history who may have found (and then covered-up) Alexander's tomb -- her ex.

Marah may be the star of the book -- and her name's in the title -- but don't think that Mason doesn't play as nearly vital a role in these events. While Marah's on the hunt for the tomb, Mason's trying to prevent a bloodless coup from within her own government, one that'll pave the way for the church to take over.

Both of these women seem to be the embodiment of an amped-up Murphy's Law -- If anything can go stunningly, horribly, mindbogglingly wrong, it will -- and usually will involve mortal danger, and then leave you in a worse (and more dangerous) predicament. I quickly stopped thinking that anything would work for either of them and just held my breath until things went from precarious to worse. It's a tribute to Stringer's imagination that he was able to keep that up for as long as he did.

Both Marah and Mason are surrounded by a great cast of characters -- enemies and allies alike. Honestly, either story line would've been enough to keep a novel going and be a lot of fun. You stick both of them together and you've got gold on your hands. I'm not sure this is the kind of story that invites in-depth analysis -- it's the kind of story that invites cheers, fist pumps, and would work best with a bowl of popcorn at your side.

For those looking for the Jay Stringer of the Sam Ireland books, they're going to be disappointed. For those looking for a Jay Stringer using his skills to create a new world, new voice with the same quality, they're in for a treat. His sense of humor is still evident, it just shows itself in different ways -- just as delightful, however. The banter between Marah and her smuggler friend is like catnip to me -- I could read it all day long. The action scenes, in particular, are outstanding -- there's one fight on board a plane that will . . . well, no, I'd better not.

Fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled, adventure with a couple of the most marvelous female protagonists you'll find this year -- Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb is a guilt-free pleasure and a fantastic introduction to what had better be a long-running series.

What a wild ride. This story was action packed from the beginning. It starts off with Marah Chase attempting to smuggle a priceless artifact out of Syria so it won’t be destroyed by a terrorist group. She makes a daring escape into Israel only to be coerced into helping MI6 find an ancient relic believed to be a weapon of mass destruction. It’s a race against time to find the weapon before a terrorist group gets it and uses it to upend the world as we know it. This story has everything a la Indiana Jones including espionage, archeological digs, political intrigue betrayal and evil empires, all the while being a terrific, modern globe trotting adventure. I hope this becomes a series because it has a lot of potential. I really liked it and will read other works by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Indiana Jones comparisons are apt, but it's so much more. An action-packed blend of new world tech and politics with old world history and culture. Thoroughly enjoyed Marah Chase and look forward to more of her adventures.

Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb by Jay Stringer. a fast paced action packed book. Read well and quickly, simply didn't live up to my expectations. Wasn't for me, thank you for giving me a chance with this book.