Glenn Cooper has been around for awhile but has not yet received the recognition that he is due state-side. His books are suspenseful and well-researched earning him a place beside the likes of Steve Berry, Dan Brown, and James Rollins. The Cosmos Keys is no exception. The story is gripping and keeps the reader wanting more. The characters come to life in the page with each having a life-changing arc. The main character, David, seems a little to hard to believe at times. The exploits of David and Eleni could most likely not happen in modern times but are no less interesting for it.

When archaeologist David Birch finds an artefact of Greek origin and unusual manufacture in an excavation in Turkey, he decides to turn to an expert, Eleni Lillakis, to find out more.
An adventure story where we have a narrative in two timelines, the present and the origin of the artifact where the author manages to perfectly combine action and history.
I was hooked from the first chapter. Definitely a very entertaining read.

“The Cosmos Key” is an adventure thriller by Glenn Cooper. This book seemed like a mash-up of Indiana Jones and The da Vinci Code - at least to me. This book follows an archeologist who uncovers something while on a dig in Turkey. He goes to Greece to consult with someone and with her help discovers there’s a lot more to this find than he originally thought. They travel around Europe trying to uncover clues and find more pieces of the discovery. While I liked some of the “past” chapters, because I had heard about the find before (though I thought it was something else then realized I’d mixed up both ancient finds) this wasn’t as enjoyable as I’d hoped. There are some action scenes - evading bad guys, doing some detective work - but I found a summary of what had happened in the story around the 70% mark a bit out of place (it was a lot of rehashing). I think the overall idea of the book was a good one, but for some reason it missed the mark for me (maybe it was the explanations, which were necessary, but I knew some of the myths and history). However, this book was a fast read, so that was a plus. The pacing was a bit uneven too.

I appreciated what the author was trying to do - Greek mythology and history mixed with a Dan Brown-type archaeological thriller. I especially enjoyed the flashbacks of how the titular keys got to their modern locations, but the inclusion of politics dulled my enjoyment, even though it added realism.

The Cosmos Keys is a fast paced archaeological adventure mystery. Despite its length, I enjoyed the characters and the unusual story.

I really enjoyed this one. I did not see it playing out like it did. It was a nice surprise. I highly recommend this read. If you liked Indiana Jones as a child, then you especially will enjoy this book. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.