The lure of a treasure map is absolutely irresistible. And the treasure map in THE LOST ISLAND leads not to simple riches, but to life. No, not immortality, but a nice second best. The rumor is that a healing agent exists on an island that may cure ills and heal wounds. Gideon Crew is naturally skeptical, but his fatal congenital issue has reared its ugly head, and doctors say he has less than a year to live. So what does he have to lose? The scientist in him says to go for it. But first Gideon must steal a page from the famous Book of Kells, which currently happens to be on display at a museum in New York City. Apparently, it has something to do with the map. The thief in him says it’s not possible.

"[T]he dynamic duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child provides a thrill a minute…or more like a thrill a paragraph. The action is truly nonstop, and the pages almost turn themselves as if by magic."

However, Gideon cannot resist a challenge. It takes some heavy figuring, for the security surrounding the book appears to be unbreachable. Ultimately, his genius shines through, and somehow he delivers, only to be aghast at what happens next. He nearly walks away in disgust. Yet the possibility of fixing his broken body carries him forward. Once he resigns himself to the treasure hunt, his boss Mr. Glinn assures him this will be his easiest assignment yet. In fact, it will be pretty much just like taking a Caribbean cruise. Well, okay, there is a yacht involved and the Caribbean Sea.

But the part about it being easy never comes true. First off, Gideon is saddled with a partner, Amy, who has a chip on her shoulder the size of the island they’re trying to find. And it turns out they aren’t the only treasure hunters in the area. However, they may be the only treasure hunters with ethics, principles and a moral code. Almost before Gideon and Amy begin their quest, they are running for their very lives and being pursued by some extremely nasty people with bigger guns and fewer scruples.

As soon as the duo escapes one hazard, they run into another, and another, and another, each larger in scale and menace. In between fighting to stay alive, they report in by satelite radio to Mr. Glinn, whose attitude they finally start to doubt. Is he really on their side? Something about him feels different somehow. And while he’s saying all the right words, they’re not coming across as sincere.

Well, Gideon and Amy don’t have time to worry about that. They are still being relentlessly pursued, and their equipment, food, water and health stores are running dangerously low. They have landed on a rather forbidding island, one among hundreds of uninhabited spikes of land jutting from the sea. Or is it actually uninhabited? Here, they seem to have found what they were seeking, but that doesn’t mean they have succeeded.

In THE LOST ISLAND, the dynamic duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child provides a thrill a minute…or more like a thrill a paragraph. The action is truly nonstop, and the pages almost turn themselves as if by magic. Don’t expect high rankings on the believability scale, though. Put aside all doubt and expectation of reality; travel through the fuzzy door to make-believe. Then sit back and enjoy a good old-fashioned hunt for a buried chest of riches. What a good time you’ll have.