Archaeological discoveries in a remote region of France and the isolated Plain of Jars in Laos are linked in Tom Knox's thriller The Lost Goddess (#185) through multiple remains showing signs of holes drilled in the skulls of the victims. Modern day murders at her dig in France draw the career-stymied archaelogist Julia Kerrigan to investigate and eventually lead her to Cambodia, where she meets photographer Jake Thirby and Chemda Tek. Chemda is a young Cambodian woman working on a UN task force documenting the abuses of the Khmer Rouge regime. She is apparently getting too close to some uncomfortable truths as she and Jake try to keep ahead of the forces intent on silencing them. With Julia to provide some key missing pieces of the puzzle, the team discover what was really going during Pol Pot's reign of terror and some Tek family secrets.
I can't say that I enjoyed this book. I was reading it while traveling, and it didn't seem to hold my attention - maybe because I found the whole narrative so very dark, unpleasant and disturbing. This book is billed as a "genetic thriller" on the cover, but I found the premise so strained it required an incredible amount of lead up to a not-at-all satisfying payoff sprinkled with any number of disgusting images. Maybe this book would appeal to you if you're a Tom Knox fan, but I know after reading The Lost Goddess, I won't be joining his fan club anytime soon.
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