The Third Gate

The Third Gate
by Lincoln Child
Recommended Ages: 14+

In this third novel featuring history prof and "enigmalogist" Dr. Jeremy Logan, the sometime co-author with Douglas Preston of the Agent Pendergast series takes us to one of the most haunting, and possibly haunted, places on earth: an inhospitable swamp called the Sudd at the headwaters of the Nile, where – a certain adventurer named Peter Stone believes – the greatest archaeological treasure in history lies beneath 35 feet of sucking mud and rotting vegetation. If Stone is right, it's the authentic burial site of the first pharaoh to unite the two Egypts, Narmer (3100-3050 B.C.). His tomb may even contain the original double crown, which has been depicted in lots of tomb paintings but never actually recovered.

On the downside – and this is where Jeremy comes in – Narmer's tomb sports one of the nastiest curses ever recorded. They haven't even found it yet, and weird things are already happening. It's a job made for the guy who specializes in getting to know the unknown. But this time, a rational, scientific explanation may not be possible. Logan, who apart from everything else is a sensitive empath, is picking up on an evil presence. A woman whose near death experience broke all previous records is starting to channel an angry spirit. And the little accidents that happen whenever a few people are packed into an isolated facility are getting bigger. And less accidental.

Paranormal creepiness seems to be the order of the day, any day you're reading a book authored (or co-authored) by Lincoln Child. When I first started reading his books, in alternation with Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, I worried about confusing them. I now laugh at that concern. Once you get to know them, you'll laugh, too. But quietly, lest whatever hobgoblin dwells in the nearest eldritch pit should hear and turn its evil thoughts your way. Did I just make you shiver? No? Well, I don't pretend to be a Lincoln Child, who can make you wonder whether a hero in his third adventure will survive, even when you've already read his fourth and fifth. (I'm also, as I've admitted before, bad at reading series of books in order.) Read this book all through the night, if you want to. Just keep the lights on.