Book Review: Arkangel by James Rollins

The Lost Library of Ivan the Terrible, also known as the Golden Library, launches a treasure hunt, and the stakes couldn’t be higher in Rollins’s latest Sigma Force thriller. A Vatican archivist is murdered after he believes he has found a clue to this library lost for centuries. He’s able to send a coded message to Commander Gray Pierce, the head of Sigma Force, before dying. The person responsible for this archivist’s death is someone very familiar with the Sigma Force team, and this person is probably responsible for a recent explosion that almost destroyed the company’s headquarters. This time, it’s personal.

It wouldn’t be a James Rollins novel without higher stakes, forcing the team to work separately. While some try to locate the missing library, others will try to prevent the kidnapping of a research botanist and discover a missing continent from a map designed by Geradus Mercator, the renowned cartographer from the 16th century. 

The Sigma Force series is consistently excellent, and the vast cast of characters is terrific, creating the best ensemble of any thriller series. The pace never stops. The story is exciting, but the reader will also be launched on an emotional journey. Like all of the novels in this series, this would be a great launch point for newcomers, while fans will find this one of the best yet in the series.