Abbey of Ruac, rural France: A medieval script is discovered hidden behind an antique bookcase. Badly damaged, it is sent to Paris for restoration, and there literary historian Hugo Pineau begins to read the startling 14th-century text. Within its pages lies a fanciful tale of a painted cave and the secrets it contains – and a rudimentary map showing its position close to the abbey. Intrigued, Hugo enlists the help of archaeologist Luc Simard and the two men go exploring.
When they discover a vast network of prehistoric caves, buried deep within the cliffs, they realize that they’ve stumbled across something extraordinary. And at the very core of the labyrinth lies the most astonishing chamber of all, just as the manuscript chronicled. Aware of the significance of their discovery, they set up camp with a team of experts, determined to bring their find to the world. But as they begin to unlock the ancient secrets the cavern holds, they find themselves at the center of a dangerous game. One “accidental” death leads to another. And it seems that someone will stop at nothing to protect the enigma of the tenth chamber.
Pretty good! The back-cover talked about an intellectual thriller – similar sounding to The Di Vinci Code – so I figured it would be entertaining at the very least. However, the book was more than just entertaining – it was entrancing. I got so completely sucked in to the plot-line, I didn’t even notice the three hour layover!Â
fun and fulfilling, a great summer read A medieval manuscript written in code, a chain of caverns embroidered with paintings stretching back to the dawn of human history, a wary village that slaughters tourists who draw too close to its closely-guarded mysteries: Like an archaeological dig, this novel is made up of many different layers. In the present we have Luc Simard, the Gallic Indiana Jones who stumbles upon the caves; one thousand years before, a stern Cistercian monk named Bernard faces off against heretical theologian…
`It began with a spark from a mouse-chewed electrical wire deep within a thick plaster wall.’ After a fire is extinguished in the Abbey of Ruac in rural France, a hidden medieval book is discovered. The book has been badly damaged by water and is entrusted to Hugo Pineau for restoration. The book is intriguing: most of it is written in code, is lavishly illustrated and the author claims to be over 200 years old. Hugo enlists the help of Luc Simard, a professor of archaeology, and the two men go exploring for the painted cave which a map within the book locates close to the abbey…