Bloodline (Review 2)
A Sigma Force Novel
James Rollins

William Morrow
June 26, 2012 / ISBN 978-0061784798
Suspense, medical thriller
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

It begins in ancient times in the Holy Land when a Templar knight uncovers an exceedingly holy and powerful religious icon, the Bachal Isu or the Staff of Jesus Christ. The power that resides in this staff and those who control it can change mankind in ways never imagined.

Fast forward to today and a yacht which is suddenly hijacked off the coast of Africa. A young, pregnant woman is forced from the vessel by Somali pirates. This isn't just any wealthy American. The woman is Amanda Gant-Bennett, the daughter of the American president, and her abduction is not just a quirk of fate. To the contrary, there's a clandestine conspiracy unfolding here that involves a shadowy cabal who's been manipulating events throughout history and is now confronting the foremost power in the western world.

In South Carolina a fertility clinic is firebombed and the attack is linked to a conspiracy that dates back centuries. At the heart of all these seemingly unrelated events is an unborn child whose very existence raises some serious questions about the nature of humanity and man's role in the universe.

Enter Sigma Force. The elite and covert arm of the Department of Defense's DARPA unit is about to become involved in a genetic mystery tied to the ancient world and today's modern governments. Commander Gray Pierce has to expand his operations unit for this assignment to include former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane.

The stakes have never been higher as Sigma Force operatives are sent into action and, for the reader, the pages will melt away as these valiant individuals encounter opposition like they have never dealt with before.

"Bloodline" raises a whole range of medical, genetic, and technological issues that will keep the reader thinking long after the book is finished. That's what makes Rollins' work so fascinating and sometimes controversial; he raises questions about what the future may hold as science delves further into largely unexplored areas.

Reviews of other titles in this series

Sandstorm #1
Map of Bones #2
Black Order, #3
The Judas Strain, #4
The Last Oracle, #5
The Doomsday Key, #6
The Devil Colony , #7
Bloodline, #8 [review 1] [review 2]
The Eye of God #9
The Sixth Extinction #10
Seventh Plague #11