Good Piece Of Writing

• Date: 13.09.2008
• Book: Channeling Cleopatra
• Author: plappen

Review

It has been discovered that within the human DNA strands of every person is a mechanism that is constantly re-encoding. At the moment of death, a person’s character, personality and memories are recorded in a helix. It is little more than an interesting scientific discovery until a method is developed to download those recordings into human hosts. Suddenly grave robbery is a major growth industry.

Leda Hubbard is happy in the dull world of forensic anthropology. One day, Gabriella, her old college roommate, recruits her to search for the remains of Cleopatra, on behalf of a corporation called Nucore. A rich client named Gretchen Wolfe fears that her husband, Wilhelm, is developing an eye for other women. Who better than Cleopatra to keep him interested?

Leda brings along Duke, her father and an ex-cop, along to Alexandria, Egypt, as head of security on the dig, and to watch her back. It turns out that other people are looking for Cleopatra, including Gabriella, but with more sinister intentions. Meantime, a powerful, amoral industrialist named Rasmussen isn’t looking to “receive” anyone; he wants to put himself into several of his subordinates as his own brand of immortality.

Leda finds the remains of Cleopatra. Gretchen downloads what she thinks is Cleopatra, but is actually Duke, Leda’s father. He is later found dead. After some initial difficulties, the two get along with each other. To Duke, Gretchen doesn’t need Cleopatra to keep her husband interested as much as she needs some well-fitting leather clothing.

This one is a gem. The initial premise is excellent, the story is interesting, well done and a good piece of writing from start to finish.