I enjoy reading dystopian or apocalyptic thrillers. The suspense, action, and fight-for-survival plots when well-written always make for exciting reading. Add in some supernatural and ancient artifact/legend type accents and that just heightens my enjoyment. I guess that's why I'm also a sucker for disaster and end of the world movies, too. Something about the human spirit fighting to survive against insurmountable odds just makes a good story.

Maze Master opens with the human race facing the spread of a virus that could potentially wipe out all of humanity. France is quarantined to attempt to contain it, but really it's only a matter of time. A geneticist who also believes that God hid messages to humanity in the map of the human genome believes that a healing ointment mentioned in the Bible can save humanity from extinction. He leaves clues to where this legendary ointment is hidden in Egypt for a group of scientists to go find it, but other nefarious factions are also looking for the cure to use for their own means. If it isn't found....or falls into the wrong hands....the fate of human kind is sealed. Death. For everyone.

For the most part, I enjoyed this story. It had some great suspense and the concept is interesting. But I had the same problem with this book that I had with The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. The plot is heavy with religious myths and symbolism. A deity hiding the saving cure for an apocalyptic virus inside the map of the human genome using complicated palindromes, formulas and puzzles just seems very far-fetched. Scientists and scholars driven mad by the knowledge, lurking in monasteries drawing the genome out in their own blood while suffering from the stigmata....it just got a bit too Catholic horror story for me. (I can say that because I was raised Catholic....so hackles down.) Some of the plot was also a bit trope-y for me.....the villains are Russian (of course) and they want control of the cure so that they can manipulate the entire planet for their own means. Very overdone cliche -- darn those Russians! And, there were some very thinly veiled anti-Trump comments.....the president of the United States is building a wall between the US and Canada to prevent spread of the virus and a character exclaims that the president must be afraid of immigrants. Now, I totally understand being concerned about our current political climate....totally understand....but must every author find a way to get in a dig or two about their current political views within their writing? It seems almost every new book I read lately has to pull me out of the enjoyment of the story with current political digs or has farcical plot points added just to enable political commentary. It's getting old. Stop it. It must be the Russian's fault -- darn those Russians! *eyeroll*

Now, I am not saying this book isn't well-written, interesting and exciting. It's well done....the suspense is great! Anyone who enjoys Dan Brown's books will love this story. I'm just saying I didn't buy into the myth. Just a bit too overblown and religious for me. And a bit heavy handed on the tropes. At least there weren't any Nazis! Just villainous Russians. Sigh.

All in all, well-written book. Just didn't really work for me. The author has written more than 40 books and I enjoyed this story enough to read more of her work....she has a series about the Anasazi that sounds incredible!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from St. Martins Press via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**





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While this was very well written and I enjoyed the thriller/sci-fi mashup, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and found a lot of the science parts dry. I haven't read The Da Vinci Code, but I've seen a lot of people comparing the two, so if you are a fan of Dan Brown, then I would suggest this book for you. ( )

MAZE MASTER, by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, is about a virus that is quickly spreading to pandemic levels and the two people who endeavor to contain and eliminate the virus before it destroys humanity. Anna, a military geneticist, and Martin, a religion and history scholar, embark on a mission deeply rooted in religious history and how genetics and religion intertwine to hopefully lead them towards the cure before its too late.
As a good thriller does, the reader is introduced to Anna and Martin early on and the story dives right in. Anna is difficult to connect with and the few hints of vulnerability she displays aren't enough to develop her character fully. Martin's head is just spinning basically through the whole book and seems even more lost that the reader. Clues and secrets are revealed throughout the book, but I felt frustratingly lost more often than I felt like I'm one step away from the answer like I usually do when reading an epic thriller like this one. Many of the clues and observations I didn't connect to the greater meaning, maybe because they were too vague for me, or maybe because I wasn't well verse in the scientific process. Also, maybe a quick prologue or flashback between Anna and her mentor,who first identified the impending virus, would have settled me into the story early on. The action does build pleasantly towards the end of the book and there are several good who's double crossing who moments at the climax of the story.
MAZE MASTER is entertaining and exciting and, despite some of the problems I had, a good book for thriller readers.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Kathleen O'Neal Gear, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )