Like all anthologies, this one is a mixed bag. I am probably unfairly giving it a three, just because the overall tone of science bashing is difficult under current times. Don’t get me wrong, bad science needs to be exposed, but I just wasn’t in the mood so the con artist selling fake flint spear heads and seeding archeological sites just irked me….The lesson I took away was that genuine science discovered these charlatans in the end…but the lesson the anti- science groups will take from it is that they are right not to trust….now I’m starting to regret the three ( )

The Lost Tomb is a very interesting book composed of several real life unsolved murders concluding with the find of a lifetime. Douglas Preston has gotten to live a fascinating life in having the opportunity to visit and research with the most highly acclaimed people in various locations. It is the type of book that works very well as an audiobook. This book is highly recommended and sure to impress and teach the reader about situations that he/she never knew. Four stars were given to this review. ( )

This is a nonfiction work by one of my favorite authors. Although it was an enjoyable read, I was a bit disappointed to find out that in essence it was actually a compendium of magazine or other articles written quite a few years ago by the author, with some limited “updates” after each chapter. It was still enjoyable because I had not seen those particular prior works by the author, but just be warned it is virtually all previously published material except for the chapter updates. ( )

An anthology of 13 magazine articles from the 1980s to present. Many of these are classics and have influenced the subjects. The amount of "wow" is frequent, time goes by quick. It sent me down multiple rabbit holes to learn more, particularly about Kennewick Man. The article on Amanda Knox is a must-read to understand the mob gang-up behavior we see on social media, like modern-day witch trials and pogroms, it is based in a powerful evolutionary biology instinct that can run amok. I purchased the book based on how much I enjoyed "The Lost City of the Monkey God". ( )

The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder by Douglas Preston is a very highly recommended collection of thirteen nonfiction articles Preston has written over the years.

Preston is, indeed, the best-selling fiction writing partner with Lincoln Child of the Aloysius Pendergast series, but he is also a well respected nonfiction writer. David Grann writes the forward to these thirteen fascinating, remarkable features, many of which I remember reading in the original publications. Each selection is followed by updated information. It is wonderful to have all these articles together in one place along with the updates. The Lost Tomb is compelling reading and not to be missed.

Contents include:
Uncommon Murders: Buried Treasure (a personal search for a friend and a treasure); The Monster of Florence (in search of a serial killer in Italy)
Unexplained Deaths: The Skeletons at the Lake (hundreds of skeletons found at a lake high in the Himalayas); The Skiers at Dead Mountain (the death of a group of skiers in the Ural Mountains); The Skeleton on the Riverbank (who was Kennewick man?)
Unsolved Mysteries: The Mystery of Oak Island (the center of treasure hunting for over 200 years); The Mystery of Sandia Cave (Frank Hibben and the discovery of the 20,000 year old Sandia Man); The Mystery of Hell Creek (extraordinary record in North Dakota of the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs)
Curious Crimes: The Clovis Point Con (how did the ancient Clovis mammoth hunters create their weapons?); Trial by Fury (The Amanda Knox case and ultimate acquittal)
Old Bones: Skeletons in the Closet (museums storage of skeletons that Native Americans want the right to bury); Cannibals of the Canyon (a terrible truth about a prehistoric civilization in the American Southwest); The Lost Tomb (the discovery of the sepulchre containing the many sons of Ramesses the Great)

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/12/the-lost-tomb.html ( )