Inquisition

A sophisticated plot lifts bestseller Gibbins’s superior 10th thriller featuring archeologist Jack Howard (after 2017’s Testament). When the wreck of an English ship that sank off Cornwall in 1684 while transporting “equipment and people back from the failed colony of Tangier” yields a silver coin marked with a Star of David, Jack is baffled. The vessel would have had to pass through waters controlled by the Inquisition, and it made no sense for it to contain any evidence of the merchant’s Jewish faith. To resolve that conundrum, Jack delves into an obscure chapter in British history—the abandonment of the North African colony in favor of a focus on consolidating the British Empire’s control of India. His pursuit of an explanation takes him to Portugal and Bolivia, since the initial mystery proves to be just the tip of a large iceberg with major ramifications. Steve Berry fans eager for an intelligent blend of suspense and reality, including some horrific contemporary developments, will be rewarded. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA Books. (Apr.)