A well paced, gripping page turner. The story line focuses on a mystery stemming from the work of a Jewish artist, who found himself on the wrong side of the head of the SS, Himmler. Fast forward to the present day, and a wartime painting by him seems to be the focus of a pro-SS group intent on taking ownership of the painting and using it to unlock the secrets of a treasure hunt.

Without giving the ending away, the treasure is not at first what it seems to be. This is where the main character, Tom, comes in. He too is after the painting and the answers to it secret riddles and what follows is a chase around Europe while his efforts to solve the mystery of the treasure are dogged by more than one shady group of people.

At first glance, the book could come across as the one the multitude of archeological thrillers that have flooded the shelves in the wake of the Da Vinci Code (DVC). This book should be judged in its own right, and certainly is good enough to stand alone from the DVC.

Well worth a read, and worth the five stars I have awarded it.