Monday Book Review: Marks of Cain by Tom Knox

An audacious and terrifying new thriller from the author of the international bestseller The Genesis Secret. 

When David Martinez receives an ancient map from his dying grandfather, he is led into the heart of the Basque mountains, where a genetic curse lies buried- and a frightening secret about the Western world is hidden. Meanwhile, London journalist Simon Quinn is investigating two violent murders. Both victims had once been interned in a top-secret Nazi camp-and both came from the Basque region.

With The Marks of Cain, Tom Knox (The Lost Goddess) delivers on the promise of his astonishing debut novel, crafting a terrifying and even more ambitious thriller that delves into the shocking truth of what drives human beings to violence, genocide, and war.

Although it had been awhile since reading, even after a period of time, elemens of a book stay with you. That is with the case of “the Marks of Cain”.  The storyline, at times, unbelievable and contrived, leaves an indelible mark.  Torture, nazi experimentation and a biblical genetic marker. Religious themed mysteries always get my attention and this one did. I bought it at a bargain/clearance sale at a big box store a few years ago.

The book can be read in one sitting, easy to read and doesn’t confuse. The characters are well-developed, the settings and background is drawn from reality, so people can get a ‘feel’ for the nature of the book, the ‘noir’ feeling. Some of the characters can be a bit overwhelming but if you keep in mind that this is a Fictional Mystery, you should do fine.

The author Knox (a pseudonym) draws from real life people and events, but that should not dictate that “the Marks of Cain” is historical reality.  True, Nazi’s did awful things, true the Catholic Church has done bad things in their past and true that Cagots from France/Spain did/do exist. The rest is a fictional account of what might have happened from the writers mind.

I would give “The Marks of Cain” 4 stars.