The 13th Tablet - Alex Mitchell

The 13th Tablet by Alex Mitchell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Bad. This word sums up my feelings on this book precisely. The burb on The 13th Tablet was intriguing which made me pick up this book. I was soon left regretting this decision.

Meet Mina Oswald -  modern day Cleopatra - as the author would like us to believe. She's an archeologist, a professor, a Ph.D student and beautiful to boot. What's not to like? Except for the tiny fact that she's dumb as a dodo and lets not talk about common sense.

The book came across more of the author trying hard to make the reader like Mina rather than focusing on the plot. Speaking of the plot, its bizzare as to how simple things are for the lady Indiana Jones to find out about the missing 13th Tablet. Talking about the tablets, the author starts off with 1 clay tablet which has a stone tablet hidden inside it which in a roundabout way leads the illustrious lady to another tablet.... I mean which one is the 13th is a mystery that is not solved even when the book ends.

Following the lady - as she trapises around the globe meeting scholars - like a lovesick puppy is Retired. Major John Hillcliff. He's so in love with his lady that the basic common sense soon deserts outs hero while is he's out trying to save the world beside his lady love. Add to that a more characters who fall in love/lust with Miss Oswald as soon as they lay their eyes on her (this includes the villan) the whole thing becomes boorish to the extreme.

There is no reason why the reader to empathise with Miss Oswalds quest, the Major comes across as a macho gone wrong, the author is confused between who to make the villan in this tale, the greedy bilionaire or the cultist leader and all it leaves the reader is a massive headache and a healthy dose of apathy towards the protagonists.

By the end of this book I couldn't care less if they succeeded, I just wanted the damn book to end.