A Twofer! Library of the Dead AND Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper #bookreview

I know. I've been neglecting you again. Sorry about that. But to make it up to you, this review is a twofer. I'm reviewing both Library of the Dead (originally published as Secret of the Seventh Son) and its sequel Book of Souls by Glenn Cooper. These two were loaned to me by a friend (and I've just purchased the third book in this series).

AND I have something else for you to look forward too! My friend and one of my very favorite authors, Kory Shrum, has just given me an advanced review copy of the latest book in her Jesse Sullivan series titled Dying for Her which I can't wait to read and share with you very soon. I've loved the first two book in that series so I am very eager to read this one. But I digress.

Back to the Libary of the Dead and Book of Souls.

 Library of the Dead follows the deadly adventures of FBI agent Will Piper as he tries to solve the Doomsday Killer case - a serial killer who marks his victims by sending a postcard with the photo of a coffin and the date of the victim's coming death on it. Will is a bit of an anti-hero here. He is an unlikable character. A rogue agent, an alcoholic, and a womanizer who likes to have one night stands with woman as young or younger than his daughter.

In spite of all that you WANT to like him. But you just can't. Even so, the mystery that Cooper outlines and the ancient Library are fascinating and you can't stop reading because you just have to know more. There is lots of action and lots of intrigue along the way and I really enjoyed this one. Which is why I was very happy to jump right into Book of Souls when I finished Library of the Dead.

Now on to Book of Souls. Although the Doomsday Killer case was resolved in the first book the story didn't end there. There are still government coverups going on and Will, now retired, is contacted by some former employees of a secret goverment facility to help them acquire a book from the ancient Library of the Dead which has turned up for auction in London and the government is killing to get their hands on. At first reluctant, Will's boredom and restlessness lead him to jump on the chance, even though it may put his family in danger - again. I told you he wasn't likable, remember. He does other stuff in this book that will piss you off too, but again, the secret government ops and intrigue keep you reading along until the end.

I really enjoyed both books, which is why I will be reading on to the third book in the series in the not too distant future. Think of them as kind of Bourne Identity type of action story with some ancient archeology/mythology thrown in. Lots of fun to read.

Want to check them out for yourself? You can find them on Amazon, just click these links:

Library of the Dead

Book of Souls

Book Blurb for Library of the Dead:
The most shocking secret in the history of mankind is about to be revealed...A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died - a postcard that announced their date of death. In desperation, the FBI assigns the case to maverick agent Will Piper, once the most accomplished serial killing expert in the bureau's history, now on a dissolute spiral to retirement. Battling his own demons, Will is soon drawn back into a world he both loves and hates, determined to catch the killer whatever it takes. But his search takes him in a direction he could never have predicted, uncovering a shocking secret that has been closely guarded for centuries. A secret that once lay buried in an underground library beneath an 8th Century monastery, but which has now been unearthed - with deadly consequences. A select few defend the secret of the library with their lives - and as Will closes in on the truth, they are determined to stop him, at any cost...


Some crimes should never be solved; some secrets are best left buried.

Secret of the Seventh Son is a debut thriller by Glenn Cooper about predestination and fate.

Book Blurb for Book of Souls:
The Library: Only a handful know it exists . . . It holds the world's most astonishing—and terrifying—information . . . But the one book that is the key to the greatest secret of all time . . . is missing.

Former FBI Special Agent Will Piper solved—and survived—the "Doomsday Killer" case . . . and his reward was a forced early retirement. But the shattering truths he learned about the government's most covert operations won't let him rest—and now he's on the trail of a mysterious volume that's been lost for six centuries. This is the book that inspired Shakespeare and the prophecies of Nostradamus, and once Will gets his hands on it, his life will be worth nothing—his death sentence a top priority handed down from the very highest levels of power.

Because there are some truths too dangerous for anyone to know—those that concern the future, world domination . . . and the end of everything.

About the author:
Glenn Cooper is an internationally bestselling thriller writer.

Glenn was born in New York City and grew up in nearby White Plains. He attended White Plains High School before enrolling at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he graduated from Harvard with an honors degree in archaeology. He then attended Tufts University School of Medicine and did his post-doctoral training at the New England Deaconess and the Massachusetts General Hospitals becoming a board-certified specialist in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. After practicing medicine, Glenn began a research career in the pharmaceutical industry which culminated in an eighteen-year position as the Chairman and CEO of a biotechnology company in Massachusetts. Glenn began writing screenplays over twenty years ago and his interest in movies prompted him to attend the graduate program in film production at Boston University. He is currently the chairman of a media company, Lascaux Media, which has produced three independent feature-length films. In 2006 Glenn turned his hand to novel-writing. His debut novel, THE LIBRARY OF THE DEAD, the first in a trilogy, became an international bestseller and was translated into thirty languages. All of his seven published books have become top-ten international best-sellers.

Glenn currently lives in New Hampshire