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Orion Books, Sep 2005
Reviewed by Sunnie Gill
When Alice Tanner agrees to work as volunteer labour on an archaeological
dig near the walled City of Carcassonne in France, she thinks it would be
a good way of getting over a failed relationship. She has no idea what she
is letting herself in for. On her last day at the dig, Alice wanders off
the main dig site and stumbles across a metal object lodged under a large
boulder. She accidentally dislodges the boulder which reveals a chamber
containing two long-dead bodies.
The police are called in to investigate as a formality, as it is obvious
to everyone that the bodies have been there for hundreds of years.
However, there is interest from unexpected quarters. Who is the lawyer
accompanying the police and why does he seem to be in charge? Alice tells
them what she knows but not everyone is convinced that she is telling them
everything.
Alice’s discovery sets in motion a series of events which plunges her into
danger. She has no idea why all this is happening. She only knows that she
is having strange dreams and visions about a woman from the past named
Alais.
LABYRINTH tells us the story of both Alice in 2005 and Alais from the
early 13th century. This was a time in France’s history when the Cathars
were persecuted: subjected to torture and torment under the guise of the
Inquisition in an effort to rid the world of “heretics”.
It’s almost impossible to review a book like LABYRINTH without mentioning
Dan Brown’s THE DA VINCI CODE. After all, he was the author who started
the phenomenal popularity of thrillers with a mystical/ religious theme.
At 525 pages, LABYRINTH requires a considerable commitment of time.
However, fans of books like THE DA VINCI CODE will find that commitment
worthwhile.
April 2006 review, originally published on Murder and Mayhem
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