THE BONE LABYRINTH by James Rollins

THE BONE LABYRINTH is book 11 in James Rollins Sigma Force series. The books can be read separately, but it can be easier to understand the story and the characters past stories if you have read the previous books.

A discovery in a cave in the mountains of Croatia could hold the answers to, or rather a clue, to the mystery of what anthropologists calls The Great Leap forward, the sudden outburst of intelligence that happened 50,000 yeas ago. No one can explain why the homo sapiens suddenly become smart and started to invent things. Not until now.

But, the group of scientists that are investigating a cave in Croatia is suddenly attacked by unknown foes. There are those in the world after this knowledge for themselves that will not stop at anything to get what they want. Commander Gray Pierce leads a team to Croatia to see if they can be to any help after the attack. Will they arrive in time?

Back in America Joe Kowalski and Monk Kokkalis are trying to find out more about the caves in Croatia by questioning Maria Crandall, whose twin sister Lisa is one of the scientists investigating the cave. Could Maria and Lisa's research on exploring the origin of human intelligence be behind the attack in Croatia? And, who is after the knowledge and for what purpose?

THE BONE LABYRINTH is a breathtaking thriller, which takes us to Croatia, China, and South America in the hunt for answers. I liked every minute of the story, but I especially like Joe Kowalski's storyline. He and scientist Maria Crandall are kidnapped and taken to China together with Baako a young gorilla she has been raising. I also like Seichan, Gray Pierce girlfriend is back after being absent in the last book. It's good to have her back since she is quite forceful and handy to have in a fight.

The story is intriguing, and I love the mix of science and adventure Rollins so often manage to combine so well. I was pulled into the story, and I read this book with so much wonderment. THE BONE LABYRINTH was never boring, and I think this is a perfect book for anyone who loves to read adventures. I found it hard to stop reading after I had started. And, I actually cried at the end of THE BONE LABYRINTH. Not just teary-eyed, I actually cried. It is such a bittersweet ending.

A war is coming, a battle that will stretch from the
prehistoric forests of the ancient past to the cutting-
edge research labs of today, all to reveal a true mystery
buried deep within our DNA, a mystery that will leave
readers changed forever . . .

In this groundbreaking masterpiece of ingenuity and
intrigue that spans 50,000 years in human history, New
York Times bestselling author James Rollins takes us to
mankind’s next great leap.

But will it mark a new chapter in our development . . .
or our extinction?

In the remote mountains of Croatia, an archaeologist
makes a strange discovery: a subterranean Catholic
chapel, hidden for centuries, holds the bones of a
Neanderthal woman. In the same cavern system, elaborate
primitive paintings tell the story of an immense battle
between tribes of Neanderthals and monstrous shadowy
figures. Who is this mysterious enemy depicted in these
ancient drawings and what do the paintings mean?

Before any answers could be made, the investigative team
is attacked, while at the same time, a bloody assault is
made upon a primate research center outside of Atlanta.
How are these events connected? Who is behind these
attacks? The search for the truth will take Commander
Gray Pierce of Sigma Force 50,000 years into the past. As
he and Sigma trace the evolution of human intelligence to
its true source, they will be plunged into a cataclysmic
battle for the future of humanity that stretches across
the globe . . . and beyond.

With the fate of our future at stake, Sigma embarks on
its most harrowing odyssey ever—a breathtaking quest that
will take them from ancient tunnels in Ecuador that span
the breadth of South America to a millennia-old
necropolis holding the bones of our ancestors. Along the
way, revelations involving the lost continent of Atlantis
will reveal true mysteries tied to mankind’s first steps
on the moon. In the end, Gray Pierce and his team will
face to their greatest threat: an ancient evil,
resurrected by modern genetic science, strong enough to
bring about the end of man’s dominance on this planet.

Only this time, Sigma will falter—and the world we know
will change forever.