(Second Copy)

I've read this before, but didn't recall much about it (and wanted to refresh my mind before reading the sequel), so I picked it up again.

Per the author's note at the beginning of this book, the science behind this book is real. If that's true, then those aspects are quite fascinating and even mind-boggling. I'm quite sure that some of the other pieces of this story are contrived or exaggerated, and that's okay for me, because both the fictional and scientific pieces worked to make this an intriguing thriller. It reads like a Dan Brown book with the short chapters that leave you wanting to read "just one more...", while the story zooms by. I've also been to the Highlands of Scotland (which I adored), so I enjoyed reading about the familiar locale and the people. In the end, some aspects of the reveal were a bit predictable, but it felt right so I'm okay with it.

This book has its critics, but overall it was entertaining - and that's just what I was looking for.