Marah Chase and The Conqueror's Tomb by Jay Stringer

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this book, but unfortunately didn't get the chance to read it for a while. And I'm sorry to admit it then took me a ridiculously long time to write up my thoughts. But finally I've got myself together and done it, after decoding my chaotic notes! Huge apologies to Jay for the delay.


The Blurb:

Rogue archaeologist Marah Chase is approached by MI6 with an impossible mission: to help them recover a dangerous treasure lost after the death of Alexander the Great.

Once a rising star in the field of archaeology, Marah Chase is now a black-market treasure hunter, her services available to the highest bidder. But when she’s caught “rescuing” relics in Syria before they’re destroyed by war, an MI6 officer named Joanna Mason approaches her with an offer she can’t refuse: help save the world or rot in prison.

All Chase has to do is find Alexander the Great’s lost tomb, recover an ancient weapon of mass destruction he may have used to conquer the earth, and destroy it before the bad guys can get it. Among those adversaries are a powerful church that believes in a forgotten epoch of advanced alien technology, the white supremacist thugs in its employ, and the rival archaeologist who recently left Chase for dead.

Chase can’t resist a challenge - or the British spy recruiting her. There’s just one problem. If Chase has any hope of unearthing Alexander’s tomb before the forces hot on her heels do, she’ll need the help of the one person she’s been afraid to see since her fall from grace: Zoe Forrester, the heir to a hidden journal that holds the key - and Chase’s ex-girlfriend.

A contemporary homage to the best adventure stories of literature, television, and film, Marah Chase and the Conqueror’s Tomb is an action-packed, globe-trotting quest, perfect for anyone who’s ever thought Indy really ought to be Jewish, female, and gay.

Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb was published by Pegasus Books on 2nd July 2019 and you can buy it from Waterstones, Amazon UK, Amazon US and other good bookshops.


My Review:

This was my first book by Jay Stringer, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew it was going to be different from my usual read, but the blurb really appealed to me. And I'm so pleased I went for it, because I loved it.

This was a complicated story line (for me, anyway 😀), which I needed to focus on. But that was easily done, because this is a fun action packed tale full of colourful characters. And it is absolutely begging to be made into a movie - the references to Indiana Jones (with an added dash of National Treasure, I reckon) in the blurb are justified, but Marah has her own kick ass way of doing things!

The story begins in Syria, where relic hunter Chase is separated from her colleague and friend Ryan whilst trying to outrun the mercenaries chasing them. And from there, things just get crazier!

Marah is tasked by MI6 to find an ancient weapon with an immense power. A weapon from stories and myth - Hitler and Ian Fleming both get a mention - that it seems actually exists. And The Church of Ancient Science has plans for the weapon that need to be stopped...

I loved Marah. She's very much her own woman, confident, capable and sassy. And whilst she doesn't quite have a girl in every port, she certainly has an interesting love life! I also really liked her pilot pal Chuy Guerrero. He's a charmer with the ladies, and full of tall tales. He's very fond of Marah and their relationship is great.

I can't tell you much about the plot without spoiling it for you! It's full of Egyptian and Greek mythology, some real (if you know what I mean!) and some that the author has made up. All the major characters, and there are a fair few of them, are well drawn and, in the main, really interesting. Some of the MI6 guys are (deliberately) a bit grey though, lol. It's an adrenaline filled story from beginning to end, with moments of genuine peril, when my heart was in my mouth. And there are some epic, and varied, chase scenes!

I loved every minute of this read - it's loads of action packed fun. A great, imaginative story, brilliantly written. I'm not sure if there are any plans for it, but I would love to see more of Marah. Whether that happens or not, I'm very much looking forward to reading more of Stringer's work.


The Author:

Jay Stringer was born in 1980, and he's not dead yet.

He was raised in the Black Country, in England, but has lived in Glasgow for a decade now, and his loyalties are divided.

Jay is dyslexic, and came to the written word as a second language, via comic books, music, and comedy.

As a child, he spent his time dreaming of living in the New York of Daredevil comics and crime fiction, but as an adult he's channelled those dreams into fiction of his own.

Jay writes hard boiled crime stories, dark comedies, and social fiction. His heart beats for the outsider, and for people without a voice. He's coined the term "social pulp fiction" to describe his style.

You can find out more by visiting Jay's website or following him on Twitter.