The Malice Box by Martin Langfield

Publishers Weekly

Owing an obvious debt to Dan Brown's megablockbuster The Da Vinci Code, Langfield's ambitious debut incorporates elements of supernatural mystery, Dante-esque journey and apocalyptic thriller, but the pieces fail to come together into a satisfying whole. With a powerful alchemical weapon primed to detonate in a week's time, Robert Reckliss must unlock seven puzzles and find seven keys hidden around Manhattan before the "Malice Box" unleashes some unspecified evil on the inhabitants of New York City. Standing in his way is the Brotherhood of Iwnw (pronounced yoonu), otherworldly "scavengers of the soul" bent on remaking civilization with themselves as overlords. Two-dimensional characters, contrived situations and a mishmash of plot-threads-a potentially world-altering discovery involving a recovered document written by Isaac Newton, secret societies, gateways between worlds, America's war against terrorism, Christian and Islamic mysticism, ley lines-make this one of the weaker contenders in the crowded religious thriller field. (Nov.)

Laura A.B. Cifelli - Library Journal

After receiving an unusual copper puzzle box by mail from an old Cambridge friend, Robert Reckliss finds himself embroiled in a life-and-death battle on the streets of Manhattan. Based on the secret alchemy of Isaac Newton, an ancient conspiracy called The Iwnw seeks to destroy Western civilization. Reckliss has the power to prevent this cataclysm-but only if he can tap into psychic abilities he doesn't even believe he possesses. The Iwnw arms a weapon, and Reckliss has one week to complete a physical and spiritual quest that includes solving riddles and finding and disarming said weapon-no small task. In essence, New York City is a main character in this debut novel; Langfield describes its architecture and history with details bordering on fetishistic. Those intimately familiar with the city will enjoy the behind-the-scenes tour of some famous landmarks and glimpses of hidden treasures; armchair adventurers will want to re-create the quest. While the concept is brilliantly clever, the overall execution is a tad disappointing. Recommended for most popular fiction collections.

Kirkus Reviews

Want to save the world from destruction? Solve the puzzles. While playing an elaborate scavenger-hunt-cum-word-puzzle game that his friend Adam Hale designed in 1981, scholar Robert Reckliss finds in Katherine Rota the woman of his dreams. His tale moves back and forth from these salad days in Cambridge across the Atlantic to New York City in September 2004, with memories of 9/11 still fresh. Robert, now living in the suburbs with Katherine and their young son Moss, receives a mysterious package containing a round metallic box and a piquant message: "Please help me." Who else but Adam could be behind it? Robert treats the surprise casually until it's linked to the unexpected suicide of Lawrence Hencott, the CEO of a corporation with whom he's working. In short order, Robert is enmeshed with Lawrence's brother Horace, a close associate of Adam who guides Robert through a maze of thorny puzzles he must solve in order to derail a devilish plot to detonate the eponymous weapon. Along the way, Robert has a guilty affair with beautiful psychic Terri, and flashbacks provide further background to his present mission. The finale hinges on a map of Manhattan and the Republican National Convention being held there. Langfield's fiction debut, which sacrifices conventional thrills to a series of cerebral challenges, comes linked to a website offering many more puzzles inspired by Robert's quest. Agent: Michael Sissons/PFD

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