Marks of CainTom Knox
Viking (Penquin Group), May 2010
ISBN: 978-0670021918
The gripping new high-concept thriller from the author of The Genesis Secret, perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Sam Bourne.
When David Martinez, a young lawyer, receives an ancient map from his dying grandfather, the mysteries of his past begin to unfold before him. The map takes David into the dangerous Basque mountains, where a genetic curse lies buried and a frightening secret about the Western world's past is hidden.
Arriving in Spain, having quit the lawyer job that he abhorred, David is quickly spun into a world of incomparable violence. An innocent request turns into a punishing blow on the head as well as one for the young woman who attempted to come to his rescue. This is the world of fiercely proud Basque people, a group who have never given up their dream of a separate independent country and who are willing to inflict all forms of terrorist acts on Spanish police and the Spanish government.
Meanwhile, London journalist Simon Quinn may have found his big break. A wealthy, elderly woman has been murdered in the most horrific fashion, and another homicide soon follows. Both victims came from villages in the Basque region, both were interred at a top-secret Nazi camp, both have been silenced for what they know about the experiments conducted on the Basques, the Jews, and a dwindling mystical tribe of pre-Caucasian locals called Cagots.
From the North Sea islands to the Arizona desert, from the graveyards of the Basque countryside to the heart of colonial Africa, Martinez's and Quinn's quests intersect to reveal the shocking roots of racial persecution, human violence, and war.
The Genesis Secret-already in its fourth hardcover printing and appearing on several bestseller lists- immediately established Tom Knox as a searing, brilliant new voice in fiction. The Marks of Cain dares to raise the bar even higher and promises to be an even greater success.
