The Tenth Chamber
by Glenn Cooper
(Arrow Books, R195)
The accidental discovery of a cave in the vicinity of Ruac, France, holds the key to a secret some would kill to keep hidden. Sadly, archaeologist Luc Simard is unaware of the lengths these folks will go to when he begins to research the painted chambers.
Interspersed with the present day intrigue are scenes occurring during medieval and prehistoric times, sketching in the back story Simard tries to unravel.
Cooper’s style is clean and his historical research appears sound, but his tone comes across as cold and could have benefited from better emotional layering and a deeper third person point of view. Although the story is fast-paced and entertaining, I failed to engage with the characters.
One member of the support cast, Odile, struck me as someone who deserved a novel all to herself, but as for the rest, they felt one-dimensional and existed as mere place-holders to progress the plot.
With a brief nod towards Jean M Auel’s Earth’s Children sans the Paleolithic sexploits and a brief homage to the doomed love affair of Héloïse and Abelard, as well as the tragic Knights Templar with a dash of artistic licence, Cooper’s novel, I feel, suffers from a case of too much packed into one volume. It feels as if he tries to join too many foreign elements in what I’ve seen suggested as an attempt to cash in on Dan Brown’s conspiracy-laced success.
Even though the assorted sub-arcs felt disparate in their combination. To give Cooper some credit, he does deliver a fun read, even if the ending verges on deus ex machina.
While this novel is not upsetting in any real bad style or authorly faux pas, it simply doesn’t stand out as an earth-shattering story.
If you’re looking for a light read while on holiday that could easily translate into an action-packed if not slightly predictable Hollywood thriller, then The Tenth Chamber may be what you’re looking for.