Lost books found

The allure of books is that they contain secrets. Some people argue that we're not reading so much any more. This is very possibly true though those who leave books on shelves do not know what they are missing out on.

For those who are fascinated by the secrets contained within books, libraries are naturally a haven of respite and unlimited knowledge. Now as with all other secrets, those who do not know them or do not have the means to access them, such as in the case the books are hidden or lost, are going to get rather annoyed.

One cannot mention the intrigue of the secrets held within books, within libraries, without referring to the padre of mystery novels, Umberto Eco, who authored The Name of the Rose. Steve Berry's fifth published novel, The Alexandria Link, bears strong similarities, in content rather than in style or value, to Eco's work in its preoccupation with libraries and with the secrets held within the books they hold.

Besides the never-ending procession of characters, books play an important part in Mr Berry's novel. Although it is a little too far-fetched to believe that this library could still exist, the plot revolves around this very fact: the race to unearth it, and the wealth of knowledge it contains. The library stood for 600 years until the middle of the seventh century when the Muslims finally took control of Alexandria and purged everything that countered Islam.

The book theme permeates the novel. We start off with Cotton Malone, a recurrent character in Mr Berry's novels, trying to lead a secluded life as a bookseller in Copenhagen. The peaceful life doesn't last very long for him.

From the start of the fact-based thriller, Mr Berry plunges his reader into mystery and intrigue: Malone's son is abducted and his bookshop burnt down. The abductors intend to force Malone to disclose what he knows about the survival of the legendary lost library of Alexandria which contained over half a million manuscripts, including ancient texts that could undermine Israel's claim to biblical legitimacy. Malone and his allies get roped into a Washington intrigue and double-dealing as they try to locate the high-level traitor seeking to use the secret sources to change the dynamics of the Middle East both from political and religious points of view.

What seems a little far-fetched is the implication that the texts could actually have this desired effect. Just as this narrative technique jars, another element of the storyline's weaving fabric which is a little hard to swallow is indeed the very existence of this fabulous library (something Berry acknowledges himself) in the claim that the library was not destroyed but was preserved in some secret location. Also, some plot twists are predictable such as the getting back together of Cotton and his ex-wife Pam. Other plot elements are annoying such as the way the Arab-Israeli situation is treated so lightly.

Despite the page-turner effect of this work of popular fiction, Mr Berry has done his research and the novel certainly is a cradle of ideas, historical, philosophical, literary and scientific, enough to leave us in awe of what was probably the unparalleled and greatest concentration of knowledge in the world.

• Ms Stivala has an MSc in Comparative and General Literature from Edinburgh. She secretly wishes that there was an element of truth in the possibility of the existence of the Alexandria library.

• A review copy of this title was supplied by Agenda Bookshop.