Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

In Legitimate Power by Stefan Vucak, Cheber Shaken, living in the outskirts of Jerusalem, uncovers two stone ossuaries in a buried chamber in his backyard while clearing some bramble for his wife’s garden. These ossuaries are quite unique in that one contains some old bones while the other has a strange orange crystal in it. Cheber quickly sells his find to his friend, Acaph Yaron, a trader, for a pittance. Acaph in turn sells the ossuaries to Ezrah Kutner, a respected academic at the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, and the crystal to Liam Geffen, a jewelry trader.

Upon examination of the artificial crystal, Geffen discovers that it has unique polarizing and self-healing properties and, realizing its unique potential, he buys the crystal from Acaph and quickly puts it up for private auction. He casts a wide net, covering potential customers in Asia, Europe and the U.S. and receives two impressive bids, with the highest coming from Dr. Kevin Morrison, owner of Solaris Technology, a global player in the highly competitive solar panel market. Kevin Morrison has both a PhD and an MBA and a host of patents to back up his innate vision for the future of solar energy. The second highest bid has come from a high-ranking Chinese official who recognizes the crystal’s unique qualities and will stop at nothing in order to get his hands on it – even if it means murdering those who stand in his way.

Legitimate Power by Stefan Vucak is a spellbinding story that combines history and technology with international intrigue to create an intelligent thriller sure to satisfy every hardcore enthusiast of this genre. What makes Legitimate Power such a compelling thriller is that the author seamlessly combines the old and the new; the old being two old burial chests (ossuaries) that contain old bones and an unusual crystal with the new which, in this case, is the concept of solar energy and its various potential innovations, in the centre of which is the unique crystal. Add murder and the patenting of intellectual property rights to this political intrigue and you’ve got one terrific story. The author is clearly well-read and has a wide scope of interests which play out rather nicely in this book. The best part is that the prose is engaging and crisp without being overly technical, making Legitimate Power an easy read. Highly recommended!