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Reviewed by Stephen Christopher for Readers' Favorite
In the 7th century, 12-year-old Theoctistus Erkenwald joined the Benedictine Monks and embarked on a life of greatness. During his life, he finds a cure for the black plague known as silphium and the staff of Paul (yes, the Paul from the New Testament). The cure for the plague has a side effect that, centuries later, causes drug cartels to want to get their hands on the recipe. Predicting this, Erkenwald creates a cipher that only he knows and records the recipe in that code. The ship carrying the document is sunk in the English Channel, and the recipe is lost forever. Fast-forward to today when Carson Reid and his crew, on a salvage trip, discover the document. In an attempt to get it translated, they set in motion a cascade of events, resulting in many people dying. Does the document ever get translated, and can NSA agent Alton Blackwell discover who the mastermind is behind all the chaos? Read Steven F. Freeman’s The Forgotten Alphabet to find out.
Action thrillers are a fun genre as they’re often page-turners, and The Forgotten Alphabet is definitely that. It’s the 17th book in The Blackwell Files series, but it’s the first one for me. Steven F. Freeman is such a talented author that he skillfully mentions critical parts of previous novels so the reader new to the series is not left behind. I loved every second of this book; the events are plausible, the flawed characters are all relatable, and the revelation of the mastermind shocked me. There’s nothing to fault in this story—it’s heart-racingly brilliant. I’m already a new fan of this author and plan to go back and read every other book in the series in order.
