Delve Into A Secret World Under Our Own Tied To Legacy, Violence & History.
Five hundred years ago, a deadly artifact called the Chains of Peter was stolen. Now, the chains have resurfaced in Mobile, Alabama, and the House of David, a secret organization that specializes in securing dangerous artifacts, has sent its most lethal operative to find them.
Judge Eden Dowler is all but certain the wealthy Bachman family is hiding the chains, and he has a win/win plan for securing them. As it happens, the Bachmans' youngest son, Orion, is Eden's estranged half-brother. All Eden has to do is convince his brother to join the House of David, and the chains are as good as his. Orion Bachman is the perfect candidate-loyal, intelligent, fit, and eager-and Eden is certain his brother's healthy upbringing will benefit the House, which usually only recruits broken children.
There's just one problem. A mysterious counter organization known as Seditio will stop at nothing to keep the House from securing the chains. When Seditio sets its sights on the Bachman family, Eden realizes the stakes have become personal. But what's the best way to protect Orion? Should Eden train him to fight and kill, or guard Orion's innocence so he doesn't become one more broken soul in the House of David?
As the House continues its bloody search for artifacts, Eden begins to question its integrity and the role he plays within it. Unfortunately, Orion is beginning to question everything else, including whether he should have ever put his faith in someone like Eden Dowler.
Petty inaugurates the “Series of Four Seasons” with this gripping story of ancient societies, deadly artifacts, and two estranged half-brothers, Orion and Eden, one of whom personifies death, and the other life. Eden tracks down Orion on the present-day Gulf Coast with the hope that Orion will join the artifact-hunting organization, the House of David, to help locate a dangerous artifact known as the Chains of Peter before it falls into the wrong hands. Usually, Eden’s missions don’t demand much interpersonal connection: “Get in. Get the artifact. Get out. Maybe kill a few guys in the process, I don’t know,” he muses. But enlisting Orion complicates matters as Eden pursues the Chains to prevent the mysterious Whiteface and his masked killers at Seditio, another ancient order, from using the Chains to bring on global destruction. Petty’s story flows with purpose and power, immersing the reader in adventure, conspiracies, and crisp, vital action, all without relying on adventure-tale clichés. Writing compelling fight scenes can prove challenging for even the most experienced authors, but Petty demonstrates a sure hand, capturing violence and suspense with crisp clarity and inventive wit. That action, while rousing, is always tied to character. Petty is unafraid to be grisly in these scenes that highlight Eden’s acceptance of death through and willingness to kill to protect his brother and the people around him.
While the setpieces excite and reveal the novel’s relationships, at times the pace can seem too quick, as the story hurtles readers from one intense scene to another. The novel’s revelations, and the crucial connection between the half-brothers, might have greater impact with quieter moments, in which this agreeable cast can catch a breath and make sense of it all. The quest and the bloody, surprising, tinged-with-comedy action, though, is the draw here. Orion’s crash course introduction into Eden’s—and, now, possibly his—world is memorably wild. Maybe there will be more binding in spring.
Takeaway: The intense, bloody start to a promising thriller series of ancient artifacts and societies.
Great for fans of: Derek Landy’s Skulduggery Pleasant series, Tom Knox’s The Babylon Rite.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
