Rating: 
Summary: A MUST READ
Review: Every reader MUST include Preston and Childs on their bookshelves - UNDER glass for posterity. These two writers deserve special accolades for research, clarity, incredible story lines and the ability to grab the reader from beginning to end. Please read ALL of their books -- but PLEASE, read them in order with the Codex being the last, but the best.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Adventure Story
Review: Douglas Preston has delivered an exciting, engrossing adventure story that will keep you turning pages far into the night. The characters are interesting and there is never a dull moment. A perfect summer read released in the dead of winter. My only question: What happened to Hairy Bugger? Did Tom figure out a way to smuggle him back home?! You will not be disappointed in this book. Sit back and enjoy the ride!
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 stars
Review: I love tales of adventure, especially when it involves the jungle and tales of the Mayans. This one was very entertaining but it doesn't add much when it comes to originality. You get your typical dangers such as piranhas, anacondas and jaguars. The characters are original and likeable (I especially liked the humorous dialogue between Don Alfonso and Sally), which helped the story. I still recommend this highly and think it's one entertaining story. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A deadly inheritance
Review: Being a huge Preston & Child fan. it's obvious to me that novels derived from that union are superior to their individual efforts. The Codex, while being fascinating on many levels lacks the excitement level of other P&C novels. The plot surrounds the summoning of the three sons of reclusive multimillionaire Maxwell Broadbent to his New Mexico mansion. Broadbent is an obsessive collector of fine art and priceless archeologic artifacts, is considered a glorified grave robber. Upon arrival to the palatial Broadbent estate, the sons Tom, Vernon and Phillip discover the their father's collection, valued at 500 million dollars has apparently been stolen. They learn that the collection, their inheritance, has been spirited away with Broadbent who is dying of cancer, to be interred in tomb somewhere in the world. To claim their inheritance they must find the tomb to prove themselves worthy of its acquisition. Vernon, Tom and Phillip set off independently of each other to claim the fortune. Vernon, an aimless free spirit sets off with his money hungry spiritual guru. Tom, a dedicated yet poor veterinarian is coaxed by the blonde and beautiful Sally Colorado, an ethnopharmacologist to pursue the collection. Sally, a studier of indigenous medicines, has learned that the collection includes a Mayan codex. The codex written in about 800 A.D. contains thousands of medical prescriptions and preparations derived from plants, animals, insects and minerals native to the rainforest. Such a discovery would be a priceless boon to the pharmaceutical industry. Phillip, an art history professor had the brilliant idea to recruit Marcus Hauser, successful private investigator and former partner of his father. Little did he know that the partnership dissolved prior to Broadbent making his initial lucrative discovery. As a result Hauser secretly abhored Broadbent and was desperate to even the score. They all embark on a tortuous trek through the disease infested jungles of central Honduras to where they suspect Maxwell Broadbent is entombed. What follows is a harrowing adventure tale with the various parties aided by local minions as they overcome numerous hardships while treking to a remote mythical location. Although, a cut below the usual Preston & Child quality, The Codex is still a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Fun and Fast-Paced!!!
Review: A quick, fast-paced read! Entertaining, but with no real surprises. I read it in one day and really enjoyed it. I give 4 out of 5 stars for this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great solo novel from one half of an awesome team
Review: After Lincoln Child's very good "Utopia" the other half of the esteemed Preston-Child team has written another solo novel entitled "The Codex". After a rather drawn out last collaboration with Lincoln Child in "Still life with crows" this finds Douglas Preston back in excellent form with an interesting premise (don't want to spoil it more than the book review), decent characters and some typical humour that fans of the pair will appreciate. They've never written anything "unreadable" together and their recent solo efforts, including this one, maintain their high-standards. Thoroughly recommended!!
Rating: 
Summary: Codex
Review: A decent adventure novel set in the jungles of South America. The plot is interesting, a couple of the minor characters are very entertaining, but the moral is somewhat heavy handed. If you want to read truly spectacular thriller fiction pick up Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiosities and Still Life with Crows, by Douglas Preston and his long time partner Lincoln Childs. Codex is allright, but not in a League with the other books I mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: This novel has it all!
Review: Starting off, this is the best fictional novel I have in some time. Douglas Preston has put together an excellent cast of characters. He also gives us the usual chills and spills like his other books with Lincoln Child. If you like tales of jungle adventure, hidden treasure, and a quest that is never assured of working, you will love this book!
Rating:
Summary: ENJOYABLE
Review: I listened to the Audio CD version of this book and it was abridged. Therefore, I did not know about the "sex scene" between Tom and Sally until I read one of the reviews here. Nor do I now know what happened with respect to the pharmaceutical CEO who was hoping to buy the Codex from Hauser. The CD version never discussed it after the scene between Hauser and the CEO when the CEO agreed to buy the Codex. Can someone fill me in on what I missed? Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: It will be impossible to review this book without a comparison to Lincoln Child's Utopia, so I'll do it first. This book is smoother than Utopia. The flow is quicker, the rhythm is more solid, and the book has much more of a brisk pace. Much of this comes from more dialogue and shorter paragraphs. Is smooth necessarily good? In this case yes. The book is an adventure book, through-and-through, and plays well with the speed. The characters are stereotypes, but they're supposed to be. The setup of the book, as you can already tell, is a tad contrived. Aren't they always? The rest of the book works, though, with little groaning or reason to complain. The largest groan, perhaps, could be sex between two people that have spent over a month in the wet, rain-soaked jungle without a proper shower or hygeine concerns. Oral sex, in fact. Improbable, unlikely, completely unbelievable. Overall, though, you can feel the lack of Child, especially after reading Utopia (which, in retrospect, has a lack of Preston). Child seems to be best at bringing slower points of the book - plot developments and information. Preston seems best at bringing the action and dialogue. Neither concentrates much on character development, even though the characters do evolve more here than other adventures they evolve very predictably (yet satisfyingly.) A solid read, great for the beach or a weekend trip. Recommended. On a side note: in the battle of the gimmicky, transparent sidekicks Preston takes the lead. Hairy Bugger isn't nearly as throwaway or one-dimensional plotwise as Wingnut was. Wingnut was a huge groan, Hairy Bugger just a mild one.
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