The Codex

By: Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The bestselling coauthor of such thrillers as Relic and The Cabinet of Curiosities, Douglas Preston now spins an unforgettable tale of greed, adventure, and betrayal in The Codex.

"Greetings from the dead," declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half a billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing—along with his entire collection—from his mansion in New Mexico.

At first, robbery is suspected, but the truth proves far stranger: As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the sons wish to claim their fabulous inheritance, they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb.

The race is on, but the three brothers are not the only ones competing for the treasure. This secret is so astounding it cannot be kept quiet for long. With half a billion dollars at stake, as well as an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases, others soon join the hunt—and some of them will stop at nothing to claim the grave goods.

©2004 Splendide Mendax, Inc. (P)2004 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC.

Critic reviews

“Three sons are searching for their dying father who has vanished into the Central American jungle with the art and artifacts of a lifetime of collecting...cover to cover adventure...moves like a tropical thunderstorm.” —Barbara D'Amato, Mary Higgins Clark Award Winner

“The Codex is an archaeological thriller at its very best, fast and fascinating. If you like The Da Vinci Code, you'll really love The Codex.” —Michael and Kathleen Gear, USA TODAY bestselling authors of the People series

Nice

Not one of his best, but still entertaining. The bad guys didn't seem to be really...well... bad.

Good story

What made the experience of listening to The Codex the most enjoyable?

Good narration, kept me listening

What did you like best about this story?

It filled in some later story character gaps I had

Which character – as performed by Scott Sowers – was your favorite?

The main character, well all of them really

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nope, I keep falling asleep. Not the books fault, I often use audio books to get to sleep as I have quite severe tinnitus ( ringing in the ears ) and have had for years.

The Grizwalds meet Indiana Jones

Anyone with a big family understands the tragedy that unfolds when someone passes away. This is a family’s “ heroes journey” into the beautiful landscape of Central America. It’s a quick read, with lots of action. Also it is said to be the story that inspired Forrest Finn to bury his lost treasure in the Grand Canyon. I hope someone reads this and feels inspired to go on your own hero’s journey.
Warm Mahalos
G

The Codex

I enjoyed the characters and plot. The writes was able to keep the flowing. I recommend this book.

It's ok.

The story wasn't super captivating but it was interesting. The narration was decent but I have heard better.

Adventure and Entertainment rounded into one!

Adventure with of twists and turns. The females were heroic and brilliant alongside the men. At least they were not overshadowed by a father with 4 sons. Overall it was very entertaining.

To short

It was to short but very good. Needs to be another book on this a part two. Anyway great job.

Read the book

The book is much better than this abridged version. The details left out make the story too choppy.

Good Read

We listened to this book on a long car trip. It was the first book my wife has listened to. I must admit that I found myself completely immersed in the book and not so much the trip.
My wife thought it was just ok. The majority of the story is well designed and has a consistent feel. There are story elements that are too convenient and kind of silly. But, I can forgve that. Preston (and Child) remain my favorite authors and if you like them, you should read this book.

Cartoonish, but a good listen

This book is Indiana Jones meets Days of our Lives. It's full of drama and characters that are easy to like and dislike. The beginning takes a short bit to get going (because the writer introduces many characters), but once it does, it's smooth sailing. The story had three plot twists that surprised me. I liked that. The narrator does a good job of making the characters sound distinct, which helped me keep track of who was saying what. The archeology is mostly fantasy, so don't expect to believe everything said about the Maya. Do expect, however, to be entertained.