Julia is not so confident of her abilities. All her life she has been aware that she could see auras, but has treated this gift as a curse rather than a blessing. Martin has plans for using Julia's gift, but is reluctant to share his aspirations with her because she has no interest in the occult, believing it in direct opposition to real science.

Martin has recently left for a trip to Mount Ararat, the presumed location for the remains of Noah's Ark. Julia has elected not to accompany him, having dubbed his research as more mystic than scientific. She is soon informed by the United States government that her husband has been kidnapped. The government is in possession of a video in which Martin directly speaks to his wife in her native Spanish imploring her to use her gift "to keep two halves to be made whole again," Although Julia knows what her gift is and recognizes the two halves as the adamants, she is not sure what to do. The one thing of which she is confident is an enduring love for her husband. She must figure out what his message means and then come up with a plan to answer it.

The Lost Angel is a curious blend of historical fact and fiction so skillfully rendered that it is not easy to separate the two. The author taps such diverse sources as John Dee, an Englishman who lived during the late 1500's and was both a scientist and a master of the occult arts, Chester Arthur, the twenty-first president of the United States, and George Carver, Jr. (1930-1994) a CIA expert who was interested in Noah's Ark. The amount of historical research that went into this book is testimony to the fact that Javier Sierra is an historian first and a novelist who wishes history to come alive for his audience.

Sierra has included a glossary at the end of his novel as a reference tool for readers. This handy item allows those with less historical background to fill in the gaps without overusing one's Google finger.

Books in which one is required to willingly suspend their disbelief are not usually among my favorites. The Lost Angel demands that requirement of most readers. Being forced to accept some premises provides one with a glorious experience in this novel. Once you get on the train it's a roller coaster ride of enjoyment, education, and enlightenment.

The mysterious element in this book is elusive. The major puzzle for the reader is deciding who are the good guys and who are the bad ones. As the chapters roll by one's opinion on this subject will be in a constant state of flux. Sierra has made all of his characters credible and their motives appear just, but as soon as you begin to trust a character, he becomes unpredictable. This device is a hook guaranteed to keep you reading.

There is a wealth of historical detail in this novel that may not be essential to the plot but is worthy of note and educational as well. The ancient Egyptians had devices remarkably similar to modern batteries. The Sumerians had asphalt roads. These tidbits are just a sample of that facts that Sierra metes out along with his story.

The Lost Angel is a novel that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. It may not appear to be your cup of tea from the first few chapters, but do not despair there are many delights within its pages.

--Andy Plonka