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The Codex  By  cover art

The Codex

By: Douglas Preston
Narrated by: Scott Sowers
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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

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What listeners say about The Codex

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    326
  • 4 Stars
    215
  • 3 Stars
    129
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    15
Performance
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  • 4 Stars
    113
  • 3 Stars
    41
  • 2 Stars
    14
  • 1 Stars
    12
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    249
  • 4 Stars
    122
  • 3 Stars
    71
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    6

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Mystery!

Sometimes I just want to be entertained. This book fit that bill perfectly. I would love to see it made into a movie.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good fun

This Indian Jones type story was fun, I stumbled across the main character Tom Broadbent in a subsequent novel (Tyrannasaur Canyon). I found his backstory as told in this book compelling. The brothers are an interesting dynamic. I found the story interesting, if at times predictable. A fun read all around.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Leaking character development

Good story, but that's what it seemed like was a story--not a book. It lacked good character development for the brothers and even the girl... Seemed like a good outline for a book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This was great read.

I have greatly enjoyed all of Douglas Prestons’s books, I believe that The Codex is my favorite followed closely by Tyrannosaur Canyon. Both are five star books.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Short and simple

The story is short with a simple plot. The narrator is good. If you need a quick listen this is a fine choice.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great

it was a great adventure. The story flowed nicely. Very exciting at the end of the story.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narration

The book was ok. I think the narrater made it sound a little too hoaky.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Maya Codex

Written by one of my favorite authors.......about my favorite ancient culture.....The Mayas!!.... Interestingly good reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

I thouroughly enjoyed it !!

I'm not sure why the previous two reviews were so critical. I read the book first and loved it. I then bought the Audiobook and enjoyed it as well. I must admit that the unabriddged version will be better, but which on isn't? Anyway, I have a fondness for books written by Douglas Preston as well as those by Lincoln Child (Utopia). The ones written by both of them are simply awesome. My favorites, Relic and Thunderhead, are not available at Audible for some reason. Give this one a try. If you like the stuff of the Indiana Jones movies, you should enjoy this audiobook. It's not the best book ever, but it is a really good way to spend 5+ hours.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprise Me

I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of a story. A couple of points seem to quickly resolve and disappear. You throw up a pair of unsavory characters that appear to be part of the plot. Yet, the next mention of them and they are dead. I guess there was a change in plot and they were no longer desired. But the story was still pretty good with a reasonably good pace.

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