On the Fifth Day

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 416 pages
• Published by: Berkley July 3, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0425216284
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0425216286
• Book Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 6.4 ounces

From Publishers Weekly
In Hartley's newest, disgraced English teacher Thomas Knight confronts a church conspiracy of silence surrounding the death of his brother, Father Edward Knight, while on a research trip in the Philippines. Looking to make sense of it all, Thomas's search leads him from Italy to Japan to the site of his brother's death, all the while narrowly escaping agents of unknown origin who seem hellbent on stopping him. With the distinction between friends and enemies becoming more fluid all the time, Knight falls in with his ex-wife at the State Department, a priestly colleague of his brother's and a murderous biologist to discover a secret that threatens, yes, the very foundations of Christianity. Not only is Hartley's novel well paced, with enough twists and turns to keep most thriller fans satisfied, he avoids the missteps of most attempts to cash in on the Da Vinci Code zeitgeist by focusing on the faithful rather than freewheeling conspiracies; his is a welcome take that considers thoughtfully, if at times clumsily, issues of belief and doubt. Though the action occasionally snags on some repetitive character details, this slam-bang title is a very fun, surprisingly satisfying read. (July)
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Product Description
The death of a priest is met with suspicion by his brother Thomas, who knows that his sibling died while researching Christian symbols. But Thomas and curator Deborah Miller aren't alone in retracing the priest's final steps. They're followed by fanatics desperate to hide the secret stumbled upon by Thomas's brother-and willing to kill to keep it buried forever.

Reader Reviews
A.J. Hartley showed promise as a top notch thriller writer with The Mask of Atreus. Unfortunately, the credibility he built with that earlier work has diminished with the release of his sophomore effort, On The Fifth Day. As was the case with his previous work, Hartley grounds On The Fifth Day around a science-based mystery (specifically, evolutionary biology). However, Hartley also throws other elements, like commentaries on religion, short discourses on military weaponry, and lengthy discussions on archeology, into the story. All these diverse elements don't mesh as well as they were likely intended to do. Consequently, the "red herrings" drag on too long, the characters are flat and uninteresting, and the "deus ex machina (or, in this case, "deus ex piscis") is almost comical. There are a few scenes in On The Fifth Day where Hartley's writing shines, particularly the scenes with Famine. In most of the book, however, the writing is overwhelmed by an overabundance of ideas that are never brought to a satisfying resolution. On The Fifth Day is definitely a book where a little more focus on the central concept would have produced a much better story. Comment | | (Report this)