The Malichea Quest Book 3 The Lethal Target by Jim Eldridge

This is Book 3 in the Malichea Quest series, and I haven't read books 1 and 2.  I am happy to say that it didn't matter and I could enjoy this book as a stand alone title.

The Order of Malichea have a library of scientific texts, According to Jim Eldridge's website:
..in 1497 the leader of the Order of Malichea instructed the monks of the Order to take these so-called “heretical” science books and hide them in secure places, hiding each book in a separate place. To ensure the books would not be discovered, each book was to be hidden in a place that was unlikely to be disturbed because it was either sacred, or said to be cursed, or claimed to be haunted. A coded list of the different books and their hiding places was kept, known as The Index. 

Now these aren't ordinary scientific texts, these books include topics such as time travel and alchemy. The book at the centre of this story is, Dioscorides “De Materia Medica Contiuum” and it's about spontaneous human combustion.  Imagine having the ability to create a weapon that allows you to cause people to burn from the inside out,  killing them without a trace. It is an ability that the Russians want, and they will do whatever it takes to get it.

It is because of this book that 19 year old Jake Wells finds himself on the Isle of Mull, with exiled girlfriend Lauren, aka Helen Cooper.  They need to stop the Russians getting their hands on the book, but they are not the only ones on the Island with an interested in it.  The pair have to figure out who they can trust, and avoid joining the ever growing death toll, as people involved are being murdered!

Books 1 and 2 in the series

I really enjoyed this story with it's mix of action, history and conspiracy theory.  The series has been called an action packed thrillers for fans of the Da Vinci Code, which is a bit misleading, because while the main characters in this book are adults (19 years old), it is still a book for teenage readers.