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From Publishers Weekly

"Let he who finds the Dagger use it for noble purpose. That was my father's plan. And now it's mine." That stirring cry from Hollywood stunt man Reb Barnett occurs near the midway point of this laughable thriller about the search for a legendary dagger of unbreakable metal forged by Leonardo da Vinci, who hid the weapon and then left clues to its whereabouts in a manuscript called "The Circles of Truth." Twenty years ago, a courier sent by Barnett's museum curator father to retrieve the manuscript disappeared; that same night, Barnett's parents died in a suspicious fire. Now a voice from the past drags Barnett into completing his father's quest to find the dagger before munitions broker Werner Krell and his sadistic assassin, Nolo Tecci, can get their hands on it. The novel reads like a fleshed-out action film screenplay, with multiple locations, plenty of violent action, outrageously corny dialogue and the usual push-button tics that pass for characterization in Hollywood: Reb courts danger; Reb has a hard time expressing his feelings for his friend Archie Ferris and love interest Antonia Genevra Gianelli. West whose memoir, First Person Plural: My Life as a Multiple, was a New York Times bestseller has written what might be the world's first stunt-thriller, a novel where at every moment you expect an off-page director to yell "Cut!" and order the real star in to flesh out the second unit shots that the stunt man just walked through. File this one under high concept, low execution. National advertising; 7-city author tour. (Sept. 11)Forecast: Film rights have been purchased. Tom Cruise will star. Enough said.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Suppose da Vinci, when commissioned to produce a dagger, invented a superior metal alloy-lighter, stronger, and more durable than anything known to man. Suppose further that he determined that his society would probably use it for evil purposes. His decision made, he hid the dagger and left clues for some future society as to its composition. Fast-forward 500 years. A plane carrying da Vinci's priceless "Circle of Truth" notes, purportedly the clues to the dagger's whereabouts, crashes and burns. Shortly afterward, museum curator Rollo Burns's Georgetown home burns to the ground, leaving his young son as the only survivor and witness to the tragedy. Move forward again 20 years. Rollo Burns Jr. (Reb), Hollywood daredevil and stuntman, finds himself immersed in the mystery of the Medici dagger and the notes. The story has the fast-paced appeal of a Clive Cussler novel, complete with lots of action and reality-suspending stunts pulled off by the hero. The historical lessons about Leonardo and his times and the steps necessary to puzzle out his clues are entertaining and informative. Reb's need to unravel the mystery of his parents' deaths and his own lack of connection to others grabs readers' attention.

Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.