The Codex

By: Douglas Preston

Narrated by: Scott Sowers

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Excellent Fun.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was exciting, adventurous, and even a bit of a thriller.

Clever storyline

Thd bnarrator was very pleasant to listen to. Great twists and predictable but engaging end.

Would be better unabridged

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Did not realize this was an abridged version of the book. I think it would have been much better as an unabridged version, but no unabridged version was available on Audible.