Paradigm

Robert Taylor
Savas Beatie (2006)
ISBN 1932714162
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (1/07)

When twin scientists Alex and Nicholas Shepard and their wives accidentally discover a hidden room at the Biltmore Estate they find a mysterious Egyptian box and ancient documents. Their friend Gabriel is the caretaker for the estate. He comes from a family of great wealth and is dedicated to using it to make a difference in the world. Gabriel doesn’t know the purpose of the box, so he checks with his father. His father downplays its importance and tells Gabriel to put it back in storage. Gabriel’s friends are so intrigued with it that he gives it to them.

Investigating the purpose behind the box, they discover that it was used to measure gravity so that predictions could be made about when the Nile River would flood. The brothers notice that the documents indicate that these readings also correlate with the patterns of the financial world market. They test the future predictions that the box indicates are coming and they quickly gain a lot of wealth. This draws the attention of an organization that has been involved with using the box for centuries. These people are powerful and will stop at nothing to make sure that the secret does not get out.

One of the brothers is murdered. The other, with the help of the two wives, their friend Gabriel and a priest step in to help them finish solving the mystery of the box and who was behind using it. Their investigations take them to Europe, where they explore London, Paris, Venice, and then on to the Vatican. More danger and intrigue follow them on this journey.

I really enjoyed “Paradigm.” At over six hundred pages, it was a book that I could really sink my teeth into. I enjoyed the intrigue behind the ancient artifact and the adventures that followed while investigating it. As a fan of “The DaVinci Code,” I liked the similar elements that the author Robert Taylor incorporates into his story. It is not a copy of “The Da Vinci Code.” It just incorporates similar investigations into the story, like the Nights of Templar, the Vatican, and the catacombs of Paris.

Taylor takes this book even further when he includes his own abstract and a technical appendix at the end of the story. These discuss the reality of the theories discussed in the story. In reality it is titled, “The Taylor Effect.” He wrote “Paradigm” to discuss his theory and “to change the way we perceive financial markets.” Paradigm really makes you think “what if?”

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