Product Description New York City, 1972–A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward. The South of France, 1790–Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortresslike Montglane Abbey. With France aflame in revolution, the two girls burn to rebel against constricted convent life–and their means of escape is at hand. Buried deep within the abbey are pieces of the Montglane Chess Service, once owned by Charlemagne. Whoever reassembles the pieces can play a game of unlimited power. But to keep the Game a secret from those who would abuse it, the two young women must scatter the pieces throughout the world. . . . Amazon.com Review Katherine Neville’s debut novel is a postmodern thriller set in 1972 … and 1790. In the 20th century, Catherine Velis is a computer expert with a flair for music, painting, and chess who, on her way to Algeria at the behest of the accounting firm where she is employed, is invited to take a mysterious moonlighting assignment: recover the pieces of an old chess set missing for centuries. In the midst of the French Revolution, a young novice discovers that her abbey is the hiding place of a chess set, once owned by the great Charlemagne, which allows those who play it to tap into incredible powers beyond the imagination. She eventually comes into contact with the major historical figures of the day, from Robespierre to Napoleon, each of whom has an agenda. The Eight is a non-stop ride that recalls the swashbuckling adventures of Indiana Jones as well as the historical puzzles of Umberto Eco which, since its first publication in 1988, has gone on to acquire a substantial cult following. From AudioFile Characters in settings that are decades apart hunt for rare, hidden chess pieces that once belonged to Charlemagne. Two people–a young French woman in the 1790s and an American computer whiz in the early 1970s–find themselves in desperate chases across several countries for the pieces, which hold an ancient secret. Both evolve into brave, unassuming heroines, but the real star is narrator Susan Denaker. She has so many characters to keep track of–from young and old French women to assorted New Yorkers and Algerian men. She expertly differentiates them with changes in tone. The story is well done, though characters could have been pared more carefully for the abridgment. Overall, Denaker’s performance and the story’s twist at the end make it worthwhile. M.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine– Copyright (c) AudioFile, Portland, Maine About the Author Katherine Neville is the author of The Eight, The Magic Circle (a USA Today bestseller), and A Calculated Risk (a New York Times Notable Book). The Eight has been translated into more than thirty languages. In a national poll in Spain by the noted journal El Pais, The Eight was voted one of the top ten books of all time. Neville lives in Virginia and Washington, D.C. From the Inside Flap New York City, 1972–A dabbler in mathematics and chess, Catherine Velis is also a computer expert for a Big Eight accounting firm. Before heading off to a new assignment in Algeria, Cat has her palm read by a fortune-teller. The woman warns Cat of danger. Then an antiques dealer approaches Cat with a mysterious offer: He has an anonymous client who is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring the pieces back, there will be a generous reward. The South of France, 1790–Mireille de Remy and her cousin