The Midas Code by Boyd Morrison - Book REVIEW

The Midas Code by Boyd Morrison is an action-adventure story, where Tyler Locke, an army engineer, must work together with a classics scholar, Stacy Benedict, to find the legendary treasure of King Midas. It is an adventure filled with ingenious thinking, plenty of fights and deadly villains.

Here is my spoiler-free book review of The Midas Code!

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A Short Summary

Tyler Locke’s fame from his previous adventure has given him the unwanted attention of a mastermind criminal, Jordan Orr, who blackmails him into finding the legendary Midas Touch, an artefact said to turn anything it touches into gold.

With the help of Stacy Benedict, who is blackmailed by the same mastermind, Tyler Locke has a chance at pulling it off. The only problem is that Jordan Orr is not the only one looking for the treasure and the deadline is less than a week away.

From beginning to end, our heroes are pushing themselves to meet the deadline, but with bullets flying here and there, it becomes even more challenging to solve fiendishly difficult puzzles.
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The Characters

First, we have Tyler Locke.

Tyler Locke is an action-hero like any other.  With the strength and bravery of a soldier, coupled with the sharp mind of an engineer. Tyler easily switches between these two sides of his personality when the occasion calls for it. As far as personality goes, he is amiable, his wits ready for a back-and-forth between the bad guy and always on the edge of saying a cliche one-liner, but holds himself back.

Second, we have Stacy Benedict.

Stacy is the romantic interest/support in the story,  but only superficially. The writer does an excellent job of establishing her role as being something greater than a romantic interest. Tyler’s mind may help him with mechanical challenges, but not when it comes to history and languages. That’s where Stacy steps in. She is perfectly suited for a treasure hunt, having a mind well-equipped to take on the mysteries and puzzles.

Third, we have Jordan Orr.

Being the main antagonist in the book, Jordan has all the classic qualities of a villain. Brilliant intellect, dangerous ideas, selfish desires and a complete disregard of all life that stands in his way. Kidnapping and blackmail become two of the many atrocities he commits along the way. Not only is he the perfect sort of villain for this kind of adventure, but also a suitable antagonist to Tyler Locke.

Now briefly, there are some other characters worth mentioning. First, Grant Westfield, Tyler’s sidekick, provides the extra muscle and a fun personality. Second, Gia Cavano, who plays the second antagonist, is just as deadly as Orr and with more connections and resources. Another obstacle for Tyler, Stacy and Grant to look out for on their journey.
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The Writing Style

Boyd Morrison has a straightforward writing style. He is to the point, no fluff. His descriptions include only the necessary to set the scene and from there he leaves it to the reader’s imagination.

It’s a common, but effective writing style that has a major shortfall. When writing in this style, it is easy to set a scene poorly. These scenes are easy to notice and can make a scene with a lot of movement difficult to picture.

However, Boyd is an experienced author and it shows. He doesn’t make this mistake and his writing remains consistent throughout. His writing style perfectly matches the story, as you always want to keep moving in action adventures.

Finally, it’s common to spot a writer losing interest by the end of a story, but not in this book. Morrison once more avoids a common trap.

Personal Thoughts on the Book

The Midas Code is the first book of Boyd Morrison’s I have read and I’m impressed.  Morrison knows what kind of story he wants to tell and he tells it well. He keeps you invested with the characters and what is going on. From the puzzles to the interesting facts about the places they go to in the story.

The characters weren’t impactful or groundbreaking, but they were fun to read. Each played their role well, hero or villain. Tyler Locke especially felt like a Jack Reacher meets Indiana Jones-like character. However, the nuances of his personality simply don’t show as much beyond a short, amusing scene.

Of course, this isn’t the first book in the Tyler Locke series, so I might learn more about his character from The Noah’s Ark Quest, which is definitely on my reading list.

As for the antagonist, Jordan Orr is all of them. In the beginning, I considered him a cold, calculated killer, but by the end, he goes full supervillain. You are given his perspective here-and-there, growing to understand his reasons and development. Yet, I felt that softened his effect in the story in a bad way. Not making him more interesting, but less intimidating, making scenes with him less suspenseful.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed The Midas Code. It’s a fun adventure and is written well.

If you are interested in mythical treasures, action-packed conflicts and the ever-entertaining battle between good guy and bad guy, you will like reading The Midas Code.

Thank you for reading this book review and as always,

Good day, goodnight and happy reading!
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