Bonekickers

The Cradle of Civilisation

The looting of Babylonian relics from the Iraq war starts a trail that leads to the team's doorstep and intertwines with the destiny of the Middle East. Opportunistic war-zone journalist Jimmy Paul attempts to flog a Babylonian necklace and sacred tablet to dodgy antiquities dealer, Max Garris while Kahmil Hammadi an Iraqi Archaeologist and Gillian's ex-lover, arrives in Bath with a cultural delegation.

Gillian is suspicious of Kahmil's story to reclaim a looted brick from the hanging gardens of Babylon and when Garris is found murdered, she knows there's more at stake than an ancient brick. The looted necklace, etched with a snake image of the Babylonian goddess of evil, Tiamet, leads the team to the writings of ancient gods. Kahmil is looking for The Tablet of Destinies. This sacred object is inscribed with prophecies and has remained hidden since Alexander entered Babylon. Kahmil believes that it will bring hope to Iraq but his brother is concerned that it will draw out occultists who follow Tiamet and Gillian fears that Kahmil is after glory - is he behind Garris' murder?

Photographic evidence locates the tablet but the team are attacked by a venomous snake and they witness the grotesque death of Jimmy Paul. Are the followers of Tiamet behind this? Could Ali, the security guard who is looking after Khanna, a child chess genius from Iraq, be responsible or Rachel Highgrove who is organising the cultural delegation?

The team must decipher the ancient cuneiform inscriptions of the tablet that predict the name of 'The Gate' - a person who will rise up and bring peace, unification and hope to Iraq.