The Eight

When two young women in France of 1790 discover the Montglane Chess Service in Montglane Abbey, their Abbess recognizes its mystic ability to provide anyone playing it with unlimited power and desperately scatter its pieces around the world. But in 1972, computer expert Catherine "Cat" Velis is hired to recover the chess pieces--and is caught up in a nefarious, globe-spanning conspiracy.

Before THE DA VINCI CODE...there was THE EIGHT'Katherine Neville's internationally acclaimed puzzle-thriller, is now on audio.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: his anonymous client is trying to collect the pieces of an ancient chess service, purported to be in Algeria. If Cat can bring them back, there will be generous reward.The South of France, 1790?Mireille de Remy and her cousin Valentine are young novices at the fortress-like Montglane Abbey. With France aflame with 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 t...

Publishers Weekly

Nearly 20 years after it was first published, Neville's debut novel finally arrives on audio. Its combination of historical references, conspiracy theory and action/thriller format have earned it cult status over the years and may have paved the way for books like The Da Vinci Code. Imposing a new format on a "classic" can be a tall order and a daunting task for a performer; fortunately, Susan Denaker's talents are level to the material. The book offers a full variety of challenges to a reader: over 60 characters, young and old, male and female, with accents from around the world. None of these pose any obstacle to Denaker, who deftly sculpts a voice for every one, including several famous historical characters. The Monteglane Service, a bejeweled chess set that holds great power, has been buried in an obscure abbey in the French countryside and later scattered throughout Europe to keep it out of the wrong hands. The tale takes place both in the 1790s and the 1970s, when it may finally fall into evil hands. Denaker is able to emphasize the appropriate speech nuances of each century with subtlety and deftness by adding the cadence of the aural to the mix. Perhaps the audio book, too, will reach cult status. A Ballantine paperback (Reviews, Nov. 4, 1988). (Oct.)

Katherine Neville was a global executive in data processing, and was a vice president of the Bank of America for many years. As an international consultant, she delivered computer systems for corporations and governments around the world. She was for some years a commercial photographer, professional model, and painter.

Katherine Neville's novels have been translated into more than fifteen languages. She lives in Virginia and abroad.