On the third attempt, I finally made it through this book. In the spirit of the Da Vinci Code, this involves an inheritance passed through the matrilineal line of one family from the adviser/philosopher/alchemist John Dee. The plot involves Lucy King, who receives a heart transplant and one of her doctor's, Alex Stafford, who becomes more involved with her through an intimate connection with her heart. There are outside forces looking for the inheritance, and multiple puzzles and clues along the way, with kidnappings, threats and other assorted violence. While well intended, the execution failed to capture me, and the characters seem very flat at times, with many contrivances to drive the plot along. While obviously a labor of love of the author's knowledge of mythology, folk history, and the Elizabethan era, it did not capture my interest, and the long bouts of exposition were quite tedious at times. The ending also felt like a letdown. (Borderline 2.5 stars)