3.5: ‘I Do Not Trust You’ is a Young Adult, Mythological Fantasy by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz; Memphis ‘M’ Engle and Ashwin ‘Ash’ Sood, two unlikely friends create an alliance to save M’s archaeological father – and the world from the Cult of the Ancient Egyptian ‘Set’. Burns and Metz devised a story of an archaeological hunt combined with fascinating mythology and daring exploits; a quest for a lost and powerful artefact. An epic journey, full of chases, ancient temples, magic and romance follow. I don’t read hieroglyphs, am unfamiliar with the worship of Set and Horus, don’t know the geography of France and have no knowledge of Sanskrit. That means I can’t speak to the accuracy of the text, the legends it describes or the settings it speaks of. Typically, in these kinds of stories, copious artistic liberties are taken, and in this novel that is especially true, since Ash can wield magic and the plot involves the possible reincarnation of a god. Those looking for a travel journal or historically accurate depiction of ancient civilizations should probably look elsewhere. However, those looking for a fast-paced, rollicking good time have come to the right place. The strongest and most enjoyable component of the tale is the relationship between M and Ash. As the title states, in the beginning, they don’t trust each other. M knows that Ash is willing to negotiate with her only because she has the map. She also knows he wants to steal it from her so he can take the map back to the Eye, which she can’t afford to let happen since it would leave her with no collateral to negotiate for her father’s life. She is rightfully wary of him yet grows to admire him as she comes to know him. I liked that even when they didn’t trust each other M and Ash treated each other with respect. I liked that they were able to talk out their differences and work as a team. This book scores high on exploits, fun and camaraderie. Ash and M visit Paris, Norway, South America, North America and a handful of other places as they decode ancient keys and go from being reluctant allies to close friends. The authors handle this all with a light, loving hand, setting the perfect tone for our adventure. The tale not only involves multiple locations but has multi-cultural stars. Ash is a twenty-two-year-old South Asian Brit and M a biracial (white/Chinese Malaysian) American. They’re very much from the cultures they were raised in. Unfortunately, the downfall arose in the repetitive nature of the travel; searching for pieces of Set and constant conflict. I Do Not Trust You is for fans of Laura Croft, Indiana Jones, James Rollins and the classic novels of Alistair MacLean – Boisterous!