The Blood Gospel
By: James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
William Morrow. $27.99 (Rating-Excellent)
James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell collaborate on a gothic tale that will make vampire fiction fans howl in delight. The aftermath of an earthquake in Masada, Israel, uncovers a long buried tomb that holds some remarkable and dangerous secrets.
A trio of investigators, Sergeant Jordan Stone, a military forensic expert, Father Rhun Korza, a Vatican priest, and Dr. Erin Granger, an archaeologist, are sent to explore the site. What they find is a subterranean temple secreting the mummified remains of a crucified girl.
When investigators are attacked, it becomes obvious that there are others who want to possess the artifacts the temple contains. The most important is a book reportedly penned by Christ Himself, which holds the secrets of His divinity.
The race to recover the volume will stretch from the Holy Land to Rome. These three quite disparate individuals, from totally different walks of life, are pitted against an adversary who not only calls upon special and dark powers that date back centuries but is also driven by an unholy passion that drives him to unheard of lengths to succeed.
Citing Rembrandt’s painting “The Rising of Lazarus” as the partial inspiration for this novel take on vampirism and the Catholic Church, the authors explain that this tale “examines the line between faith and science”.
They point out that blood not only plays an important role in Catholic ritual, but ancient Rome was also s city soaked in blood. Hence, they decided to tweak vampire mythology to play out against this background and create a work that would revolve around a secret sect or order called the Sanguines.
The final product is a book that showcases the strengths of two well-respected novelists and promises to keep readers spellbound until the final page. “The Blood Gospel” has “action movie” written all over it; the only question is how long it will take to bring it to the big screen!
Blood Money
By: James Grippando
Harper. $26.99 (Rating-Very Good)
Defense attorney Jack Swyteck is caught up in a controversial case that focuses a lot of unwanted media attention on his client and the lawyer as well.
Dubbed “Shot Mom” by the press, cocktail waitress Sydney Bennett is accused of killing her two-year-old daughter because the child purportedly cramped Sydney’s party time.
Not only does the case generate a lot of attention from the journalistic crowd, but the public is also incensed when the jury finds Sydney not guilty. A crowd of righteous Florida vigilantes gathers outside the jail when the woman is to be released and a young college student who resembles Sydney is attacked and left in a coma.
Was this purely a tragic case of mistaken identity or something far more sinister? Swyteck, who has been accused of being on the “wrong side” of this case, is hired by the student’s parents to find out if this were a carefully orchestrated plan.
As Swyteck looks into the situation, he unearths a rather nasty and sinister plot that will present one of the biggest challenges he has thus far faced in his career. But determined to see justice served, he’s not going to let up no matter the personal cost until the evil here is exposed.
Those who have followed this courtroom series will not want to miss this latest installment. Some would say this is one of the best Grippando has produced to date.
Ratlines
By: Stuart Neville
Soho. $26.95 (Rating-Very Good)
It is the early 1960s and American President John F. Kennedy is planning a historic visit to Ireland. The government wants everything to go smoothly, but the deaths of some Germans granted asylum after World War II could cause serious trouble for the Irish Republic.
A note found on one of the dead men is addressed to former Hitler favorite, Colonel Otto Skorzeny, and warns, “We are coming for you.”
Not only has he avoided accountability after the war, but the Colonel is quite knowledgeable of the “ratlines” or the secret routes used to move Nazi war criminals from one safe haven to another. Skorzeny’s political power and his source of unlimited funds makes him a person of interest for Irish intelligence operative Albert Ryan, Ryan is tasked with solving the murders while keeping a lid on what they suggest about the country’s policies and association with war criminals.
From start to finish, the intriguing premise of this thriller makes it one that has already elicited praise such as “terrifyingly authentic” and “a flat out terror trip”!
Irish author Stuart Neville’s fan club will add quite a few North American members after word of this nail-biter gets out!
Cover of Snow
By: Jenny Milchman
Ballantine. $26 (Rating-Good)
Maybe she should have known something was wrong, or maybe not. But when Nora Hamilton discovers her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide, she is faced with some difficult questions.
After the initial shock wears off, the widow, who lives in the Adirondack Mountains, realizes that her spouse left no note. The more she mulls over the situation and the days leading up to the discovery, Nora begins to believe that there’s more here than meets the eye.
Why would a well-respected police officer that loved his wife and enjoyed serving his small rural community suddenly and inexplicitly decide to take his own life?
The more she searches for an explanation, the more Nora finds an odd and suspicious resistance from her husband’s colleagues and even his mother. Something isn’t right and as she continues to seek answers to questions people don’t want to hear, Nora begins to understand that there’s a conspiracy here and someone will do just about anything to keep the village’s secrets hidden.
This thriller heralds the debut of a New Jersey woman who has been teaching writing for a while. Jenny Milchman has shown here she definitely can practice what she preaches and this is unquestionably the beginning of what will be a sterling career as a suspense author.