Wrap-Up of the 2023 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

One year ago I agree to read a minimum of nine series in 2023.  I managed to read sixteen!  Below are the specifics on my reads:

Ken Follett-Kingsbridge Series

The Armor of Light

Nathan Dylan Goodwin-Morton Farriar Forensic Geneologist

The Sterling Affair

Gary McAvoy-Vatican Secret Archives Mystery

The Avignon Affair

The Magdalene Veil

The Magdalene Reliquary

The Magdalene Deception

The Jerusalem Scrolls

Charles Finch-Charles Lenox Mystery

A Beautiful Blue Death

Luana Erlich - Titus Ray Thrillers

Five Steps Beyond

Cleo Coyle - Coffeehouse Mystery

Bulletproof Barista

A. M. Stuart - Harriet Gordon Mysteries

Terror in Topaz

Steve Berry - Cotton Malone Series

The Last Kingdom

Brad Thor - Scot Harvath spy series

Dead Fall

Laura Childs-Indigo Teashop Mystery

The Lemon Curd Killer

Honey Drop Dead

Alka Joshi - Jaipur Trilogy

The Perfumist of Paris

Joanne Fluke - Hannah Swenson Cozy Mysteries

The Key Lime Pie Murder

Dan Silva - Gabriel Allon Spy Thrillers

The Collector

Kate Mosse - Joubert Hughenot Family Chronicles

The Ghost Ship

James Rollins -  Sigma Force Series

Tides of Fire

Sujata Massey - Perveen Mistry 1920s India

Mistress of Bhatia House

Mel Starr - Chronicles of Huge de Singleton, Surgeon

A Polluted Font

Favorite Book:  The Armor of Light

Second Favorite Book:  The Perfumist of Paris

Least Favorite Book:  Key Lime Pie Murder

Bulletproof Barista

Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mystery Series is my favorite cozy mystery series. I have read every book in the series and only have high accolades for each book. Bulletproof Barista , though, was not my favorite installment in the series. The authors have managed to maintain a quality level in their writing over the years but in this 20th novel they faltered.  

Clare Cosi is the main character.  She is the manager of the Village Blend coffeehouse.  She agrees to shut down her business for a week for comedian Jerry Sullivan who is starring in a film that is being shot at the coffee shop.  When the film crew’s location shoot delivers an actual shooting, Clare Cosi finds herself once again at the scene of a true crime.  Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they’ve chosen to spotlight the century-old Village Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.

Let me begin my review by saying that I was in a bad mood when I began reading this novel.  I thought it would uplift me.  There was something different about how it started out but I continued reading waiting for someone to get killed.  It didn't happen until over 200 pages into the story. Usually, the murder happens in the first chapter.  I remembered hearing the name of the person who died, Billy Saddler,  but he was not central to the story thus far.  I went back to the beginning searching for his name and did not it until page 99.  There was something else that bothered me while I was reading.  One of the characters, Tina Bird, was referred to over 10 times as "cockadoodledoo."  Again, I went back to the beginning trying to figure out why she gained this description.  It turns out that one of Clare's baristas, Tucker, referred to Bird this way.  When Clare didn't understand why Tucker said this, he said that she should remember the phrase that Kathy Bates used in her 1990 movie Misery.  While I had seen this movie several times I did not remember the phrase.  I then went to Google and found several You Tube videos where her character  described a vehicle as a "cockadoodie car."  She even referred to another character as a "cockadoodie."  With my facts straight about the plot, I returned to reading but promising myself to watch the Misery movie again soon.

The Forward to the story talks about a movie being filmed near the authors' home in New York City.  They decided to write this installment of the series based on a movie being filmed at Clare's Village Blend.  I believe that this was a mistake.  The plot was not anywhere near as exciting as the authors tried to make their mystery fit into a predesigned idea of what the plot should be.  This affected their creativity.  There were a lot of cliches used in the writing, which I have never seen before, and Clare's investigation was more about who was sabotaging Jerry Sullivan's TV show than solving a murder. The person who was shot in the beginning of the book survived. 

If you have never read a book in this series, do not start with Bulletproof Barista.  All of the earlier books were riveting and Bulletproof Barista is an anomaly in the series.  I recommend, though, that you read this series.  It has been enjoyable for me. When I finished this book I was planning on giving it a 4 star rating.  However, as I was writing this review I realized all of the problems that I had with it. Consequently, I am rating it 2 stars.  It was not up to par with the earlier ones.

The Armor of Light

The Armor of Light is the 5th book in Ken Follett's Knightsbridge series. It is fantastic!  I read the book in one day even though it has 740 pages. With the Knightsbridge series now set in the early 1800s Armor is probably the last book. This makes me sad but how lucky we all have been for the opportunity to read these books.

The publisher's summary:

An epic continuation of the series that began with The Pillars of the Earth, The Armor of Light heralds a new dawn for Kingsbridge, England, where progress clashes with tradition, class struggles push into every part of society, and war in Europe engulfs the entire continent and beyond. 

The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother’s husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters’ lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.

Over thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, with this electrifying addition to the Kingsbridge series we are plunged into the battlefield between compassion and greed, love and hate, progress and tradition. It is through each character that we are given a new perspective to the seismic shifts that shook the world in nineteenth-century Europe

Oh my! I cannot begin to talk about how good this book is.  The story spans thirty years. It opens with the sad story of a man who gets injured at work and later dies. His wife Sal and son Kit are part of this scene and they continue with the story until the very end. Sal is a strong female character and I would say she's the main character. As other characters are brought into the story Sal is always there. Her struggles are typical of those who lived during the start of the Industrial Revolution and it is she who came up with idea of unionizing the weavers of Knightsbridge. 

Weaving is the main trade in the book. We read about several changes in how weaving is performed over the years. It begins with hand work and becomes mechanized with newer and faster machines. I loved reading about the Methodists competing with the  Anglicans over church membership. All of the mill owners were Anglican but many of the workers were Methodist. The mill owners had no problem bribing and lying for a business advantage. The Methodists refused to compromise their beliefs for the bosses.  A daughter of a wealthy mill owner, Elsie, opened a Sunday School for kids by partnering with both churches and always fed them a meal. She was shrewd and would have been a better heir of her father’s company than her brother. But, of course, the women had to be kept in line.  Good versus evil is another theme for the novel.

Several Wars were covered including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. I felt there was too much detail concerning battles with Napoleon's army near the end. A few pages could have been cut here to make the book shorter without taking away the personal achievements of the characters. With that said, I didn't want the story to end. 

The Armor of Light is a must read! I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

A Polluted Font

A Polluted Font is the 16th installment of the Chronicles of Hugh de Singleton, Surgeon series by Mel Starr.  I have read every book in the series and all of them were captivating stories. A Polluted Font is no different. I loved it!

The publisher's summary:  

When Hugh and Kate's new-born son is taken to the church to be baptized, they are astounded to find that the locked font is completely dry. The possibility of a leak is quickly ruled out, and just as Hugh is beginning to wonder if there may be a sinister explanation for the stolen holy water, Fr Robert is found lying motionless by the rood screen in a pool of blood . . .

Meanwhile, parliament has passed a poll tax, stipulating everyone above the age of 14 is to be taxed equally. Folk are soon scrambling to find the money to pay and, inevitably, unscrupulous elements in society see an opportunity to feed off people’s desperation and make some cash . . . But what connection can there possibly between this and events at Bampton?

After reading the first couple of chapters I thought maybe the plot wasn't up to par with earlier books in the series. It seemed the only crime for Hugh to solve was the theft of holy water from the baptismal font at St. Beornwald's Church.  The presumption was that the water would being used for the black arts. When Father Robert was found near death in the sanctuary, I was excited. I hoped he would die and there would be a murder to solve. That sounds mean but Father Robert survived not only the attack to his head but he survived Hugh's brain surgery. I thoroughly enjoyed how Hugh removed a blood clot under the skull as well as remove a loose bone that he was not sure where it belonged. He operated with the limited knowledge of medicine in the medieval era but also used common sense to treat his patient. Wine was used as the antiseptic to clean the head both before and after the surgery. Lo and behold Father Robert recovers!  

Hugh’s investigation of the theft and attempted murder were one and the same. If he discovered who was stealing the holy water he would discover who whacked Father Robert over the head. Hugh had to  travel on horseback, usually at night, over unsafe roads where robbers were prevalent. However, with the death of the king, the coronation of his 10 year old heir Richard brought more crooks out in full force. There were frequent all night watches at the church to catch the thief but the thief was wily. He continued to steal holy water and not get caught. Until he did. 

You gotta love a character who doesn't know what to do with a bone inside a brain so he throws it out. The Hugh de Singleton series is a fun read and I highly recommend it to historical mystery fans. I am rating A Polluted Font 5 out of 5 stars.

Dead Fall

Dead Fall is the 22nd Scot Harvath spy thriller by Brad Thor. I have read every book in this series and all of them were captivating. I also recently discovered the Libby app. Libby allows me to not only read from 4,000 different monthly magazines in digital format but also take ebooks out from my public library. Dead Fall was one of the ebooks that I was lucky to obtain an early copy of. If I had to wait for a physical copy it may have taken months to be able to withdraw it. 

The publisher's summary:  

In the war-ravaged borderlands of Ukraine, a Russian mercenary unit has gone rogue. Its members, conscripted from the worst prisons and mental asylums across Russia, are the most criminally violent, psychologically dangerous combatants to ever set foot upon the modern battlefield.

With all attention focused on the front lines, they have pushed deeper into the interior to wage a campaign of unspeakable barbarity. As they move from village to village, committing horrific war crimes, they meet little resistance because all able-bodied men are off fighting the war.

Simultaneously, a team of Russian soldiers has been dispatched by the Kremlin to loot truckloads of art and priceless cultural treasures hidden away in a host of churches, museums, and private homes.

When multiple American aid workers are killed, America’s top spy, Scot Harvath, is sent in to settle the score. But in a country so vast, will Harvath be able to find the men in question, and, more important, will he be able to stop them before they can kill again?

The story begins with a bang and the thrill continues until the final chapter. Although the plot premise was taken from recent news stories about the Ukraine War, don't assume that this is all you will get from reading the book. The Ukraine War is merely the framework for the story. The reader gets an original, spine tingling story with plenty of action from the author's imagination. 

The series main character is Scot Harvath. He has always been bold, brash and lethal. In Dead Fall Harvath is surprisingly underequipped with weapons and doesn't have his usual team of spies to help him. Dare I say that he seems somewhat humble from finding himself in this situation? I was not surprised, though, to see him finding the resources that he needs to get the job done. The reader sees more of Harvath's intelligence here as he figures out what each of his steps are going to be in order to finish the mission.

The Ravens are Thor's fictional version of the Wagner Group. While we all have read about Wagner's barbarity from the news, the information we get about the  Ravens is complete. The reader learns more about their movements and how they make decisions. Even the barbarity of their treatment of the Ukrainians has much more detail than what we read in the news concerning the Wagner Group.

Dead Fall is a gripping novel and I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Tides of Fire

Tides of Fire is James Rollins' 17th  Sigma Force novel. It was published two weeks ago on August 15, 2023. I was lucky to get one of the first copies of the book from my library. Currently there are 43 people who are waiting to get a copy so this is a popular book.

The publisher's summary:

The Titan Project—an international research station off the coast of Australia—discovers a thriving zone of life in an otherwise dead sea. The area teems with a strange bioluminescent coral that defies science, yet holds great promise for the future. But the loss of a military submarine in the area triggers a brutal attack and sets in motion a geological disaster that destabilizes an entire region.

Massive quakes, volcanic eruptions, and deadly tsunamis herald a greater cataclysm to come—for something is stirring miles under the ocean, a threat hidden for millennia.

As seas turn toxic and coastlines burn, can Sigma Force stop what has been let loose—especially as an old adversary returns, hunting them and thwarting their every move? For any hope of success, Commander Gray Pierce must search for a key buried in the past, hidden deep in Aboriginal mythology. But what Sigma could uncover is even more frightening—something that will shake the very foundations of humanity.  

 

The book started out great with volcanoes erupting at a quickening pace in Indonesia, water turning into to fire and dead human bodies that have turned into stone. A similar event took place in the region in 1815 when earthquakes and an eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia and its dark summer killed an enormous amount of people around the world. I was riveted by the work that marine biologists Phoebe Reed and Jazleen Patel were doing in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. Reading about their study of coral was fascinating and kept me reading to the halfway point without taking a break. 

When the Sigma Force folks became involved in the story I began to get bored. I couldn't see any connection between their subplot with the scientist's subplot. As the summary above states, this is supposed to be a story about geology and the biodiversity in the oceans. I did enjoy, though, Commander Gray Pierce's historical research into the massive earthquakes in Indonesia. With this subplot the story became a treasure hunt for the records of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles. Raffles lived through the volcanic eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia in the early 1800s.  As for the rest of the Sigma Force crew, why were they in the book? The subplot with characters Seichan, Monk Kokalis, and Joe Kowalski gives the reader an update about their lives but none of them were central to the other subplots. It seemed to me that they were added into the story only because they were featured in prior books in the series.

3 out of 5 stars.

Honey Drop Dead

Honey Drop Dead was published earlier this week on August 8, 2023. I had pre-ordered an ebook from my local library and read the book as soon as it hit my screen. In this 26th installment of the Indigo Teashop Series our heroine Theodosia Browning is catering a specialty tea for Charleston’s Imago Gallery at Petigru Park. The park has plenty of native grasses and a community beekeeping project. During the event, a fully suited up beekeeper showed up and sprayed toxic smoke at all of the guests. Then a gunshot was heard and Osgood Claxton III, a candidate for the state legislature, fell to the ground dead. Theodosia saw the beekeeper run away from the scene and ran after him. She couldn't catch him though. The next day Holly Burns, the owner of Imago Gallery, asks Theodosia to investigate the matter. Not only did someone get killed but several paintings were destroyed by the fumes that were sprayed and artists were cancelling their contracts with the gallery. As is usual with the series, almost everyone in Charleston disliked the deceased and leaving Theodosia with a long list of suspects to look into.

The story started out with a bang, pun intended. The murder happened early in the first chapter and wasn't solved until the final chapter, leaving alot of pages for plot twists. The deceased was a politician who everyone hated, including his wife. This gave Theo many more than the usual number of suspects to investigate and, as a result, more plot twists for the reader to enjoy. The pace was much faster than other books in the series. Was that due to the complex plot or the absence of secondary character involvement? I am not sure. I am glad, though, that I did not have to hear about Delaine Dish. She is an obnoxious character that I cannot stand. Even baker Haley had only a short mention albeit one which landed her under arrest. Theo, tea sommelier Drayton, and Riley, Theodosia's new policeman boyfriend, were the only main characters returning in Honey Drop Dead. All of the others were new to the series which I think is a plus. When a series is as long as this one, it is nice to upset the applecart every now and then.

5 out of 5 stars.

A Beautiful Blue Death

A Beautiful Blue Death is the first Charles Lenox Mystery.  Last year I read his The September Society and loved it. I decided to go back to the beginning of the series and read all of the books in order. 

The publisher's summary:

Charles Lenox, Victorian gentleman and armchair explorer, likes nothing more than to relax in his private study with a cup of tea, a roaring fire and a good book. But when his lifelong friend Lady Jane asks for his help, Lenox cannot resist the chance to unravel a mystery.

Prudence Smith, one of Jane's former servants, is dead of an apparent suicide. But Lenox suspects something far more sinister: murder, by a rare and deadly poison. The grand house where the girl worked is full of suspects, and though Prue had dabbled with the hearts of more than a few men, Lenox is baffled by the motive for the girl's death.

When another body turns up during the London season's most fashionable ball, Lenox must untangle a web of loyalties and animosities. Was it jealousy that killed Prudence Smith? Or was it something else entirely? And can Lenox find the answer?

What can I say? This book was just as good as I expected. Poison was the method of murder. It was quickly identified as bella indigo, known as "the beautiful blue," but during the time period of the story, the Victorian Era, there wasn't much known about it. Another twist was that there was arsenic on the bottom of the bottle of bella indigo. Part of the mystery that was being unraveled was who had access to it, how was it used and what it really did to people exposed to it. The middle of the story was taken up with this howdunnit. The latter third concerned the whodunnit.  

I learned from the novel how the British police became known as bobbies. Robert Peel founded the police department on 1829. New officers used a variant of his first name when describing themselves.  Alot had changed regarding policing during the time period of the story. I enjoyed learning how procedures came into being. This was another fascinating part of the story. 

I think I enjoyed the howdunnit more than  the whodunit. It cannot be beat. I am rating this magnificent novel 5 out of 5 stars.

The Jerusalem Scrolls

The Jerusalem Scrolls is the latest installment of Gary McAvoy's Vatican Secret Archives series. It is fantastic as are all of the books in the series and the initial Magdalene Chronicles series. McAvoy recommends reading the books in order but I have not followed this advise and I don't think I suffered from skipping between the novels. The only real change in the stories is how the friendship between main characters Father Michael Donovan and Hana Sinclair has grown.

The publisher's summary:

Two young Israeli boys discover an ancient red clay jar in a hidden cave tucked away in the Judean Desert near Qumran. Inside the jar are several scrolls written by the Essenes two thousand years earlier, before the Great Jewish Revolt, including one legendary scroll engraved on silver that speaks of what may be the great Lost Treasures of Solomon buried around Jerusalem—consistent with the predictions of the fabled Copper Scroll discovered in 1947 near the Dead Sea. But one of the overlooked parchments turns out to be far more pivotal to Christianity than anything ever before discovered—a startling manuscript written by St. Paul himself that could rewrite religious history.

Father Michael Dominic and his friends are called to Jerusalem to inspect the silver scroll, but others are trying to get to the precious manuscripts first—members of a little known sect called the Mithraists, the chief rival to Christianity up to the fourth century...a wealthy Texas televangelist...an Egyptian antiquities broker...Israeli Mossad agents...and a cast of rogues each out for themselves.

The fiction here is inspired by the question of what if more scrolls were found? What if the scrolls disputed everything Christians believe today about the Resurrection? The plot weaves together archeology, history and religion which I find fascinating. There many twists and turns in the plot with the Vatican, Mossad, and illegal antiquities dealers all vying to obtain the silver scrolls as well as the parchments supposedly written by St. Paul. After a brief beginning, the story quickly becomes a murder mystery, an archeological hunt, a race through the Middle East and America to find the missing scrolls. Along the way we read about the ancient cult of Mithraism. I had never heard about this cult before so the information about it was a fun learning experience for me.

I thought it was odd that Father Michael Donovan and Hana Sinclair did not work as closely together as they have in previous novels. They are the main characters in the series. Father Donovan was prominent in the search for the scrolls though. The story had quite a few bad men searching for the scrolls and initially it was difficult figuring out who they were. I stopped my reading and returned to the beginning two chapters to set them straight in my mind. There were no problems afterward deciphering the characters.   

I  have always loved these treasure hunt mysteries ever since Dan Brown wrote the DaVinci Code. Brown created a new mystery sub-genre with his books and I have been reading five new authors who began writing these stories. McAvoy's stories always have a fantastical element to them as the treasure his characters are seeking dispute the main beliefs of Christianity. I use the word "fantastical" because I am a Christian. Those who are not Christians won't have this impression toward McAvoy's books.

The next book in the series, The Galileo Gambit, will be published in a few days on June 12, 2023. I am looking forward to its release.

Lemon Curd Killer

Lemon Curd Killer is the 25th installment of Laura Childs' Indigo Teashop cozy mystery series. As expected, it's a fantastic read. If you love afternoon tea, you will love this series. While the main character, Theodosia Browning, is an amateur sleuth, alot of the sleuthing takes place at her tea events. The reader gets to read about the foods offered at Theo's Indigo Tea Shop as well as the teas that her customers are drinking. It always makes me feel like I am there sipping and supping.

In Lemon Curd Killer, Theodosia has been tapped to host a fancy Limon Tea in a lemon orchard near Charleston, South Carolina. This event is the first event in Charleston's annual Fashion Week. However, when Theodosia retreats to the kitchen in order to get more lemon curd for the scones, she finds the body of one of the fashion designers with her head slumped over in to the lemon curd. The body belongs to Nadine, the sister of series character Delaine Dish. In the series tradition, a relative of the murdered woman asks Theodosia to investigate the death. Nadine's daughter Bettina has heard that Theodosia has solved several murders and asks her to look into her mother's death. With more tea events and fashion shows ongoing, Theo and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley begin observing and questioning Nadine's business partners.

I loved this story! I have always enjoyed the books in this seris and this one is one of my favorites. As usual, this book is a page turner. It is also a comfortable, easygoing read. I enjoyed visiting with the regular characters once more. They are always cheery and seem like old friends to me. 

Theodosia's investigation is spot on. She doesn't have much to go on other than gossip among the characters but Theo is able to think through the information that she is hearing and digest it properly. She is always asking herself if she is considering new information in the correct light. As another character is murdered, Theodosia is able to cut through all the unnecessary facts and figure out the identity of the killer.

One of the authors best!  5 out of 5 stars.

The Perfumist of Paris

The Perfumist of Paris is the final book in Alka Joshi's Jaipur trilogy. The trilogy began with The Henna Artist and last year The Secret Keeper of Jaipur was published. Perfumist was published on March 28, 2023 and it is the best book of the trilogy.  If you read the first two books in the series you will remember that it is about two sisters, Lakshmi and Radha, and their "adopted" brother Malik. The Perfumist of Paris is Radha’s story.

The publisher's summary:  

Paris, 1974. Radha is now living in Paris with her husband, Pierre, and their two daughters. She still grieves for the baby boy she gave up years ago, when she was only a child herself, but she loves being a mother to her daughters, and she’s finally found her passion—the treasure trove of scents. 

She has an exciting and challenging position working for a master perfumer, helping to design completely new fragrances for clients and building her career one scent at a time. She only wishes Pierre could understand her need to work. She feels his frustration, but she can’t give up this thing that drives her.  

Tasked with her first major project, Radha travels to India, where she enlists the help of her sister, Lakshmi, and the courtesans of Agra—women who use the power of fragrance to seduce, tease and entice. She’s on the cusp of a breakthrough when she finds out the son she never told her husband about is heading to Paris to find her—upending her carefully managed world and threatening to destroy a vulnerable marriage.

I cannot speak more highly about this book.  I loved everything about it from the setting to the descriptions of scents that Radha considered for the perfume she was creating for an anonymous client. The client requested that this perfume be based on Manet's painting Olympia. Radha had many scents gathered onto her perfume organ including vetiver, sandalwood, roses, fig, keira, saffron, henna, geranium, honey, gardenia, cedar, myrrh, musk, frangipani, sage, orange blossom, damask rose, lavender, lily of the valley, lemon, bergamot, manger, pine needles, rosemary, chocolate, vanilla, clove, cardamon, juniper berry, and jasmine. What's a perfume organ? It's just the layout of the 300 scents Radha works with that give the appearance of a church organ. However, Radha knows that something is missing. She frequently visits the Manet painting in a nearby museum for inspiration but ultimately decides that the scent she is seeking can only be found in India: mitti attar a/k/a rain. Her boss approves her travel and Radha is soon reunited with her family in India. 

India has always been an exotic destination for me. The sights and sounds, always loud, never cease to captivate me. The descriptions of the food are just as enticing as the 300 scents that Radha uses in her daily work. Perfumist is a sensual book in this respect. While Perfumist can be read as a standalone novel, I recommend that you begin with the first book in the trilogy if you haven't read the series before. It will make more sense.  I thought the writing was superb. The first few pages had alot of backstory but this narrative had a hypnotic feel to it. 

This might be my book of the year for 2023. It's that good. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

The Magdalene Veil

This is the 3rd book in the Magdalene Chronicles by Gary McAvoy. He has followed up this series with his Vatican Secret Archives series which has all of the regular characters from the Magdalene Chronicles. The Magdalene Veil was published in April 2021.

The publisher's summary:

An old World War II diary filled with cryptic clues launches two friends on an adventure around the world . . . but their path is fraught with danger and deception . . . and the treasure they seek can change everything for good—or evil. Father Michael Dominic and his journalist friend Hana Sinclair are off to follow a tantalizing lead: a Nazi journal revealing a holy relic’s hiding place. The pair believes the book could lead them to a sacred cloth Christ used to cleanse his face, which according to legend now bears his image — a living record of the Son of God’s true appearance. The diary propels them on a whirlwind adventure from Jerusalem, to Rome, to Buenos Aires. But as they unravel an ancient mystery, they run afoul of a nefarious sect determined to use the Magdalene veil for its own ends. Can Michael and Hana outsmart their ruthless adversaries and bring the artifact home to the Church, or will the revival of Aryan ambition destroy the long-lost relic of Christ?If you love fast-paced novels grounded in history, grab this non-stop action-packed thriller! McAvoy’s fans say his “attention to detail makes the story utterly believable, leaving the reader wondering what is real and what is fiction.”

 

The story begins with a prologue in 33 C.E. in Jerusalem  as Jesus is carrying his cross on the way to his crucifixion.  Along the way, a woman offers him her veil to wipe his brow. The veil becomes soaked with his blood and his face is imprinted on it as well. This veil was never heard about until medieval times and the woman with the veil became known as Veronica. The legend says that she gave the veil to Mary Magdalene who placed it in the tomb of Jesus. It then disappeared for nearly 2,000 years until a Nazi soldier found it hidden in a church in Rennes-le-Chateau and brought it to Heinrich Himmler. Himmler loved the supernatural and he placed this idol in a secret vault in Wewelsburg Castle.

This story is fantastic! It has great characters and a very interesting story line. It's definitely a page turner. With several characters as priests, the plot centers around the Roman Catholic Church. The morals of each of them are different but most are given a positive spin by the author. I was quite surprised that Dominic used information from a woman's confession to find the veil. He should not have used the confessional for this purpose. The author wrote a note at the end of the story to tell the reader which parts of the book were true and which were fictional. I always find myself googling these references for more information because they are all so fascinating. 

I have two more books in the Vatican Secret Archives to read before I am caught up with this series. It's an amazing treasure hunt and I highly recommend it to mystery fans.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom is Steve Berry's 17th Cotton Malone novel.  I have loved all of them and this one is no different. In this installment of the series King Ludwig II of Bavaria who was deposed in 1886 mysteriously drowned three days later. He was eccentric and has been referred to throughout history of "Mad King Ludwig." In the years before he died, Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new kingdom.  He wanted a new kingdom that was separate from Bavaria because he hated the politics in his home country. This new kingdom was supposed to be a retreat for him. The question posed by history is whether he found a place for this kingdom and whether he built it. 

We then see main character Cotton Malone enter into the story.  His protege, Luke Daniels, has infiltrated a renegade group that is intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany. Daniels also has gained the trust of the prince of Bavaria who will inherit the throne when his terminally ill brother dies. The princes of Bavaria all descend from the Wittelsbach family who has held the throne for over 700 years. Prince Stefan von Bayern is counting on a 19th century deed proving that Ludwig II found a new kingdom and that he has legal title to the land. Malone and Daniels travel to Ludwig's three fairytale castles, Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee, and battle a number of deadly adversaries who are all intent on finding that last kingdom.

I had some difficulty becoming interested in the story. In fact, I was so bored after reading the first 30 pages that I went online to check reviews. I thought that maybe the author had finally hit a dry spell. All of the reviews were good so I thought that the problem was me. Maybe it was. However, the story picked up around page 65 and it then became a page turner. That said, the premise for the story was a little farfetched. The idea that Bavaria could legally be separated from the rest of Germany was not plausible to me. It is upon this idea that the entire story is based and why would the penultimate spy Cotton Malone even bother with it? 

The writing was crisp but I found myself putting the book down often. It's hard for me to believe that I am rating a Steve Berry book only 3 out of 5 stars.

Five Steps Beyond

After beginning Five Steps Beyond I was soon astonished to discover that I was at the 60% mark in the story. Before I knew it I had finished reading the book. This shows how good this story is. The book is the final installment in the Titus Ray Thriller series by Luana Ehrlich. The main character is Titus Ray, an American Christian spy who works for the CIA.

The publisher's summary:

CIA operative Titus Ray took five steps. But not just any steps.

They were five steps beyond his expectations, five steps beyond his experience, five steps beyond his past.

He took five steps beyond his expectations . . .

When Titus is summoned to the White House, he expects to be offered a Top Secret assignment. What he doesn’t expect is where that assignment will take him, and how he’ll survive if he accepts it.

He took five steps beyond his experience . . .

Even though Titus has been through a lot in his twenty-year career with the Agency, he’s never had to learn about uranium enrichment, he’s never had his appearance altered, he’s never had to be a marriage counselor.

He took five steps beyond his past . . .

Operation Strike Out finds Titus revisiting his past to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear weapon to annihilate Israel. When he discovers the tentacles of his past are reaching into his present, seeking to destroy his future, he realizes he has to act quickly.

Will his prayers be answered in time or has his time come to an end?

Five Steps is the second book in the series which I have read so I am a little sad that I just recently discovered the series when it is ending.  I can always go back and read the earlier books but its not the same as knowing that future books are coming. The Titus character is rather brave. He has returned to Tehran on a mission after almost losing his life there two years ago. In this installment of the series he is charged with getting a flash drive from a nuclear scientist that holds info on Iran's uranium enrichment program that would enable them to create a nuclear weapon. During the mission Titus comes face-to-face with the man charged with finding & killing him two years ago and, yes, this man recognizes Titus even though Titus is wearing a disguise. The suspense level is high. Titus's faith is more prominent than in the first book of the series which I read last year. Initially, I was put off by Titus's inner thoughts.  It seemed that Titus would not be able to be a great spy because there were actions that he did not want to take. However, the suspense kept me reading. By the time the story was over, Titus's faith did not bother me. 

4 out of 5 stars.

The Magdalene Reliquary

The Magdalene Reliquary is the 2nd book is the Magdalene Chronicles Trilogy by Gary McAvoy. This debut series features gripping thrillers set in the Vatican and wherever its influence reaches. Both that and his current ongoing series, "Vatican Secret Archive Thrillers," feature Father Michael Dominic, a Jesuit paleographer - a specialist in ancient writing systems and deciphering historical manuscripts. McCoy has long been fascinated with the Vatican and its legendary Secret Archive, and his books are filled with historical facts and international intrigue.

The publisher's summary:

A curious priest uncovers a mystifying secret... One that leads to a long-buried relic some will do anything to possess. Can he outwit adversaries who will stop at nothing to keep him from revealing an object that challenges history as we know it? Father Michael Dominic discovers a strangely constructed 13th-century puzzle hidden deep within the Vatican Secret Archives. With the help of his brilliant colleague, investigative journalist Hana Sinclair, solving the puzzle exposes a cleverly concealed map that marks the hiding place of a sacred artifact—one with shocking implications. From Rome to France and Switzerland, his search for the object finds Dominic pitted against deadly agents and a ruthless Russian oligarch. Desperate, he must choose between trusting an unlikely collection of possible allies—or certain death. As his enemies close in, can he survive and bring this staggering new secret to light, or will his pursuers bury it beside him in the cold, dark earth of a long-forgotten cave? 

I loved this story. It was so much more entertaining than the first book in the series with its non-stop action and adventure. This treasure hunt begins in Rome, moves to France, then Milan and Switzerland and back to Rome. What happens with the newly found treasure? The reader does not know. It is up to the Pope to decide and we may find out in the 3rd book of this trilogy or we might never know. It really isn't that important to me. What I enjoyed is the hunt for the reliquary and the back-stabbing among the characters. I was amused that Father Dominic hired 3 gypsies to help him in his quest. You don't see this in mystery novels too often and I thought it was a creative twist.

The characters are the same as in The Magdalene Deception. Their interaction was more natural than in Deception which I presume was due to the author not needing to spend time and pages introducing them to the reader. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The Magdalene Deception

The Magdalene Deception is the first book in a trilogy called The Magdalene Chronicles. It is Gary McAvoy's debut novel.  McAvoy has published 6 books to date but recommends that readers begin with this book before reading any of the later novels including his Vatican Secrets Archives series. I have already read three books in the Vatican Secret Archives Series, but I decided to take McAvoy's advice and go back to the beginning. 

The publisher's summary:

For two thousand years, believers have relied on Christ's Resurrection as the bedrock of Christian faith. But what if the Vatican had been blackmailed into suppressing a first century manuscript revealing a different story about what happened after Christ's death-and that long-hidden document suddenly reappears? Michael Dominic, a young Jesuit priest expert in the study of ancient writings, is assigned to the Vatican as an archivist in the Church's legendary Secret Archives. Hana Sinclair, a reporter for a Paris newspaper whose privileged family owns a prominent Swiss bank, is chasing a story about Jewis gold stolen by the Nazis during WWII - millions of dollars in bullion that ended up in the vaults of the Vatican Bank. When Dominic discovers a long hidden papyrus written by Mary Magdalene -one- that threatens the very foundations of Christianity - he and Hana, aided by the brave Swiss Guards, try to prevent sinister forces from obtaining the manuscript, among them the feared Ustasha underground fascist movement, Interpol, and shadowy figures at the highest levels of the Vatican itself. Based on illuminating historical facts - including the intriguing true story of Berenger Sauniere, the mysterious abbe in the French village of Rennes-le-Chateau; and that Cathars, fabled keepers of the Holy Grail - The Magdalene Deception will take readers on a gripping journey through one of the world's most secretive institutions and the sensitive, often explosive manuscripts found in it's vaults.

As someone who loves codicology and paleography, this book was a perfect fit for me. I loved reading about the Vatican library and found myself dreaming about being able to personally sit inside its walls and choose manuscripts at will. The book introduces all of the characters in both the Magdalene Trilogy and the Vatican Secret Archives Series. Hana Sinclair, Cardinal Enrico Petrini and Karl Dengler resemble their characters in subsequent novels. Father Michael Dominic is quite different though. I was surprised that as a priest he didn't believe that prayer works or that his faith could be shaken by this new found document. Two years after his ordination, Dominic had plenty of doubts about his vocation. This perplexed me.

Also, there was not much suspense or mystery to the story. I got bored in several parts of the novel and did not feel a sense of impending doom over the possible release of the manuscript to the public. When Dominic translated it, I rejected its allegations about church history (no spoilers here) and can only assume that the general public in the story would reject it too. It was too far-fetched to be taken seriously but on top of that there was no mention of the manuscript being validated or not validated. It was only translated.

I expected more as the 3 books that I previously read had alot of suspense. Perhaps the author just got better at writing, which is always a good thing. The best I can say is that The Magdalene Deception is a good start to the series.

3 out of 5 stars.

The Sterling Affair

The Sterling Affair is the 8th installment of the Forensic Genealogist Series by Nathan Dylan Goodwin. I have read four other books in the series but not in order of publication so I was surprised to read in Sterling that the main character, Morton Farrier, was married with one child. The plot for Sterling is a bit more complex than prior novels. I am not sure how I feel about that as I loved the earlier books. However, the author is keeping the series fresh. His last two books are part of a new series, Venator Cold Case Series, wherein an investigative genetic geneology company, called Venator of course, is used to solve homicides. Venator is introduced in Sterling .

Back to the book at hand. . . The publisher's summary:  

When an unannounced stranger comes calling at Morton Farrier’s front door, he finds himself faced with the most intriguing and confounding case of his career to-date as a forensic genealogist. He agrees to accept the contract to identify a man who had been secretly living under the name of his new client’s long-deceased brother. Morton must use his range of resources and research skills to help him deconstruct this mysterious man’s life, ultimately leading him back into the murky world of 1950s international affairs of state. Meanwhile, Morton is faced with his own alarmingly close DNA match which itself comes with far-reaching implications for the Farriers.

I did not enjoy the book as much as I expected. The subplot concerning the spies was complex and while I normally love spy thrillers, I missed the simplicity of the earlier novels which focused on how Morton went about his genealogical research. As someone who enjoys doing this kind of research, the earlier novels hit my spot. That said, both of the book's subplots were intricately woven and well researched. I can see how Goodwin has improved his writing.

The story began with an Abstract that discussed the removal of 1,000 files by civil servants from England's National Archives relating to MI5, MI6 and MI8. The files were taken to Whitehall. This intrigued me and is part of the reason why I tried to concentrate on the spy subplot to make sure that I didn't miss anything. The information for the Abstract came from an article in The Guardian on December 26, 2017. Each of the files contained dozens of papers and some of these files included documents on the Falklands, Northern Ireland's Troubles, Britain's administration in Palestine, and tests on polio vaccines. 

I am sorry to say that Sterling is only a 3 out of 5 stars as Goodwin is one of my favorite authors.

2023 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

I enjoyed participating in the challenge during the past year and am excited to participate next year. I had planned on reading entire series this year but only read one series in its entirety. Most of my books were the latest installment of my favorite series. Hopefully, I can do better next year.  

The Rules:

1)    The challenge will run from January 1st, 2023 to December 31st, 2023.  Books must be read during this time frame to count.  Sign up is open from now until December 1st, 2023, so you may join even just for the last month of the year.

2)    Series can be already completed as well as still ongoing.  For ongoing series, the goal is to catch up to the most recent book published by the end of 2023.

3)    It doesn't matter if you have only 1 book or 10 books to read in order to finish your series, as long as you’ve started the series before 2023 (ie read at least one book in the series), it counts.  Re-reads are not required.

4)    Any format and length of book counts – print, ebook, audio, ARC, etc.

5)    A series can be any length (even if it’s just a Duet).

6)    Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable!

7)    Reviews are not required, but highly encouraged.

8)    Declare your intentions to participate in this challenge somewhere on the internet!!  You do not need to be a blogger to participate, there are many ways to declare.  You could write a blog post, create a reading challenge page, create a Goodreads shelf containing series you hope to finish, post about it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc...

9)    Use the hashtag #FinishingTheSeries2023 on any social media to keep up with other participants!

10)    There are 3 different “Celebrity” levels of achievement for this reading challenge. I am hoping to finish the challenge as a B-Lister.

C-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 1-4 SERIES.

B-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 5-8 SERIES.

A-LIST SERIES FINISHER ⇒ COMPLETE 9+ SERIES.