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 House in the Pines

The House in the Pines is Ana Reyes' debut novel. She began writing it in 2015, as her thesis for an M.F.A. program at Louisiana State University. After graduation Reyes moved to Los Angeles, where she lined up several jobs teaching English composition at local schools. Eventually she wrote a second draft and then a third. The book sold fast as it was recommended by Reese Witherspoon.

The publisher's summary:

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all summer.
 
Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey. 
 
At her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading back to Frank’s cabin.... 

The story opened well. There was an introduction to fascinating characters as well as some action. I felt that the story slowed somewhat in the middle. Also, there is a supernatural aspect to the plot which isn't exactly my favorite genre but I kept an open mind because the opening was strong. However, in the middle of the story it was hard to tell if there was something supernatural happening or whether Maya was in the throes of mental illness. I would describe the book as an atmospheric mystery, instead of a psychological thriller. I am not a fan of atmospheric stories but I know there are many readers out there who love this kind of book. If you happen to be one of them, I can highly recommend the book to you. For me, it was an OK novel.

3 out of 5 stars.

Hide

Hide is Tracy Clark's 5th novel. It is also the first book in a new series that takes place in Chicago, which is why I wanted to read it. Chicago is my hometown. It's a captivating, fast paced read which felt good to read after the past couple of dull books that I recently read.

The publisher's summary:

When a young red-haired woman is found brutally murdered in downtown Chicago, one detail stands out: the red lipstick encircling her wrists and ankles.

Detective Harriet Foster is on the case, even though she’s still grieving the sudden death of her partner. As a Black woman in a male-dominated department, Foster anticipates a rocky road ahead acclimating to a new team—and building trust with her new partner isn’t coming easily.

After another victim turns up with the same lipstick markings, Foster suspects she’s looking for a serial killer. Through a tip from a psychiatrist, Foster learns about Bodie Morgan: a troubled man with a twisted past and a penchant for pretty young redheads with the bluest eyes. As Foster wades into Morgan’s sinister history, the killer continues their gruesome assault on Chicago’s streets.

In her desperate race to catch the murderer before they strike again, Foster will have to confront the darkest of secrets—including her own.

This book is a perfect crime thriller. It also touches on current problems in policing such as racism, sexism, police power and female officers. With one character being a psychologist, we also read about the psychology of serial killers. Author Tracy Clark knows alot about police procedures and its culture. She is an editor in Chicago and must have learned alot about policing from her day job. 

The writing is crisp and this is what make it such a quick read. It's been awhile since I have read a novel written this good and I couldn't put it down. Even though the book is almost 400 pages, I finished it in one afternoon. The setting descriptions in the beginning of the story are spot on. As a Chicagoan myself, I recognized all of the street names and locales, including the lower level streets where are killers operate. Even the jogging path a character took was accurate. 

The main character is Harriet Foster. She has been a police officer for 15 years but is coming into a different police district for this story. Her first partner, Officer Lonergan, is a long-time officer who does not care for female or minority officers and uses slang terms from a bygone era. I found them amusing but only because I am old enough to know these phrases. Harriet has a soft side because her son died, her marriage fell apart and her former police partner commit suicide. She is still reeling from these events but is trying to put them out of her mind so that she can continue to work. Harriet, or Harri, is a great character to base a series on.  I can see that there is alot of room for character growth. Her second partner, Vera Li, connects with Harri better and I hope that they remain partners in future installments of the series.

Hide is a fantastic novel. I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Paris

Paris is a graphic novel about a penniless American artist, Juliet, who travels from America to Paris to study painting. To make ends meet, Juliet paints portraits of wealthy debutantes. One of her subjects is Deborah, a young English woman suffocated by an overbearing aunt and the narrow expectations for her life by her aristocrat family. Juliet is equally as confined by the rigid academic structure of her art education and finds an unlikely kindred spirit in Deborah. Both woman love art and it brings them together.

While the book cover is in color, the entire novel was drawn in black and white. The style is French and all of the drawings are intricate, full page drawings. If you are familiar with the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, then you will understand what the pages look like. This style is not one I particular like but I must admit it fits the story and there are many comic lovers out there who are attracted to this style. I was disappointed that there was no color inside the pages. I felt there was a promise of color inside because the book cover is so colorful.

Regarding the story, it was pretty predictable.  There were no surprises or drama either. The author, Andi Watson, used alot of French dialogue, some of which I could understand due to my high school French classes. There was much that I did not understand but since there wasn't much of a plot, it didn't really detract from the comic. In general, I was disappointed that there wasn't more to the story.

2 out of 5 stars.

Vanish in Plain Sight

Vanish in Plain Sight is the second book in the Brotherhood of the Raven trilogy. The trilogy is an Amish suspense series. Most of the main characters in Vanish are different from those in Murder in Plain Sight, the first book in the trilogy. 

The publisher's summary:  

Since she was a little girl, Marisa Angelo has been haunted by the image of her mother walking away, suitcase in hand, to return to her Amish roots. Marisa and her "Englischer" father never saw or heard from her again. Now Marisa has received a shocking call from police. Her mother's bloodstained suitcase was found hidden inside the wall of a Pennsylvania Dutch farmhouse. Desperate for answers, Marisa heads to Lancaster County. But no one—not the police or Marisa's tight-lipped Amish relatives—can explain what happened to her mother. Only one man is as determined as Marisa to unravel the mystery—Link Morgan, the handsome ex-military loner who found the suitcase in the house he inherited from his uncle. Now both Link's and Marisa's family members are implicated in the decades-old disappearance. The secret lies somewhere in the quaint Amish settlement. But someone will do anything to ensure the truth remains hidden forever. 

 I did not like the novel much. I could not connect with any of the characters, even those I liked from the first book in the series. There was no sense of drama of any kind nor any suspense which is strange as the series is advertised as Amish suspense. At one point in Marisa's investigation she was told her next step was to speak with the Amish Bishop. It took her 40 pages to do this and nothing happened in those 40 pages.

The mystery of the disappearance of Marisa's mother was compelling and I wanted to know what happened to her. The pages devoted to the disappearance were interesting. However, I skipped pages to reach the end of the story. It was unremarkable.

Yeah, I had to tell the truth. 1 out of 5 stars.

The Godmother's Secret

The Godmother's Secret is about Elysabeth Scropes who births Elizabeth Woodville's first son and English heir Prince Edward. I have been captivated by Elizabeth Woodville's story since watching the The White Queen TV series and the subsequent The White Princess series about her daughter. This book is another fantastic retelling of a part of Woodville's life but focuses more on her two sons, heir Ned and Dickon, the princes in the tower.

The publisher's summary:

May 1483: The Tower of London. When King Edward IV dies and Lady Elysabeth Scrope delivers her young godson, Edward V, into the Tower of London to prepare for his coronation, she is engulfed in political turmoil. Within months, the prince and his brother have disappeared, Richard III is declared king, and Elysabeth’s sister Margaret Beaufort conspires with her son Henry Tudor to invade England and claim the throne.

Desperate to protect her godson, Elysabeth battles the intrigue, betrayal and power of the last medieval court, defying her Yorkist husband and her Lancastrian sister under her godmother’s sacred oath to keep Prince Edward safe. Bound by blood and rent by honour, Elysabeth is torn between the crown and her family, knowing that if her loyalty is questioned, she is in peril of losing everything—including her life.

Were the princes murdered by their uncle, Richard III? Did Margaret Beaufort mastermind their disappearance to usher in the Tudor dynasty? Or did the young boys vanish for their own safety? Of anyone at the royal court, Elysabeth has the most to lose–and the most to gain–by keeping secret the fate of the Princes in the Tower. 

I relished reading this story. I knew that I would love it so I read slowly to savor each paragraph. There was alot of plot movement in each paragraph which made the book a fast read. The Afterward explains how the author decided to write about these characters. Our Elysabeth Scope is one of the author's ancestors.  Elysabeth's maiden name was St. John and our author performed extensive research not only genealogical but also historical about her ancestors. She gives the reader an alternative interpretation as to what happened to those two princes. No one really knows what happened to them so the ideas presented in the novel are plausible.

Because of her family connection to the characters, Elizabeth St. John presented them in a personal way. Family drama is exposed up front and close, especially with Elysabeth Scope's half-sister Margaret Beaufort. If you know Margaret's history, you know that she lived every day maneuvering around the changing politics of her day so that she and her son, Henry Tudor, come out on top. I see this novel not as historical fiction, which it is, but more so with family drama as the genre. I don't know if family drama can be a genre but the novel shows us one big dysfunctional family where every family member has their own desires and will manipulate every other family member for supremacy. 

So what is the godmother's secret?  Read the book and find out.  5 out of 5 stars.

Book of the Month: January

I read alot of books this month thanks to a staycation so I had quite a few books to consider for my best of the month. Keeper of the Queen's Jewels is an obvious choice because its one of the only two books I rated 5 out of 5 stars. Keeper is Adrienne Dillard's most recent novel, which was published in 2022. It is about Jane Seymour and her lady in waiting Margery Horsman. Each chapter alternates between the points of view of Jane and Margery. Margery was one of the ladies in waiting for Anne Boleyn who stayed on at Henry VIII's behest after Anne's beheading. For some reason he kept on all of Anne's attendants. At first Margery handled the wardrobe but later became in charge of the jewelry. She was adept at picking out the right jewels for the right gown. She also had her own drama to deal with, not just Jane's.

I learned alot about Jane's political ability. Yes, she did have some ability. I was not aware that she was terrified of ending up like her predecessor but I probably should have known that she would be afraid. Any woman would mistrust Henry VIII considering how he disposed of two prior wives. The court attendants were likewise terrified of Henry, including Margery. Everyone tiptoed around him so as not to set off his temper.

I loved reading about the dresses that the ladies wore, and the jewels of course, as well as descriptions of the food offered at these lavish Tudor feasts. Keeper is a feast for the eyes.

Book Cover of the Month: January

None of the covers of the books that I read this month were enticing. However, if I had to pick just one as my favorite is would have to be Sunburn by Andi Watson. Sunburn is a full length graphic novel about a girl who travels to Greece one summer to visit a family friend. The sunny colors of Greece, blue and white, on the cover caught my attention and was the reason I was interested in getting the novel. 

Illustrator Simon Gane did the artwork for the book. He is a British artist from Bath who works for Vertigo. Vertigo is an imprint of DC Comics that caters to mature audiences but also more sophisticated cartoonists. Gane is also a magazine and children's book illustrator. He sells original artworks from his Instagram page.

The Papal Assassin

The Papal Assassin is the first book in S. J. Martin's Papal Assassin Series. She previously published five book in her Breton Horse Warrior Series. The second book in the new series, The Papal Assassin's Wife, was published last month on December 5, 2022. I am looking forward to reading it because the Papal Assassin was wonderful.

The publisher's summary:

It is 1088, King William the Conqueror is dead, and his two eldest sons are about to go to war for the throne of England. It is a turbulent time in Europe, and Chatillon, at the heart of it all, must decide which of William's sons the Pope should support. Should it be the eldest, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy or William Rufus, who has already crowned himself King of England?

Piers De Chatillon, the tall, handsome master swordsman, powerful Papal envoy and assassin, has finally married the beautiful young Isabella Embriaco. He intends to turn her into a top political courtesan, assassin and spy. She will be trained to bring him valuable information by moving through the noble beds of Europe and removing those men who cause him problems. His dangerous lifestyle will repeatedly put her life at risk as she becomes a pawn in a deadly game.

Chatillon, involved in the imminent war between the two brothers, disregards the warnings of his friends to take care. They know a brutal Saracen pirate is out for revenge and will try to kill Chatillon and his new wife. Chatillon sends Isabella to Ghent on her first mission to kill an old enemy of his, not realising she is now carrying his child. Meanwhile, the Saracen assassins follow close behind her, and Chatillon is over a hundred leagues away in Normandy, too far away to save her.

This was a great read. From the first pages to the ending I was unable to put the book down. The Eleventh Century is a favorite period of mine so it made this fast paced historical mystery extra special. I heard that some of the characters from the Breton Horse Warriors Series are included in this new series. I will have to read at least one of those novels to see if I would like the series.

Piers is the consummate politician. Having worked in government for most of my life, I appreciate seeing someone with the skillset to get things done. He has a dark side but so do our current crop of leaders and if I'm honest, every great leader in history has had this too. Yes, I studied political science. I was amazed at Piers' successes and was rooting for him all along. He is a fascinating character and with the comeuppance he received from an enemy toward the end, I can see him having a soft side in future novels.

This is a lovely start to a new series. I am excited about it's future. 

Can't Wait Wednesday #17

The Can't Wait Wednesday meme has been hosted by the Wishful Endings blog for awhile. Here, we discuss the books that we haven't read yet. 

I have tried to purchase Christine DeMelo's newest book The Apprentice. It was published two months ago but my Kindle purchase will not go through. DeMelo writes historical fiction stories set in Italy during the Renaissance and I have loved every one of her previous 13 novels. All of them have been standalones as is The Apprentice. This novel is a tale of forbidden love and danger that revolves around historical facts from 1600 Naples, Italy. A man named Carlo convinces Florentine Maestro Giovanni Balducci that he should be hired as an apprentice. The two travel south to complete important commissions such as the adornment of the San Gaudioso catacombs. Here, Carlo meets and falls in love with a local monk. Later he meets a famous nun, Sister Giulia de Marco and her confessor, Father Aniello Arcieri, while restoring an altarpiece in a church. Sister Giulia and Father Arcieri draw Carlo into their Confraternity of Carnal Charity, whose wealthy noble acolytes believe divine glory can be achieved through sexual ecstasy. Unable to continue living a lie, Carlo confesses his secret to Sister Giulia and she assigns him a prominent role within the cult. The problem? Carlo captures the attention of the Holy Inquisition.

So, what's up Amazon? Why can't I buy my book?

Zemindar

Zemindar was published in 1981. I selected it because I needed a book title beginning with Z for the Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. It is an epic story (1,031 pages) of a family that moves from England to India just before the Indian Mutiny. The book won the Georgette Hayer Historical Novel Prize that same year. The main character is Englishwoman Laura Hewitt. Laura accompanies her cousin Emily and Emily's husband Charles to Calcutta which is a wedding trip, not honeymoon, where Laura is a paid lady's companion for her cousin. She is also in love with Charles. After several months the group meets Charles' half-brother Oliver Erskine who is the zemindar, or hereditary ruler, of a vast estate called Hassanganj. Charles had never met Oliver before but receives an invitation to visit Hassanganj. While they are there, Emily gives birth and the Sepoy rebellion and siege of Lucknow occurs, known in history as the Mutiny, the Sepoy Rebellion and The First War for Independence. Zemindar has been republished several times in the past forty years. Each time the font gets bigger and the book has grown from its original 799 pages to the current 1031 pages. I am glad for the font size and cannot imagine how hard it would be been to read this after its initial publication. 

I finished the book in just 3 days. The story moved along quickly but there was a lull in the action when the characters were escaping from Hassanganj, which was about 200 pages long. Other than that, Zemindar was a captivating read. The characters were well developed and all of them were kindhearted to each other. They had opposite personalities which gave the novel some flavor. Laura is the main character and her point of view dominates. She is the character who grew the most during her nine months in India. Laura had an independent mind before the trip. Her cousin Emily and husband Charles were stuck in the rigid mindset of the British upper classes and could not adjust to India's culture. Oliver was the villain of the story but he wasn't really a villain. His reputation was rough, having had many sexual affairs with both British and Indian women. Even though he was born into a wealthy British family, he was raised in India and spent his entire life there. He understood the importance of independence to the Indians as well as their customs. Oliver was respected by them for accommodating their religious traditions but also by living their lifestyle. The reader learns about their side of the story on independence from Oliver's dialogue. The reader also learns about the history of the Mutiny, although it is from the point of view of the British. Still, there are aspects of what happened that are true to history. 

The descriptions of India were on point. It is an exotic destination for me and I never tire reading about it. In every book set in India that I have read, the British characters are incredibly bored. None of them have much to do and partying becomes a must. Zemindar shows this the best, perhaps because of the page count. The oppressive heat in India is best described here also. The author has the characters removing their excessive clothing at certain times of the day, napping during the warmest part of the day and sipping water at the right times in order to stay healthy. 

I loved Zemindar and am rating it 4 out of 5 stars. It lost one star for the dull escape they made from Hassanganj.

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.

Can't Wait Wednesday #16

The Can't Wait Wednesday meme has been hosted by the Wishful Endings blog for awhile. Here, we discuss the books that we haven't read yet. Later this month Janie Chang will be publishing her latest novel, The Porcelain Moon. The book takes place in France during WWI and I am anxiously awaiting it's publication on February 21, 2023.  

In 1918 a young Chinese woman, Pauline Deng, runs away from her uncle's home in Paris in order to evade an arranged marriage set up for her in Shanghai. Pauline's cousin Theo is helping her prevent the marriage. Theo is a translator for the Chinese Labour Corps in the French countryside. Another woman, Camille Roussel, is planning to leave her abusive husband. Camille offers Pauline a room for her to stay in and they become fast friends. However, Pauline soon discovers a perilous secret that Camille has been concealing. As both their situations escalate, they are forced to make an awful decision that will bind them together for the rest of their lives. The history that the author has built her story on is the historical fact that 140,000 Chinese workers were brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during WWI.  

I read the author's Library of Legends and loved it.  Here's hoping that The Porcelain Moon is just as entertaining.