Review by Joe Kilgore

"... if this information was to become available and recklessly brought forward, all I can repeat is Lord knows what ramifications it may well present for all of Christianity---and that's no joke."

History, religion, facts, faith, truth, consequences--- they all have a mosaic intrigue in this international thriller. The protagonist is an ex-military man and a highly ranked scholar in the fields of theology and ancient languages. Frequently at odds with many of the Catholic Church's teachings, he accepts an invitation from the Vatican to assist in examining ancient documents and texts that may provide information about the New Devotion, a secret society that they believed had formed again after centuries of being thought to be non-existent. Along with his female assistant Zoe, they find themselves in brain-deep dusty research, murder attempts, torture, and more. Hidden agendas proliferate as do potentially lethal interlopers such as the CIA, Muslim extremists, including the Mafia.

If all of this sounds slightly Dan Brownish, there is certainly a literary kinship to The Da Vinci Code. However, Kelly attempts to one-up his predecessors with both shocking surprises and style. Kelly's story is a compelling blend of recorded history and rich imagination. His prose style employs third-person omniscience and a formidable vocabulary to dissect and probe every conceivable thought, gesture, and behavior of his major and minor players. Such introspection occasionally impedes the narrative, yet it also provides a platform for examination of multi-layered motivations. His depictions of violence and actions detonate with cinematic impact. If you're into thrillers that stimulate the minds as well as adrenal glands, chances are you will get a charge out of this novel.