In the desert near Jerusalem, an archaeologist is murdered after he uncovers stunning evidence in a Dead Sea scroll about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The two-thousand-year-old parchment containing enigmatic references to not one but two messiahs is stolen before it can be fully translated.
In Rome, a charismatic American priest with long-hidden secrets is elected pope, setting off widespread panic among some of the faithful who question whether he is the anti-Christ or the world's new savior. As the conspiracy over the scroll explodes into a political and religious standoff, two people find themselves on the run, trying to stay one step ahead of unknown assassins in their search for truth.
Archaeologist Jack Cane and Israeli police inspector Lela Raul must solve the mystery of the Second Messiah and uncover the real secret behind the message of Jesus before they are permanently silenced and the scroll and its contents are forever lost to humanity.
My review:
I was hesitant to review this book, as I wasn't sure what direction the author, who usually writes secular fiction, would take. I decided to try it, and am glad I did. This was an excellent book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though it is close to 500 pages, coming in at 496 pages, I did indeed read this book in one evening, only taking restroom and drink breaks.
It has a terrific plot: a scroll is found that refer to a second Messiah, and one who wasn't very good. There is a lot of action and international intrigue, as there are people trying to get a hold of the scroll for various reasons. The Catholic Church wants to bury it, others want to publish the contents. I found it to be a very exciting and interesting read, and could not put it down until I finished it.
There was one curse word. As my family puts it, one use of "King James Donkey." I would also classify this as religious fiction, as opposed to Christian fiction. Most of the plot is built around the Catholic Church, and the main characters don't seem to be Christians. Yet, it was a great book, and I am glad I had the opportunity to read and review it.
GLENN MEADE was born in Finglas, Dublin in 1957. His novels to date have all been international bestsellers, translated into over twenty languages and have enjoyed both critical and commercial success. He worked in the field of pilot training for Aer Lingus for many years and as a journalist for the Irish Times. He now writes full time.
More about his books here.
Check out the website for the book here.
The Second Messiah is avaiable from Howard Books.
Thanks to the DeMoss Group for the review copy.
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