The Brotherhood Conspiracy by Terry Brennan

Tom Bohannon's discovery of an ancient scroll led him on an international adventure and through mysteries of faith and politics, ending in a place not even he could imagine: the Third Temple of God hidden under Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  But soon after his remarkable discovery, the future of the world changed again.  Tom watched as a chasm tore apart Temple Mount, as new rivers swept through the Kidron Valley and into the streets of Old Jerusalem, their discovery swallowed by an earthquake, crushed under tons of stone and debris.  A biblical prophecy realized.  The final days were upon them.

Wondering how to recover from such a momentous find and such horrendous destruction, Tom's adventures are not over. No one knows how much time is left in these last days—a year? A hundred years? A thousand? Plagued by murderous dreams, Tom fears members of the Prophet Guard—killers who wear the Coptic cross with a lightning bolt slashing through it—are back and looking for him.  But they are not the only threat to Tom and his team.  Forces behind the Arab Spring have sinister plans.  And underestimating their determination would be a fatal mistake.

The same fast-paced, page-turning prose that readers loved in The Sacred Cipher is back in Terry Brennan's eagerly awaited sequel, The Brotherhood Conspiracy.

My review:
   This book isn't really being advertises as a sequel, but I would recommend reading the first book, The Sacred Cipher first. This book picks up where the first book left off, and by reading the first, the reader understands the characters and what is going on better.

   This is not what I would call light reading for fiction. There is a lot of history and research in the book, and though it is very interesting and suspenseful, it is a book you need to read when its quiet and you can think. The author does a great job of showing the conflict between Muslims and Jews, and what a boiling cauldron the temple mount area is. In both books, he paints a great picture of what could happen if the Jews did discover a temple on the temple mount and started sacrificing again, and what could and would most likely happen.

  I enjoyed both books, and the look it gave me into the area of Jerusalem, into the history, and the conflict that surrounds that area. I'd recommend these books to anyone interested in the Jewish-Muslim fighting and the idea of the Jews worshipping again on the temple mount. I got so much more from these books than an entertaining read. I learned a lot while I was entertained.

  One thing that did bother me about both books: I am still of the belief that Christians should not drink alcoholic beverages, and if they do, it should be in moderation and not in bars. The main character in the books is a Christian who drinks beer frequently, and in bars. That bothered me a lot. I wish Christian authors would just steer clear of an issue that a lot of evangelical Christians till believe something Christians shouldn't do.

About the author:

Over the past 35 years, Terry Brennan has accumulated a broad range of experience in both the profit and non-profit business sectors.

His 22-year, award winning journalism career included:
* Seven years as a sportswriter and editor with The Philadelphia Bulletin, at the time the largest-circulation afternoon newspaper in the nation;
* Leading The Mercury of Pottstown (PA), as its editor, to a Pulitzer Prize in Editorial Writing;
* Serving as Executive Editor of a multi-national newspaper firm - Ingersoll Publications - with papers in the USA, England and Ireland.

In 1996 Brennan transferred his successful management career to the non-profit sector and served for 12 years as Vice President of Operations for the Christian Herald Association, Inc., the parent organization of four New York City ministries, including The Bowery Mission.

Now Chief Administrative Officer for the non-profit Care for the Homeless in New York City, Brennan also won the Valley Forge Award for editorial writing from the Freedoms Foundation.

His two adult sons and their families live in Pennsylvania. Terry and his wife Andrea live in New York City area. Their daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter live in West Chester County and their son resides in Lake Tahoe, CA.

The Brotherhood Conspiracy is available from Kregel Publications. Thanks to Kregel for the review copy.