Oct 28, 20162 min read

A Reader's Opinion: THE VIRGIN AND THE WIND ROSE by Glen Craney

THE BOOK

A Christopher Columbus Mystery-Thriller

A READER'S OPINION

A thought-provoking and clever mystery, The Virgin and the Wind Rose, was not at all what I expected. It was better. Jacqueline Quartermane finds a magical puzzle of sorts in a church while investigating the death of someone close to her. Discovering this clue makes her a target in a dangerous game of intrigue and faith mixed with thieves and killers. This book is intense, and I don't even know where to start without giving anything away. The author obviously did a lot of thorough research and I found myself fascinated with the many twists and turns in the parallel worlds. There are two very different time periods that somehow exist in one book as if they both belonged. The sometimes far-fetched adventures have a touch of Indiana Jones, which made for an exciting ride, but I felt like there was enough story to go into a second book. You definitely have to pay attention. With a clever plot and plenty of intrigue, the authors keeps you guessing in this fascinating page-turner.

Star Rating: 4 Stars | Content Rating: 1 Heart | Reviewed by: Kaylie Morgan

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

While investigating the murder of an American missionary in Ethiopia, rookie State Department lawyer Jaqueline Quartermane stumbles upon a magical word square in an underground church that guards the tomb of the biblical Adam. Drawn into a web of esoteric intrigue, she becomes the target of an elusive mastermind who intends to convince the world that he is the Mahdi, the long-awaited Muslim Messiah of the Apocalypse. Jaqueline's evangelical faith is tested when she thrown together with a roguish antiquities thief named Elymas, a Jewish atheist. Together they race the Mahdi imposter to find the one relic needed to resurrect Solomon’s Temple. A trail of cabalistic clues leads them to the catacombs of Rome, the crypt below Chartres Cathedral, a Masonic shaft in Nova Scotia, a Portuguese shipwreck off Sumatra, and the caverns under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Intertwined with this modern mystery-thriller, a parallel duel is waged: The year is 1452. One of the most secretive societies in history, Portugal's Order of Christ, is led by a reclusive visionary, Prince Henry the Navigator. He and his medieval version of NASA merged with the CIA scheme to foil their archenemies, the Inquisitor Torquemada and Queen Isabella of Castile, who plan to bring back Christ for the Last Judgment by ridding the world of Jews, heretics, and unbelievers. Separated by half a millennium, two conspiracies to usher in the Tribulations promised by the Book of Revelation dovetail in this fast-paced thriller to expose the world's most explosive secret: The true identity of Christopher Columbus and the explorer's connection to those now trying to spark the End of Days.