This is an interesting novel in a popular genre. A scholarly Australian Anglican priest recovering from personal trauma travels to Rome to give a lecture on what should be a fairly dry topic. Instead of engaging in academic debate, however, Fr Jotham Fletcher is catapulted into a world of intrigue and danger. There are mad monks, secret societies, sinister priests and criminal syndicates hunting for the priest who slowly comes to realize that he has stumbled into a secret that could change the course of history. Along the way, he falls in love with a beautiful Italian woman who is an authority on ancient manuscripts, drives a Fiat in a way which is reckless and furious even by Italian standards and survives torture and temptation. It all moves at a great pace.
Pace is actually one of the strengths of the writing. The story moves well and Toni Pike handles the narrative line well. A cross country dash to reach a private jet on a disused runway is particularly well done. Toni Pike also brings a strong sense of place to the setting of the novel with convincing scenes in Rome, Derbyshire and Stockholm. The two principal characters [Jotham and Donatella] have depth and remain interesting throughout the novel. There are twists and turns right to the last page and the conclusion sets the reader up a sequel. The novel is cinematic and could well translate to film.
The flaws in the novel are principally those of the genre. [In this, Dan Brown has a lot to answer for.] As long as one can settle for the conventions of this genre, one won't be troubled by pantomime monks, a venal Italian police captain and powerful secret societies that survive in the shadows for thousands of years. It's an enjoyable first novel and a good debut for this Australian writer.
You don't need to own a Kindle device to enjoy Kindle books. Download one of our FREE Kindle apps to start reading Kindle books on all your devices.
To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number.
