Father Pete Farrell is immediately brought into the picture. Quickly getting an idea of what he is like.
Simplistic start to the book, immediately grasping my attention of the uniqueness of the characters.
The novel continues to Russia, Petersburg where the Archbishop Alexander resides. Little glimpses to where the story would take me, and what connection the characters will have to the plot.
The author creates vivid detail of the location, getting a good sense of Russia.
Lev Dukor is then brought into the mix, following a major heist. With four deaths the homicide detective is called in to investigate. He’s not only a detective, but a practising Jew.
The Russian special forces bring an exciting and immersing aspect to the story, clearly creating a tangible link to where this story is going to end up. Unusual writings on the wall in the Hermitage just add to the somewhat peculiar chain of events.
The novel goes into detail about the industry of stolen art and ancient artefacts, in some ways it is quite interesting, but had the tenancy to weigh down the story a bit.
Thang, the Buddhist monk is the next one to be brought into the picture. Another detailed location in Thailand. Each location giving the reader a vivid picture of where the characters are, and why they are influential to the story-line.
The author goes into a lot of information about certain aspects of the plot. Including historical info like the warrior monks. Although I found it quite interesting, at times it did read more like a tourist guide rather than a novel. Dialogue throughout the explanation may have helped, or more imaginative writing to create a graphic image instead of just background information.
More details go into explaining the things that were stolen. Historical works and their background continue to filter through; however fascinating, and certainly showing that a lot of research has gone into the book, it does slow down the fascinating plot. Again more like reading a historical book rather than a modern day thriller.
The novel is bogged down with too much info; I’m wanting action, fighting, anything for it to heat up.
Finally after some more reading, the novel picks up. Sorcery and demons become involved, darkening the story, the stolen relics hold more weight than just money, some evil lurks, waiting…
It was starting to become more interesting as more characters get involved and supernatural forces come into play. Certain scenes with demons and evil excite the plot, combined with involving the KGB and the occult.
The novel continues to pick up pace as more missions are put in place, the stakes are high. An old lab and research involving the military all add to the mystery.
There are a few editing issues, however they don’t distract from the plot.
I finally feel more involved in the story regardless of the fact certain parts are not realistic.
The information about ancient deities and Buddhism is fascinating, the things that people once believed in are brought into focus.
The plot just gets stranger as people from years past are revealed to still be alive from the working of Black magic.
An exciting and very dramatic end to the tumultuous tale.
Although the novel could possibly have been shorter; the individuality of the plot, but especially the characters still makes this book a good read, especially for those that like the supernatural and conspiracy plots.
3 out of 5 stars
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