Here’s Part II of my action/adventure/thriller list of new and forthcoming books. Some I have, others I don’t. None have been read yet, hence no personal comments; I don’t have THAT big a book budget! (though I WISH!). And in no particular order the winners are:
Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias
“It’s not hard to see why this techno-thriller has already been such a success: a gripping plot about the discovery of an island believed to be Atlantis–not in the Aegean but buried under the ice of the South Pole; some colorful characters, including a father-and-son team of archeologists (Are Harrison Ford and Sean Connery ready to do the film?); and some clean, no-nonsense writing that adds to the reading speed and suspense.” Chicago Tribune
Ancient Rising: Rise of the Ancients Book I by JC De La Torre
“What if you discovered that the Greek Gods of myth were real, imprisoned for thousands of years on the lost continent of Atlantis and only you could release them from their underwater prison?
What if the journey would take you to the Greek Isles, Egypt, the rain forests of Mexico, and eventually Atlantis itself?
What if the long the way you made unbelievable scientific discoveries, battled pirates and zombies, and finally discovered the amazingly powerful, god-like beings did exist and the Earth’s very existence depended on your freeing them?
What if you found out that if you free them, you may be dooming the entire human race?
This is the plight of Dan Ryan, a recent widower who while in the depths of great despair of the loss of his wife and child, is set on this very adventure by a peculiar character who claims to be the Greek God Hermes. Follow Dan and his friends as the adventure of a lifetime begins the first of this new fantasy trilogy.” From the author’s website
“The novel reads like the Da Vinci Code but with a fantasy twist!” IBList.com, Adrian Lambert, June 2006
“The author done the homework and come up with a novel full of exotic places, musty-dusty finds and the Gods.” Fantasy Novel Review, 2006
Sign of the Cross by Chris Kuzneski
“Kuzneski elbows his way into the overcrowded field of the papal thriller with his sophomore effort (after 2002’s racially charged The Plantation), combining the requisite plot twists and Da Vinci-esque secret histories with a Passion of the Christ-like attention to gore. And there’s plenty of opportunity for gore: Kuzneski kicks off the action with a nasty crucifixion in modern-day Denmark. It turns out the victim is a Vatican priest, and his murder is just the first. Meanwhile, maverick archeologist Dr. Charles Boyd and his assistant Maria Pelati discover a 2000-year-old scroll underneath the Italian town of Orvieto that contains “a secret that would change… the history of the world—forever.” Instantly, the two become the most wanted people in Europe, pursued by the Vatican, a large measure of Western European law enforcement and two freelance CIA agents. As the chase begins, more crucified priests are turning up across the globe, and the head of Interpol’s new homicide division, Nick Dial, finds himself edging closer to the heart of a centuries-old coverup. Cat and mouse games accelerate and alliances shuffle as the overstuffed plot brings its numerous players together, but excessive detail and exposition-heavy dialogue slow the action. Despite its flaws, Kuzneski knows what fans of the genre want: compelling and well-researched history, high-tech 21st-century sleuthing and a lot of action.” Publishers Weekly
Sword of God by Chris Kuzneski
“Retired soldiers Jonathon Payne and D.J. Jones return to action (after last year’s Sign of the Cross), investigating a secret bunker off the coast of Korea where a gruesome scene and a missing squad from their former unit, an elite counterinsurgency team, indicate that secret interrogation proceedings have gone terribly wrong. Piecing together the facts of the case lead Payne and Jones to Mecca, where a plot to blow up the Grand Mosque suggests a global conspiracy to align forces against the United States. Soon Payne and Jones have to risk their lives to infiltrate Mecca (where non-Muslims can be summarily executed) to save the city and, ultimately, the world. Kuzneski’s novel is taut and largely fast-paced; though occasionally bogged down in historical exposition, it’s a fair trade that gives the book a rich sense of authenticity and plausibility. Though characters are short on depth, Kuzneski knows how to maintain a nuanced moral landscape while wresting maximum thrills from contemporary Western fear of terrorism. This globe-crossing action thriller, like its predecessor, evokes the spirit of Dan Brown, with welcome doses of Lee Child’s ex-military tough-guy grit.” Publishers Weekly
Atlantis by David Gibbins
“From the fall of the Roman Empire to the last days of Nazi power, marine archaeologist Jack Howard and his team of adventurers are hot on the trail of history’s most elusive and desired treasure: the lost golden menorah of Jerusalem. And what they discover could change the world forever….
Deep beneath the windswept waters near Istanbul, Jack and his crack team of experts have uncovered a surprising clue to the location of the fabled treasure plundered during the Crusades. Meanwhile, in a dusty cathedral library, someone unearths a long-forgotten medieval map. Together the two discoveries will solve an ancient mystery—and spark a race to stop a present-day conspiracy of staggering proportions.
From diving into the core of an arctic iceberg to the last stand of a Viking warship to an extraordinary revelation deep in the jungles of Central America, Jack is headed straight into a globe-spanning clash of civilizations, into an astounding underground labyrinth steeped in blood and horrors—and to a confrontation with a killer on a shattering crusade of his own.” Amazon
Crusader Gold by David Gibbins
“In Gibbins’s sequel to Atlantis, marine archeologist Jack Howard searches for an ancient gold menorah seized by Vespasian’s army during the sack of Jerusalem. While Jack and his team of scientists and historians follow clues from Istanbul and England to the Arctic, Canada and Mexico, a group of neo-Nazis (who have co-opted an organization as old as the Crusades and dedicated to the relic’s safety) conspire to find and use the menorah to destabilize the world’s religions. Stilted exposition, in which Jack details large chunks of history for colleagues who should already know it, mars an otherwise interesting backstory, and cardboard characters rouse little sympathy. Elsewhere, an overwhelming surfeit of detail serves at best to drag down the suspense, at worst to cause terminal confusion. Those with an already-strong sense of Roman, barbarian, Viking and English history, as well as those with a sincere desire to learn, will appreciate Gibbins’s alternate history of King Harald Hardrada’s defeat, if not necessarily the teacherly style or clunky adventure story in which it’s couched.” Publishers Weekly
The Lost Tomb by David Gibbins
Available 12/30/08
“I’ve just finished my third novel, THE LOST TOMB, which focuses on the evidence for early Christianity. That’s been very exciting for me to research and write, and is due to be published early next year. My fourth novel hinges on a fascination I’ve always had for Alexander the Great, for how far the Greeks and Romans reached east to India and beyond. I can’t give away much yet, but there are some wonderful locations, and the story ranges through time and geography in much the same way as CRUSADER GOLD.” Interview with Bookreporter.com
The Didymus Contingency: A Time Travel Thriller by Jeremy Robinson
“IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, AND WITNESS ANY EVENT, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? When Dr. Tom Greenbaum faces that question after successfully discovering the secret to time travel, he knows the time, place and event he will witness: the death and failed resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dr. David Goodman, Tom’s colleague and closest friend follows Tom into the past, attempting to avert a time-space catastrophe, but forces beyond their control toss them into a dangerous end game where they are tempted by evil characters, betrayed by friends, pursued by an assassin from the future and haunted by a demon that cannot be killed.” Amazon
“[a] unique and bold thriller. It is a fast-paced page-turner like no other. Not to be missed!” James Rollins
Time Camera by Terence Lee
“Texan Zak Endecott, a mathematical whiz who’s into computers, discovers a way to penetrate the time curtain using a laser beamed into the ether from a secretly modified video camera. He cannot look forward, only back into history, and there is no audio. Initially, he catches Jack the Ripper on video, then with his girlfriend Lucy Bart records the Mutiny on the Bounty, all as part of a money-making venture.
But then things change. Zak and Lucy record Leon Trotsky present at the murder of Rasputin, “the mad monk,” but this is a historical anachronism. Next, they find and record the mysterious founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, Adam Weishaupt, conferring at the Palace of Versailles with Benjamin Franklin. What they don’t know is that they’ve just stumbled onto the shadowy AA. Founded by Weishaupt, this is the secret organization that calls the shots in the Western World from an address in Washington, D.C. Also aiming at ruling the world is the Brotherhood, an equally shadowy organization founded in Egypt and dedicated to the destruction of the West.Accompanied by a man who calls himself Eric Simmonds, a British historian and assassin employed by AA, Zak and Lucy are pressed into service by their country to use the camera to expose the Brotherhood and destroy its leadership. The Vatican is planning something big in August-the disclosure of a hitherto missing document concerning the third secret revealed at Fatima in 1917. But the Brotherhood is planning something even bigger. While Zak, Lucy, and Eric are trying to stop the Brotherhood, AA makes a decision they know nothing about. AA wants them to video the greatest event in history, which will be flashed around the world at the same time the Pope makes his announcement. Time is running out, and they are still unable to discover the Brotherhood’s plan.” www.time-camera.com
The Thieves of Faith by Richard Doetsch
“Beneath the Kremlin lies a shocking ancient truth.
And it’s about to be stolen.…Since the times of Ivan the Terrible, generations of Russian leaders have turned the Kremlin into a fortress within a fortress, stocking its labyrinthine underground with secret vaults, elegant chambers, and priceless treasures. Now a master thief has the ultimate motivation to stage an assault on the Kremlin’s inner sanctum. Two lives depend on it. Thousands of years of religious faith hinge on it. And a man’s conscience, skill, and passion will not let him fail.For Michael St. Pierre, history’s most daring heist is only one piece of an intricate puzzle reaching from an ancient monastery in Scotland to a hideaway in Corsica—where a madman has built an empire of terror. Haunted by his own family secrets, and surrounded by the precious few people he can trust, Michael will take on a mission that will make him the most hunted man in the world. But when an astounding truth, buried deep beneath the Kremlin, erupts with shattering force, he may unleash a relic too dangerous to possess.… “ Amazon Secret Histories: A Repairman Jack Novel by F. Paul Wilson
Y/A! Available 2/15/08 (10 in the original series – this is about the younger Jack)
“
F. Paul Wilson has contracted to write a trilogy of young adult novels based on Jack. The first, Secret Histories, starts with Jack at fourteen years old. Gauntlet will be publishing a signed limited edition of all three, the first seeing release around February (well before the trade edition is released)
Read for the first time Jack’s formative years. You’ll meet his mother and father, big sister Kate and his bully of a brother Tom. While aimed for young adults, F. Paul Wilson doesn’t write down and the book is as enjoyable for adults as it is for teens. And, as you can see from the above description there’s plenty of foreshadowing of events that were to overtake Jack as an adult (i.e. An old woman with a dog … making herself known to Jack when he’s just fourteen!)” From the author’s website
Prometheus’s Child: Harold Coyle’s Strategic Solution’s, Inc. by Harold Coyle
“The gripping second Strategic Solutions Inc. military thriller from Coyle and Tillman (after Pandora’s Legion) details the workings of a PMC, or private military contractor. The U.S. government, which wants plausible deniability if things go wrong, hires SSI to send a team to a corrupt, unstable Chad to train its army in counterinsurgency techniques. The authors dig into the contract negotiations, move through the operation’s organization and planning stages, and open out into training and the operation itself. Things begin to fall apart when stopping a secret shipment of yellow cake uranium destined for Iran takes precedence over the SSI team’s original mission. An overabundance of characters leaves little time for development, but the operational minutiae are absorbing (even the contract negotiations), and the action, which ranges from the desert to the high seas, explosive. The authors keep reader interest high from the intriguing beginning to the final promethean twist.” Publishers Weekly
Dourado by David Wood
“A sunken treasure. An ancient Biblical artifact. A mystery as old as humankind. On January 25, 1829, the Portuguese brig Dourado sank off the coast of Indonesia, losing its cargo of priceless treasures from the Holy Land. One of these lost relics holds the key to an ancient mystery. But someone does not want this treasure to come to light. When her father is mysteriously murdered while searching for the Dourado, Kaylin Maxwell hires treasure hunter and former Navy Seal Dane Maddock and his partner Uriah “Bones” Bonebrake, to locate the Dourado, and recover a lost Biblical artifact, the truth behind which could shake the foundations of the church, and call into question the fundamentally held truths of human existence. Join Dane and Bones on a perilous adventure that carries them from the depths of the Pacific to ancient cities of stone as they unravel the mystery of the Dourado.” Amazon
Shadow Command by Dale Brown
Available 5/13/08 – No further information
Vigil by Robert Masello
“In the caves beneath an Italian lake, the fossil of a creature older than the earth has been disinterred.
In the Judaean desert, a legendary parchment has been discovered.
One reveals the secrets of Heaven.
One foretells an impending Hell.
And deciphering their message has been left to paleontologist Carter Cox–a man of science whose faith in the empirical is about to be shaken by forces of evil beyond imagining.” Amazon
Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva
Available 7/22/08 – no other information
The Secret Servant (Gabriel Allon) by Daniel Silva
“Starred Review. Bestseller Silva’s superlative seventh novel to feature Gabriel Allon, the legendary but wayward son of Israeli Intelligence, puts Silva squarely atop the spy thriller heap. When Solomon Rosner, a professor in Amsterdam who’s also a secret Israeli asset, is assassinated for his strident reports and articles detailing the dangers of militant Islam within the Netherlands, Gabriel gets the job to clean out the professor’s files. In Amsterdam, the Israeli agent and his old partner, Eli Lavon, unearth a plot that leads to the kidnapping by Islamic extremists of the daughter of the U.S. ambassador in London. While most intelligence agencies consider Gabriel persona non grata because of his unorthodox methods and the trail of bodies he leaves in his wake, he once again proves invaluable as he and his stalwart team hunt down some of Israel’s—and the world’s—most violent enemies. While you don’t have to have read the earlier books in the series (The Messenger, etc.), knowing the history of the returning characters adds depth and color to the overall story.” Publishers Weekly
Deep Storm: A Novel by Lincoln Child
“Best known as the coauthor (with Douglas Preston) of such bestselling thrillers as Dance of Death, Child delivers a well-crafted and literate science fiction thriller, his third solo effort (after 2004’s Death Match). Peter Crane, a former naval doctor, faces the challenge of his career when he investigates a mysterious illness that has broken out on a North Atlantic oil rig. Sworn to secrecy, Crane is transported from the rig to an amazing undersea habitat run by the military that’s apparently pursuing evidence that Atlantis exists. Psychotic episodes among the scientific staff as well as the activities of a saboteur that threatens the project’s safety keep Crane busy, even as some of the staff members confront him with concerns that exploring the Earth’s core could be fatal to all life on earth. Crisp writing energizes a familiar plot, which builds to an unsettling climax with echoes of Child and Preston’s The Ice Limit.” Publishers Weekly
Havoc by Jack Du Brul
“Thriller fans who don’t demand much realism in their reads should enjoy the first hardcover entry in bestseller Du Brul’s adventure series featuring geologist and spy Philip Mercer (Vulcan Forge, etc.). The novel opens with an intriguing premise—that the Hindenburg zeppelin blew up in 1937 as the result of sabotage aimed at keeping a crackpot academic’s discoveries secret. In the present-day Central African Republic, Mercer hooks up with the de rigueur attractive but brainy female, Cali Stowe, who’s a U.S. intelligence agent posing as a medical researcher. As the pair dodge death from violent insurgent armies in predictable action sequences, they exchange light banter—and learn that the African nation is the source of a radioactive element coveted by terrorists that may have been used by Alexander the Great to defeat his foes. Du Brul is the coauthor with Clive Cussler of the Oregon Files novels, Dark Watch and Skeleton Coast.” Publishers Weekly
The Quest by Wilbur Smith
“The latest book by best-selling adventure novelist Smith is the fourth volume in his series of historical novels set in pharaonic Egypt, tracing the adventures of eunuch and mystic Taita. Its immediate predecessor was Warlock (2001). The quest of the title is just as much a spiritual one as an actual one as Taita, out of a deep devotion to his country and his pharaoh, seeks the identity and the quashing of the “menacing force” that is threatening the very existence of the kingdom; the “land of Egypt quailed, and the population gave in to despair.” The Nile has refused to rise and bring fresh, fertile soil to the river valley; the shrunken river runs with blood; and huge, poisonous toads arise from the bloody water and overrun the land. Taita must go deep upriver, far into Africa’s interior, to discover the reason. Ancient mysticism and mythology swirl through the narrative as swiftly as the Nile waters when in full flood. Smith has always been long on action, and his new novel won’t disappoint his fans in that regard; he’s always been graphic in depicting violence and death, and his new novel certainly fits the mold.” Booklist
Earthcore by Scott Sigler
“Deep below a desolate Utah mountain lies the largest platinum deposit ever discovered. A billion-dollar find, it waits for any company that can drill a world’s record, three-mile-deep mine shaft. EarthCore is the company with the technology, the resources and the guts to go after the mother lode. Young executive Connell Kirkland is the company’s driving force, pushing himself and those around him to uncover the massive treasure. But at three miles below the surface, where the rocks are so hot they burn bare skin, something has been waiting for centuries. Waiting …and guarding. Kirkland and EarthCore are about to find out first-hand why this treasure has never been unearthed.” Amazon
The Rasputin Relic by William M. Valtos
“Rasputin Lives! In present-day Pennysylvania, a severed hand turns up in a safe-deposit box that has not been opened in more than 50 years. The note on the wrapping, written in old Church Slavonic, says it is the right hand of Rasputin, the legendary monk who has been dead since 1916. Yet the hand is perfectly preserved and blood still drips from the wound! Alternately called a man of God, a charlatan, and a drunken womanizer, thius lasting legend is again wreaking havac.The faithful believe that incorruptible remains–relics–have the power to cure. Yet those who come into contact with hand begin to die; a bizarre series of deaths that puts the acting chief of police of a small town in a race against time. As Victor Rhostok investigates, he is pulled into a web of Russian mysticism and superstition.In his search, Rhostok encounters Nicole Danilovitch, a young widow. As he looks for answers in the no-man’s land where science confronts religion, she seeks redemption for her sins at the hands of a priest who may be a false prophet. And in her past hides the key to the mystery.” inside book flap “The Rasputin Relic” is another fast-paced mystery-thriller from the author of “The Authenticator” and La Magdalena”.
Infected by Scott Sigler
Available 4/1/08
“Part Stephen King, part Chuck Palahniuk, Infected blends science fiction and horror into a pulpy masterpiece of action, terror, and suspense. Three recommendations: don’t read it at night, or just after you’ve eaten a full meal, or if you’re weak of heart. You’ve been warned!” by James Rollins
“Sigler is masterful at grabbing the reader by the throat and refusing to let go. Just when I thought I knew what abyss he was leading me across, he knocked the bridge out from under… I think I screamed the whole way down… INFECTED is a marvel of gonzo, in-your-face, up-to-the-minute terror.” Lincoln Child
Ancestor by Scott Sigler 
“Ancestor is the world’s most-popular “podcast novel.” A serialized audiobook delivered in 20 weekly episodes, Ancestor’s first run played to an audience of more than 30,000 die-hard fans in 31 countries. All told, fans have downloaded more than 700,000 episodes of Ancestor. En route to a rousing final episode, Ancestor was the #1 literary podcast on iTunes and every other podcast index, including Morpheus, FeedBurner, Podiobooks.com and Podcast Alley. The book’s popularity caught the attention of the broadcast world, and was the first audiobook broadcast on Sirius Satellite to the company’s 4.3 million subscribers. ANCESTOR On a remote island in Lake Superior, scientists struggle to solve the problem of xenotransplantation — using animal tissue to replace failing human organs. Funded by the biotech firm Genada, Dr. Claus Rhumkorrf seeks to recreate the ancestor of all mammals. By getting back to the root of our creation, Rhumkorrf hopes to create an animal with human internal organs. Rhumkorrf discovers the ancestor, but it is not the small, harmless creature he envisions. His genius gives birth to a fast-growing evil that nature eradicated 250 million years ago — an evil now on the loose, and very, very hungry.” Amazon
Golem by Greg Vilk
“In 1942 a U.S. Rangers commando is sent to capture a remote Nazi base in Greenland. Upon arrival, the Rangers discover that the German crew has been massacred and that the lone, fear-stricken survivor hallucinates about ghosts in the snow. The Rangers soon find out that they’re not alone in the base and that they’re confronted with a faceless, deadly entity which can breathe life into non-living matter.” Amazon
“Biblical arcana, ancient secrets, and highflying adventure” “Strap yourself in for the ride!” James Rollins
The Masada Scroll by Paul Block
“A Catholic priest, an American scholar, and a nice Jewish girl mull over the significance of an ancient document unearthed at the site of Israel’s to-the-last-man stand against the Romans. The scroll is the long-theorized “Q” document–an eyewitness, written account of the life of Jesus. The message of the scroll is “trevia dei,” or that there are three paths to God–Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Thus Jesus could become the modern-day prophet of world peace, but naturally, there’s an extremist Catholic group that wants to suppress the truth. Block and Vaughan offer up cliche after cliche, but they also include a great deal of arcane knowledge, perhaps even enough to satisfy Da Vinci Code fans.” BooklistThe Citadel by Robert Doherty
“At the start of the Cold War, the greatest threat to America wasn’t the Russians and the looming Communist threat. Rather, it was an elite organization bent on world domination, a group so powerful only nuclear weapons could safeguard against them. The CIA knew what these men were capable of, and in a last ditch attempt to protect America against them, they built two high–security arsenals deep within the earth––one declassified in the Nevada desert, and one heavily under wraps in Antarctica. For over 50 years, no one spoke of The Citadel, the fortress deep under the ice in Antarctica that held the most powerful weapon known to man––until the Organization returned, hellbent on destruction.Captain Jim Vaughn is a government agent known for performing missions no one else wants. So when an old colleague approaches him with an assignment, he can’t refuse––even if the mission has been set in motion by a dead man’s letter, found in Antarctica and dated 1949. The Citadel has been cracked, and the only man who can safeguard it is Vaughn. Nothing short of the fate of mankind rests on his shoulders.” Amazon Psychic Warrior: Project Aura by Robert Doherty
“Part science fiction and part military thriller, this complex novel will appeal to readers who prefer their suspense laced with technical jargon and brimming with blatant government wrongdoing. Doherty’s sequel to last year’s Psychic Warrior reintroduces the virtual soldier a warrior who can leave his or her body behind, go anywhere and do anything by harnessing the power of the mind and is loaded with faceless characters known only by their last names (e.g., General Eichen, Lieutenant Jackson). Sergeant Major Dalton, an ex-Green Beret and the hero of Doherty’s first installment, is called upon to do battle against a psychic cabal known as the Priory, a mysterious group that strikes enemies without warning and strives for world domination. With the exception of Dalton, Doherty’s underdeveloped characters fail to evoke the reader’s sympathy, rendering the outcome of the psychic battles waged on various continents between U.S. freedom fighters and members of the Priory virtually irrelevant. Nevertheless, Doherty’s portrayal of the U.S. government as a highly classified operation is as intriguing as it is disturbing, and detail-oriented readers will thrill to Doherty’s cold, calculating and emotion-free prose. Those unused to this hard-edged style, however, may find his writing uncommonly dry and stiff.” Publishers Weekly
Unholy Grail by D. L. Wilson
“A series of French articles-supposedly based on the writings of Jesus’s brother James-has revealed that the descendants of Christ exist to this very day.
Now, one man has taken the name of the archangel Gabriel and has embarked on a quest to protect Christianity’s innocence by eliminating all who could expose the secrets of the gospel-and its connection to the Holy Grail. ” Amazon
“A fast-paced and well-crafted religious thriller.” Andrew Gross
“A runaway train of a novel.” Molly Cochran
“Absolutely thrilling…a compulsive read loaded with suspense.” Lynn Hightower
“Chaplain (Maj.) Jaime Richards makes a promising debut as a savvy-but-nurturing minister to American troops during the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Though she’s an unconventional thriller protagonist, Richards leaves no doubt she’s up to the task when, right out of the chute, she’s the target of a kidnapping attempt—but not before she’s reunited with a fatally injured college chum, Adara Dunbar. In her dying moments, Adara gives Jaime a silver pendant and a cryptic message, pleading with the chaplain to promise she’ll complete Adara’s mission. With Adara dead, though, her mission is a mystery, one that unfolds, labyrinthlike, over the course of the novel. Though hungry and sleep deprived, Jaime deciphers Adara’s message, which leads her to the ancient city of Ur and a man who identifies himself as Adara’s brother. His mission is to locate the biblical Garden of Eden—before others find it first—and Jaime is quickly drawn into the scramble. Following a popular formula, in which forces of good and evil race to locate religious artifacts, this one benefits from its wartime setting, which proves both prescient and dynamic. Unfortunately, Linnea fails to carry through the rich promise of her early chapters, delivering implausible plot devices and a disappointing ending.” Publishers Weekly
The Second Virgin Birth by Tommy Taylor
“Do we have the technology enabling Christ to be born again of a second virgin mother? A six year old little girl in Alabama knows we do. The Pope is afraid we do. The world asks “should we if we can?” The book follows the life of a little girl in Alabama who goes completely insane at the age of six and is confined to a state mental hospital. In a strange twist of fate, she is chosen, “by God,” to become the mother of his son, the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ. Explore her life as there are those who adore and worship her and there are those who loathe her and will do anything to end her life before her son is born. This story is a true “can’t put it down” book. ” Amazon
Violent Sands – A Novel by Sean Young 
“THE SCROLL WILL DESTROY… For generations, the copper scroll has remained buried, concealing the treasure it protects and the prophecy it contains. Now that secret is about to be unleashed. In the right hands, the scroll could bring about ancient Israel’s freedom from Roman occupation, but used improperly, it could destroy her. EVERYTHING THE MAN KNOWS… After watching Roman soldiers murder his father and pillage his homeland, Barabbas, a warrior zealot and sworn protector of the scroll, has become a broken man, physically and emotionally. His quest for vengeance and Roman blood, his love for a peace loving woman, and his commitment to the mysterious scroll pull him in vastly different directions. AND HE WILL BE KILLED… Death and betrayal loom around every corner as Barabbas searches for a truth that he has yet to fully understand-the force that drives him forward and ultimately requests the ultimate sacrifice to be made by a man. OR REMADE.” Amazon
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins
Available 5/20/08 – based on the upcoming movie
Virgin by F. Paul Wilson
“F. Paul Wilson has written a number of apocalyptic thrillers over the years, but he has not really done much with the Christian end-of-the-world ideas that come from Revelations and have been done, for better or worse (often worse) in such stories as the Left Behind books. Wilson’s Virgin is his venture into this genre, combining Christian mythology and his own writing style to make a book that can be entertaining to readers of many different religious backgrounds.The story opens during the Gulf War in 1991. An errant Scud missile exposes a cave that has some unusual artifacts: some scrolls that are found by a pair of young Arab shepherds who see a gold mine in the ancient documents. Years later, a forged version of these writings makes it way to Father Dan Fitzpatrick, a homeless advocate in New York City. For all his good deeds, Fitzpatrick does have one sin: he is secretly lovers with the nun Carrie Ferris. While Fitzpatrick treats the translated scroll as merely entertaining, Ferris takes it seriously and drags her lover to Israel in search of the body of the Virgin Mary herself. They are successful, setting up a series of events that are beyond either of their control.If you are expecting a truly Christian novel, you will be disappointed. The ideas expressed herein, while reasonably respectful of Christianity, are more plot devices than reverent messages. In fact, by the end of the book, it is clear that this is not a promotion of any faith. Instead, this is a supernatural thriller, with Wilson’s usual flair for creating page-turning fare. If you are a Wilson fan, you may not find this his best work, but it is still a fun read.” mrliteral (customer review)
The Terror by Dan Simmons
“Starred Review. Hugo-winner Simmons (Olympos) brings the horrific trials and tribulations of arctic exploration vividly to life in this beautifully written historical, which injects a note of supernatural horror into the 1840s Franklin expedition and its doomed search for the Northwest Passage. Sir John Franklin, the leader of the expedition and captain of the Erebus, is an aging fool. Francis Crozier, his second in command and captain of the Terror, is a competent sailor, but embittered after years of seeing lesser men with better connections given preferment over him. With their two ships quickly trapped in pack ice, their voyage is a disaster from start to finish. Some men perish from disease, others from the cold, still others from botulism traced to tinned food purchased from the lowest bidder. Madness, mutiny and cannibalism follow. And then there’s the monstrous creature from the ice, the thing like a polar bear but many times larger, possessed of a dark and vicious intelligence. This complex tale should find many devoted readers and add significantly to Simmons’s already considerable reputation.” Publishers Weekly
The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer
“Bestseller Palmer (The Society) tackles the illegal transplant organ trade in his entertaining 12th medical suspense novel. What do three very different people—Harvard medical student Natalie Reyes, Chicago PI Ben Callahan and scientific genius Joe Anson—have in common? Natalie, in Brazil for a conference, is attacked, hospitalized and loses a lung; Ben gets hired to discover how a mutilated anonymous body died; Joe, the inventor of an untested medical breakthrough, is forced into an operation for his life-threatening pulmonary fibrosis. All three seek answers connected to the Whitestone Foundation, a conglomerate that’s a front for the Guardians, a secret cabal of medical specialists. At a hidden hospital in the Brazilian rain forest, Natalie and Ben learn of the Guardians’ insidious methods. Huge sums are at stake as the arrogant Guardians make medical decisions largely motivated by greed. The action, which begins plausibly, becomes less so as the tension builds. Still, Palmer, himself an M.D., does a good job of informing the reader on an important ethical issue.” Publishers Weekly
The Lost Army of Cambyses by Paul Sussman
“A cinematic, rip-roaring adventure mystery, brimming with details of Egyptian archaeology and history. Niceties such as character development and believable dialogue are swept aside in a tale that begins with the army of the title, which utterly disappeared in a raging sandstorm. Cut to the present day, when Tara Mullvay, zoologist, finally decides to visit her archaeologist father in Egypt and finds him dead. Meanwhile, inspector Yusuf Khalifa of Luxor is investigating two murders, both of which involve ancient artifacts and a mutilated corpse. Tara soon finds that a small artifact her father left for her has put her in grave danger, and Yusuf tracks a connection between his murders and Tara’s father’s demise in interesting ways. Tara’s initial meeting with an old lover and their subsequent encounter with a cobra eerily echo Indiana Jones, while Khalifa’s warm family life and gentle practice of Islam are aligned against an Islamic terrorist group whose tactics are chillingly recognizable. A glossary aids in tracking the rich lode of Egyptology (the author is an archaeologist). ” Booklist
The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud by Julia Navarro
“The Da Vinci Code, in all its many incarnations, has a lot to answer for. This latest entry in the religious suspense sweepstakes is by a bestselling Spanish novelist, who stirs up the pot by mixing fact and fiction to tell what happened to the legendary Shroud of Turin, supposedly Jesus’ burial garment. Several centuries of sturm und drang—including perhaps one severed tongue too many—whiz by, lightened only by the odd liturgical chant, as reader Langton uses his best Masterpiece Theater British accent to hit the high points. Of course there’s a modern detective who develops some new leads. But unless you positively can’t live without your daily dose of anti-Vatican paranoia, this is probably one to skip.” Publishers Weekly
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
“Mosse’s page-turner takes readers on another quest for the Holy Grail, this time with two closely linked female protagonists born 800 years apart. In 2005, Alice Tanner stumbles into a hidden cave while on an archeological dig in southwest France. Her discovery—two skeletons and a labyrinth pattern engraved on the wall and on a ring—triggers visions of the past and propels her into a dangerous race against those who want the mystery of the cave for themselves. Alaïs, in the year 1209, is a plucky 17-year-old living in the French city of Carcassone, an outpost of the tolerant Cathar Christian sect that has been declared heretical by the Catholic Church. As Carcassonne comes under siege by the Crusaders, Alaïs’s father, Bertrand Pelletier,entrusts her with a book that is part of a sacred trilogy connected to the Holy Grail. Guardians of the trilogy are operating against evil forces—including Alaïs’s sister, Oriane, a traitorous, sexed-up villainess who wants the books for her own purposes. Sitting securely in the historical religious quest genre, Mosse’s fluently written third novel (after Crucifix Lane) may tantalize (if not satisfy) the legions of Da VinciCode devotees with its promise of revelation about Christianity’s truths.” Publishers Weekly
Gospel Truths by J.G. Sandom
“Sandom’s masterful first novel, based on a true incident, spins a complicated web of corruption, greed, and deception that connects international banking, high Vatican officials, notorious fascist scoundrels, and the London police. Detective Inspector Nigel Lyman falls heir to the reopened case of an Italian banker’s suicide on Blackfriar’s Bridge; he soon finds himself in Amiens, France, deeply involved in the search for a lost Gnostic gospel that could topple the Church. By turns contemplative, descriptive, and emotive, this mixture of mystery and intrigue reveals intense preparation and fine writing.” Library JournalThe First Patient by Michael Palmer
“From the blockbuster, New York Times bestselling author comes a high-concept, high-octane thriller at the crossroads of presidential politics and cutting-edge medicine. . . .Gabe Singleton and Andrew Stoddard were roommates at the Naval Academy in Annapolis years ago. Today, Gabe is a country doctor and his friend Andrew has gone from war hero to governor to President of the United States. One day, while the United States is embroiled in a bitter presidential election campaign, Marine One lands on Gabe’s Wyoming ranch, and President Stoddard delivers a disturbing revelation and a startling request. His personal physician has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, and he desperately needs Gabe to take the man’s place. Despite serious misgivings, Gabe agrees to come to Washington. It is not until he is ensconced in the White House medical office that Gabe realizes there is strong evidence that the President is going insane. Facing a crisis of conscience-as President Stoddard’s physician, he has the power to invoke the Twenty-fifth Amendment to transfer presidential power to the Vice President-Gabe uncovers increasing evidence that his friend’s condition may not be due to natural causes. Who? Why? And how? The President’s life is at stake. A small-town doctor suddenly finds himself in the most powerful position on earth, and the safety of the world is in jeopardy. Gabe Singleton must find the answers, and the clock is ticking. . . .With Michael Palmer’s trademark medical details, and steeped in meticulous political insider knowledge, The First Patient is an unforgettable story of suspense.” Amazon
The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes
“Fans of Da Vinci Code knockoffs will welcome Byrnes’s first novel. When an ancient stone burial box known as an ossuary is stolen from a secret crypt beneath the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, readers will immediately intuit that the bones contained in the box are those of Jesus Christ, even though it takes quite a bit longer for the characters to admit as much. American geneticist Charlotte Hennesey is summoned to the Vatican along with Dr. Giovanni Bersei, an anthropologist, to study the ossuary. Back in Jerusalem, Arabs, Jews and Christians bicker, protest, fight and scheme against one another both within and outside the Temple Mount. A ruthlessly efficient Vatican hit man, Salvatore Conte, hovers over the action. Venal cardinals, contemptuous Israelis, Knights Templar and evil popes round out a familiar cast. Byrnes puts a more contemporary spin on his material than most authors of religious thrillers.” Publishers Weekly
Bestiary by Robert Masello
“In his latest, Masello lets loose a stable of thriller stereotypes and drives them hastily, but not unskillfully, through a sprawling adventure story complete with shady foreigners, ancient codes and terrible monsters. Sinister Iraqi zillionaire Mohammad Al-Kalli hires Beth Cox, a medieval manuscript expert, to translate and restore his family’s thousand-year-old bestiary, a medieval compendium of mythical animals painstakingly copied out by monks, replete with Da Vinci Code–style hidden messages couched in dead languages. As it turns out, the creatures catalogued there—a mix of Jurassic Park–like prehistoric monsters—are all too real and held in Al-Kalli’s secret menagerie, which Beth’s paleontologist husband has been hired, also by Al-Kalli, to study.. Masello throws into the mix an Elmore Leonardesque lowlife who’s trying to blackmail Al-Kalli, a 24-style terrorist plot to immolate Los Angeles, Tom Clancyesque weapons specs (“the Beretta… featured a delayed locking block system, which provided a faster cycle time and exceptional accuracy”), an eerily sleepless infant à la The Ring and a spooky original touch in the 9,000-year-old corpse dredged out of L.A.’s La Brea tar pits. Masello has a difficult time keeping together all these busy, dissonant subplots, but even if they don’t mesh, each one is a well-wrought genre turn with colorful characters and punchy writing. The result is a diverting trip that may make you think twice before going back to the zoo.” Publishers Weekly
So have fun reading!
