Book 1 of 15 ( )

David S. Brody’s novel is a fun and fast paced Da Vinci Code-like thriller that takes place in and around New England. The premise is: what do Jesus Christ, The Knights Templars and a 600 year old mystery have in common and can attorney Cameron Thorne put the puzzle pieces together before they cost him his life? Cameron is joined on this adventure by Amanda, a secretive British researcher, whose beauty and brains have touched Cameron’s heart. If you are looking for a world class mystery, with action and adventure, and a touching romance, all taking place in the scenic setting of New England…look no further. ( )

As a NOVEL it is not good. The story is never FINISHED!!! Did the elderly couple save their home or not?????
This is really a vehicle to introduce all the potential evidence for Prince Henry Sinclair coming to the New World before 1400 A.D.
The DNA evidence completely ignores the fact that the Vikings were in the area in 1000 A.D. and stayed a year or two and were far more likely the source of the Scandinavian markers found in the Micmaq Indians.

It is tempting to compare this work to that of Brown's Da Vinci Code. To be quite frank though, David S. Brody has out Browned Brown with this one. Now that being said, I will be the first to admit that I am not a Brown fan and absolutely despised the Da Vinci Code. This book however, was an absolute delight and once started, was difficult to put down.

It is rather difficult to give a plot summation here as each and every chapter adds new twists and turns to this story, and it is almost impossible to discuss the plot without adding spoiler after spoiler. Briefly though, the story actually begins in 1399 with Henry Sinclair lands in the New World with a group of men comprised of warriors, craftsmen and men of the cloth. After established the landing, and after the death of James Gunn, Sinclair's second in command and his burial, the story jumps to the present time. A young lawyer and a young English girl become embroiled in a sinister plot by various secret organizations to try to foil the efforts of any who may uncover the secret carried to North America by Sinclair and his group of Scottish warriors. The body of the story takes place in New England as the author has his characters flitting here and there trying to unwind this complex mystery. The Church, Knight Templers, right wing South American Organizations and more are all included. The core, The Knight Templers has always been a fascination of mine.

This work is a mixture of historical fact, historical speculation and extreme skillful story telling on the part of the author. It is truly what I would call a "page turner." I will right now admit to being one of those individual who firmly believe that Columbus was a Johnny-come-lately to the New World and was quite likely preceded by the Norse, Japanese, Chinese, Phoenicians, and a rather large number of other cultures, some who have completely disappeared in the fog of history. I am quite familiar with the archeological sites mentioned in this particular work and have followed their progress for a number of years, along with other threads historians and archeologists have been following over the past several decades. It took only a small leap of my imagination to find validity in much of what the author has written. Now that does not mean I believe the fictional part of the story...hey, a good story is a good story, but I do feel that the author has used enough archeological evidence to make his fictional tale quiet believable

One of the techniques and ploys the writer has used in this work is photographs of each and every site and artifact (with the exception of two, which he admits to having made up), and wonderful maps. This adds an aspect of realism to the story not normally found in novels of this ilk. I read very little historical fiction, but when I do read it, I want it well researched and I want it based, even loosely, on documented facts. The author has more than adequately done this with this work.

Above all though, as to reading pleasure goes, David Brody is an absolute natural story teller and has been blessed with the skill to articulate his stories in the written word. This is becoming a rather rare phenomenon of late and it should be appreciated by anyone who enjoys a good, action pack and believable story. The author has given us a good mystery, plenty of action, believable characters, both likable and unlikeable, a bit of romance and as a plus, a very good lesson in history. The author has also been kind enough to give us some great resource notes for further reading and research of this fascinating subject.

I do have to recommend this one highly as I enjoyed each and every page. Bottom line: This is one fine read! ( )