The Shroud Conspiracy
A Thriller
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- $1.99
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
In this intense and “absolutely brilliant thriller” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor), a forensic anthropologist sets out to prove that the Shroud of Turin is a fake, but quickly discovers the opposite—and must race to stop the evil forces who want to use traces of blood in the fabric to clone Jesus Christ and bring on a second coming of their own design.
Throughout his career, forensic anthropologist and outspoken atheist Dr. Jon Bondurant has investigated many religious artifacts said to be real. But weak minds rely on such obviously false relics to maintain their silly, pointless faith.
So when he is invited by the Vatican to examine the Shroud of Turin, said to be the burial cloth that covered the body of Christ—and the most revered of all Christian artifacts—he is delighted for the opportunity to prove once and for all that the Shroud is a fake. But when he meets Domenika Josef, the beautiful and devout Vatican representative who finds him arrogant and self-important, he realizes his task will not be as straightforward as he once imagined. Domenika believes that the relic is real, and wants nothing more than to rescue the tarnished reputation of the church by announcing the good news. As Bondurant and his team examine every element of the Shroud, he and Domenika begin to see each other in a whole new light. And as the evidence about the origin of this highly contested piece of fabric starts to pile up, he begins to realize that he’s been seeing a lot of things incorrectly.
But when a sample of the blood from the Shroud—believed to be the real blood of Jesus Christ—vanishes, he realizes his problems are just beginning. The DNA in that sample could have earth-shattering consequences if it falls into the wrong hands. When Domenika vanishes too, Bondurant is caught in a globe-spanning chase to rescue the woman he loves—and stop the evil forces who have their own motives for bringing on the Second Coming.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An atheist forensic anthropologist seeks scientific and theological answers in Heubusch's cumbersome thriller. Famed scientist and skeptic Jon Bondurant takes up the Vatican's challenge to settle the origins of the Shroud of Turin. When a traitor compromises the study by tampering with a sample of blood from the relic, the second coming of Christ itself could be at risk. Dense exposition and clunky characterization hampers Heubusch's thought-provoking conceit: montage-like scraps of personal details and backstory play in characters' heads while they lose interest in conversations, try to sleep, or sit on planes; an Indian character speaks in what the book characterizes as "Hindi Ebonics," a misguided attempt to merge African-American Vernacular English with a Hindi accent. Potentially disturbing for some readers, an act of animal cruelty and a rape are both central plot devices. Though a shy and taciturn misogynist by reputation, genius Bondurant charms his way through every interaction and women line up to sleep with him. The few female characters are all "as distracting as talented," but in the end helpless and uninformed. While Heubusch establishes an interesting premise, the thrilling tale that arises by merging science with religious mysticism fails to overcome the haphazard plotting and unlikable characters.
Customer Reviews
Spell Binding!
I loved it!
PLEASE!!!
Unimaginative.