THE ROME PROPHECY by Sam Christer

Italian carabinieri Captain Valentina Morassi is back along with her romantic interest, ex-priest Tom Shaman (The Venice Conspiracy) as they try and solve a mysterious case that starts with a severed hand found in the famous carving of Bocca della Verita, the “Mouth of Truth,” in Rome.

A woman is found nearby, covered in blood and carrying an ancient sword, but she cannot help; she suffers from multiple personality disorder and the blood on her clothes does not match the bloody hand.

As Valentina and Tom try to find answers, they discover a secret cult of women held prisoner in catacombs underneath the Eternal City, eunuchs, ancient symbols, and dismembered bodies. Tom is able to shed some light on the religious aspects of the case, and Valentina has to deal with all this horror without support from her boss.

Brutality is rampant in this historical religious thriller, but the characters are not fully developed and the pacing is erratic, slow through the first half, faster towards the end. Recommended for readers who enjoy James Rollins, Steve Berry, and Dan Brown. Originally published in the UK under the pseudonym Jon Trace.

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4/14 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

THE ROME PROPHECY by Sam Christer. Overlook Hardcover (January 9, 2014). ISBN 978-1468301090. 368p.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2014 at 9:00 AM and is filed under Book Reviews, Crime Fiction, Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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