The Second Messiah review and giveaway

Murder, mystery, secrets both ancient and modern, hot archaeologists (both male and female), old loves and new … it’s all there for the taking in Glenn Meade’s ‘The Second Messiah’.  Jack Cane is the archaeologist that makes the find that scares the Pope that lives in the house the Church built. But then the find  - an ancient scroll - is stolen and all heck breaks loose. Everyone wants the scroll and most are willing to kill to get it. 

‘The Second Messiah’ is a thriller in the true sense of the word. It had me on the edge of my seat from page one. In fact there were times I had to put the book down for a few minutes just to calm myself. What starts out as a ‘simple’ theft and murder is really only the beginning of a roller coaster ride to stay alive and discover what the heck is going on. Despite the number of players involved, all with their own agendas, it was easy to keep track of what was happening – just not so easy to figure out why.

The Catholic Church plays heavily in the book and in the mystery. There are both good and bad shown in the Vatican and it’s not so easy to figure out which is which. It was interesting to me that the church aspect added a dimension to the book that was decidedly Christian but, like Dan Brown's 'The DaVinci Code', I wouldn't classify the book as Christian literature. There is, however, a clear message about the need for truth, honesty and forgiveness.

‘The Second Messiah’ has some Indiana Jones-like humour and the violence is not excessive for the genre. Mr. Meade does try to add romance to the mix of the story but it’s a rather clumsy effort. It didn’t take away from the story but it wasn’t a solid part of it either. Although  I am a fan of romance in any story, I didn’t feel short changed in the least.

The very best thing about this book is that the publisher sent me three copies so I have two to give away and I love giving away books that I enjoy. Since I already have an international giveaway on the go, this one will be a little different. I will give one book to a Canadian address and one to an American address. No need to follow the blog unless you would like to. Just comment below with your e-mail  address and whether you live in Canada or the USA. Open until Aug. 30, 2011.

/5

Character Development          5

Editing                                     5

Sex                                          0

Violence                                  3

Romance                                 1

Readability/Flow                    5