Publisher's Weekly Review
Stonehenge, a popular venue for historical conspiracy thrillers, looms large in Christer's intriguing first novel. At the Sanctuary, a vast, secret underground cathedral that lies several miles from Stonehenge, robed men known as the Followers enact 5,000-year-old rituals, including human sacrifice. One day, Nathaniel Chase, a retired professor who lives in a 17th-century mansion near the ancient site, writes a letter using a vintage fountain pen and antique inkwell to his estranged son, Gideon, then puts a WWI revolver to his temple and fires. When Gideon, a Cambridge professor, visits his father's home after this tragedy, a mysterious intruder almost kills him. Det. Insp. Megan Baker, who investigates the attack on Gideon, must sift through the facts of several present-day crimes in light of past myths. The stakes rise after the Followers kidnap the U.S. vice president's party-girl daughter. Christer does a nice job integrating secret diaries, codes, hooded monks, and historical detail into the abduction plot. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
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Booklist Review
In her intriguing debut, Christer posits that Stonehenge was selected by ancient archaeoastonomers as sacred and that a religion demanding human sacrifice is still carried on by the ultrasecret Craft of Followers of the Sacreds, whose members are granted freedom from illness. But the existence of the Craft and its deadly rituals may become public after the suicide of archaeology professor and Craft leader Nathaniel Chase, who leaves estranged son Gideon his diaries, which, written in a code only father and son understand, explain the ancient religion and why he joined it. When the elder Chase's home is ransacked after his death, DI Megan Baker of the Wiltshire police senses more to the situation than is apparent. Then the kidnapping of the U.S. vice president's vacationing daughter, selected to be the next sacrifice, diverts police resources. While Gideon makes shocking discoveries about his past, his efforts with Megan are thwarted by not knowing whom to trust. A suspenseful tale, appropriately shrouded in the mystery of Stonehenge.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2010 Booklist
