Publisher's Weekly Review
Yet again, the discovery of a long-lost document threatens the foundations of Christianity in this mixed bag of a thriller from Norwegian author Egeland (Circle's End). This time, the religious McGuffin is the Q manuscript, a Greek document that was supposedly the source for the gospels and contains additional suppressed sayings of Jesus. The manuscript may be hidden inside a golden shrine unearthed during an archeological dig in Norway. Eccentric Bjorn Belto, the designated site inspector, has spirited away the shrine to prevent it from being illegally shipped out of the country. Belto's efforts to preserve the artifact take him to London and Israel, besides leading him to the truth about his father's death in a climbing accident decades earlier. Belto's quirks are the best part of the book, which loses momentum consistently as it goes along. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Albino archaeologist Bjørn Beltø, hero of Egeland's The Guardians of the Covenant (2010), returns in a new globe-trotting adventure replete with ciphers, false clues, ancient manuscripts, secret societies, and a 2,000-year-old conspiracy to cover up the actual facts of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. When an ancient reliquary hidden for centuries underneath a monastery is unearthed during an archaeological expedition, it is mysteriously spirited away by a distinguished professor before the find is properly recorded. Beltø, convinced that he has been duped, is determined to recover the golden shrine and unlock the secrets hidden within it. His quest proves dangerous as the shrine just may contain information that will rock the very foundations of Christianity. As Beltø becomes more and more obsessed with his mission, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction, friends and enemies. This intelligently crafted international thriller will appeal to fans of Dan Brown.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
First published in 2001 in Norway as Circle's End two years before Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Egeland's (The Guardians of the Covenant) breakthrough work is strikingly similar to Brown's book in tone and subject (enough to explain readers' speculations of Brown's plagiarism) but adds to the academic mix red herrings, a Robert Ludlum-like veil of paranoia, excellent characterization and backstory, and elements of Indiana Jones adventure and high jinks. From the first chapter to the final pages, this is a page-turner of the first order as archaeologist Bjorn Belto travels from the North Atlantic to the Mediterranean in search of answers to the riddle of the Golden Shrine. VERDICT This well-written, accessible, and exciting read should please fans of The Da Vinci Code and Indiana Jones movies.-David Clendinning, West Virginia State Univ. Lib., Institute (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
