"The Debt", by Glenn Cooper

Cal Donovan #3

Cal is back at the Vatican Library researching is next paper when he comes across an interesting letter. In 1848 when the Papal States were under attack by revolutionaries, the Vatican borrowed a very large sum of money from the Jewish Sassoon Bank.

Curious, Cal continued his research. Not finding any evidence that the loan was ever paid back, he contacted Pope Celestine VI who then asked him to discreetly research further this loan ……that is when trouble started…..

An unexpected discovery rocks the foundations of the Catholic Church. Have fun reading what comes next.

My thoughts:

The first part is laborious I even thought abandoning this story, nevertheless I stuck with it knowing well Mr. Cooper will move on and gives us an exciting journey into the annals of the Vatican. Its starts with an introduction of a large group of Cardinals and their responsibilities then ¼ in the conspiracy begins.

With intermittent flashbacks the story of the ancient loan is revealed …then we are deep into the conspiracy giving us plenty of suspense, globe trotting, blackmail, sabotage to content with.

Although I was captivated by this religious tale, nevertheless its concept failed to be plausible and the drama lacks in believable characters. Having said this,” The Dept” is smoothly said and its style invites us to keep turning the pages till the very surprising ending.

I am a huge fan of religious conspiracies and Glenn Cooper excels on that topic and each one have been captivating and entertaining.
My thanks to Lascaux Media and Netgalley for giving the privilege to read and review this book.

"The Secrets of Provence", by Daisy Wood

In a few words:

Provence 1940

Mathilde finds refuge with her cousin in Provence after the Nazis occupation of Paris. Once there she is soon drawn into the Resistance movement. Now force to live a life on the run, where betrayal is a constant threat. Mathilde soon discovers that deceit has to be her constant companion.

Paris, present day

Juliette thoughts are turned to tracing her roots. Curious to why her grandmother spent most of the war in Provence. What is Malthide up to? When an old photograph leads Juliette to a crumbling château what she uncovers will change her life.

My thoughts:

This book continues the story of Jacques and Mathilde whom we met in “The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris”. No worries if you didn’t read it first “The Secrets of Provence” stands well by its own.

The seamless blend of two timeline: the past and present are said with emotional depth one that has kept my attention from start to finish. The warm narrative is filled with so much heart wrenching moments of the reality of war that will inevitably break your heart, I found it to be quite an emotional read. Of course, I love books highlighting resistance movements and this story does honour to the various organisations that existed. Mathilde is just an example of courage and determination needed to survive. In alternate chapters, the voices of our main characters shine and their stories will hold everyone captive till the very last page.

The action of men and women of the resistance was to the point and excellently depicted. At times, the tempo seems to slow down mainly for greater effect and did this pretty well IMO. On a final note, the characters couldn’t have played their roles better.

Well said and well-done

"Three Marys", by Glenn Cooper

Cal Donovan #2

Summary:

Three impossible births. Three incredible miracles. One deadly secret.

Three teenage girls all name Mary from different corners of the world have fallen pregnant, the three have been proven to be virgins. In view of this, Pope Celestine has summoned Harvard professor of religion and archaeology Cal Donavan to investigate. As Cal struggles to uncover the truth he soon realises that more than meet the eyes is at stake: could this apparent miracle cause the collapse of the Catholic faith.

Are the three teenagers really all bearing the son of God?

My thoughts:

This story is fun to read and is engaging. It gives us a mix of religious and adventure elements to capture our imagination till the very last page and does so very well. The author’s creativity is in over drive here, what a vivid imagine Glenn Cooper has…or maybe a twisted one 😊. The plot is not only entertaining it is also interesting. I zipped through it in no time so captivated was I. Yes, some will find the premise to be overboard and impossible: they would be definitely right in thinking so but I enjoyed every word, I was hooked from start to finish.

The cast of characters is original and I simply love Cal….is such an interesting and unusual character. We have action aplenty to keep us on our toes. This is definitely a plot driven story that moves along in a steady and moderate tempo and reveals its secrets drop by drop to keep up the suspense and us entertained till the very end.

Whether you are religious or not take this as a fun read to pass time with.

My thanks to Book Whisper/Lascaux Media for this ARC which I received via Netgalley