"The Showstone", by Glenn Cooper

A Supernatural Religious Thriller

Cal Donovan #4

The story:

Iraq 1989, Hiram Donovan mails an archeological piece found on a dig to his wife back in the United States. Hiram dies a few days later.

Then the story moves forward thirty years later with Cal, Hiram’s son, a Harvard professor on a summer furlough learning that his mother was murdered and nothing seemed taken out of place in her house. Why was she killed? Later on, while cleaning his mother’s house he had the answer: an envelope mailed from his father in Iraq was found containing a black obsidian stoned and a note card with Dr. John Dee’s name on it, what was this all about? Researching the provenance Cal discovers the Showstone was used for scrying, an ancient art of magic and connecting with God through an angel tongue…..from then on, strange happenings and the story morphs into a trek around the globe…

My thoughts:

I have been a fan for many years and I have enjoyed the out of the ordinary sagas Mr. Cooper has penned although I admit this time he has overdid it. This latest still blends true historical events with fictional characters and happenings masterfully but I found it to be so mystifying the story lost my attention mid way, I had a very hard time sticking with it from then on.

The showstone yield spiritual visions once studies by Elizabethan alchemist and astrologer John Dee. Of course, the bloody quest is continued for the artifact and follows a predictable and boring course till the very end. Good and evil, angels and fallen angels and past and present….here we go back and forth and a lot of time spent on historical background. The story drags on and on…. I presume you guessed by now this thriller was not my cup of tea but that is me please judge by yourself.

I received this ARC from the Book Whisperer via Netgalley for my thoughts: this is the way I see it.