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The Compass Master
In this riveting, intelligent tale of suspense... Museums and wealthy private collectors of antiquities turn to Layla Daltry when their more respectable sources fail. As a scholar of ancient manuscripts, she knows what to look for. As a daring hired hunter, she can get into places where she doesn't belong. Yet even Layla isn't prepared for the deadly endgame that's set in motion when her mentor dies. She learns too late that the professor had been secretly following an ancient trail of codes and ciphers that lead to two hidden one which records a lost chapter of earliest Christianity, and the other a radically different apocalypse than the one found in the Book of Revelation. Now an unseen enemy determined to destroy the epistles has stolen the professor's final clues and is shadowing Layla. With her life in the balance, she must race across Europe and find the hiding place. The only expert who can help her is Zach Sandoval - a man who betrayed her once before. Together they discover that the professor and the enemy had, years earlier, chosen them to be both players and rivals in a lightning-paced hunt that is spiraling out of control into a contest of intrigue, treachery, and lethal mystery.
532 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2011
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 10, 2022
Absolutely brilliant!
For fans of Da Vinci Code kind of adventures with mysteries and puzzles. It's a lot better than anything Dan Brown has ever written.
Helena managed to keep me interested, intrigued and guessing the whole time. And I did not guess the solution. And I learned new, interesting things. I love maths, and I got a lot of goodies in that way.
I love Layla, and all the other characters as well.
When I read the Latin script Maeve had written, I started laughing out loud :-D
For fans of Da Vinci Code kind of adventures with mysteries and puzzles. It's a lot better than anything Dan Brown has ever written.
Helena managed to keep me interested, intrigued and guessing the whole time. And I did not guess the solution. And I learned new, interesting things. I love maths, and I got a lot of goodies in that way.
I love Layla, and all the other characters as well.
When I read the Latin script Maeve had written, I started laughing out loud :-D
July 8, 2012
At 523 pages and some 100 chapters, The Compass Master is not a book for the people who gobble up Twilight fan-fiction like it was cotton candy. Fortunately, I'm not one of those people.
So what is The Compass Master? In short, it's a book that chronicles the discovery of extraordinary Biblical artifacts: the alleged final epistle by Paul written by the apostle himself, another by the granddaughter of a female apostle who debunks the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, and one by the monk who hid both of these.
The story is told through differing points-of-view (third person omniscient). The main one is Layla Daltry, a sexy, athletic, and incredibly smart heroine who (when teamed with Zach--an equally sexy male counterpart) is able to unravel a mystery that the Catholic church has kept secret for centuries. Another character is a nun who is in her own right a heroine with church secrets to protect. Finally, there are the bad guys, twin brother assassins in service to an American who want to stop Layla Daltry from fulfilling her quest which could create a firestorm among the academic and religious authorities of the Christian world.
So in analyzing this book, it may be best to start with the question "Who are the Compass Masters?" They were men who called their drawing compasses "diviners" because they believed in sacred mysteries which they could divine through mathematics. In other words, they attempted to explain mysteries through secret codes that they then built into actual structures.
I tend to think that the title "The Compass Master" is a nod to Zach who is essentially one of these "Compass Masters" if not actually a part of that society because he figures so much out by using math. In fact, there is throughout this novel, a theme of numbers and geometric shapes. As Helena points out in this book, it was Plato who taught that by studying geometry a person purifies the eye of the soul. "To them and other medieval intellectuals, numbers were a manifestation of divine order, a human fulfillment of the words God uttered in Genesis: 'I have made everything with number, measure, and weight."
The Compass Master is one of the most cerebral reads that I have taken on since Murukami's 1Q84. I found myself pausing often to reflect upon what the author was pointing out about our knowledge of the Book of Revelation and how it was essentially put into The Bible because the Catholic Church desired control. "Fill them with fear and tell them that your religion alone holds the key to their salvation...Have them focus on the next world while religious and political leaders control wealth and power in this one." Conspiracy theories abound in this tale. But then, you really can't have secret societies and not go into conspiracy theories. That's where all the fun is.
I give The Compass Master five stars out of five. I have read the Dan Brown novels (DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons), and I think this book could easily sit on the shelf with those other books. The amount of research that went into this novel boggles my mind. I tip my hat to Helena for weaving such an intricate pattern of mystery, thrilling history, and a courageous examination into questions not often demanded from The Bible. I hope that she's planning another Layla Daltry book so I can see how the fame she garners from the discoveries in The Compass Master affect her life. I'd also like to see if she and Zach will ever get back together. They seem meant for each other. It is sad to note that the abbey in the book is closing because they no longer have enough young nuns to keep it open. It's kind of a poignant "sign of the times" that as the world becomes more educated, the sun begins to set on the Catholic Church.
If you love historical thrillers, I strongly recommend you invest in this book.
So what is The Compass Master? In short, it's a book that chronicles the discovery of extraordinary Biblical artifacts: the alleged final epistle by Paul written by the apostle himself, another by the granddaughter of a female apostle who debunks the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, and one by the monk who hid both of these.
The story is told through differing points-of-view (third person omniscient). The main one is Layla Daltry, a sexy, athletic, and incredibly smart heroine who (when teamed with Zach--an equally sexy male counterpart) is able to unravel a mystery that the Catholic church has kept secret for centuries. Another character is a nun who is in her own right a heroine with church secrets to protect. Finally, there are the bad guys, twin brother assassins in service to an American who want to stop Layla Daltry from fulfilling her quest which could create a firestorm among the academic and religious authorities of the Christian world.
So in analyzing this book, it may be best to start with the question "Who are the Compass Masters?" They were men who called their drawing compasses "diviners" because they believed in sacred mysteries which they could divine through mathematics. In other words, they attempted to explain mysteries through secret codes that they then built into actual structures.
I tend to think that the title "The Compass Master" is a nod to Zach who is essentially one of these "Compass Masters" if not actually a part of that society because he figures so much out by using math. In fact, there is throughout this novel, a theme of numbers and geometric shapes. As Helena points out in this book, it was Plato who taught that by studying geometry a person purifies the eye of the soul. "To them and other medieval intellectuals, numbers were a manifestation of divine order, a human fulfillment of the words God uttered in Genesis: 'I have made everything with number, measure, and weight."
The Compass Master is one of the most cerebral reads that I have taken on since Murukami's 1Q84. I found myself pausing often to reflect upon what the author was pointing out about our knowledge of the Book of Revelation and how it was essentially put into The Bible because the Catholic Church desired control. "Fill them with fear and tell them that your religion alone holds the key to their salvation...Have them focus on the next world while religious and political leaders control wealth and power in this one." Conspiracy theories abound in this tale. But then, you really can't have secret societies and not go into conspiracy theories. That's where all the fun is.
I give The Compass Master five stars out of five. I have read the Dan Brown novels (DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons), and I think this book could easily sit on the shelf with those other books. The amount of research that went into this novel boggles my mind. I tip my hat to Helena for weaving such an intricate pattern of mystery, thrilling history, and a courageous examination into questions not often demanded from The Bible. I hope that she's planning another Layla Daltry book so I can see how the fame she garners from the discoveries in The Compass Master affect her life. I'd also like to see if she and Zach will ever get back together. They seem meant for each other. It is sad to note that the abbey in the book is closing because they no longer have enough young nuns to keep it open. It's kind of a poignant "sign of the times" that as the world becomes more educated, the sun begins to set on the Catholic Church.
If you love historical thrillers, I strongly recommend you invest in this book.
December 11, 2012
Layla Daltry is a rare documents expert and antiquities hunter with a sense of justice that sometimes puts her just the other side of the law. When her mentor dies and has her house ransacked and documents stolen, Layla takes on the quest to finish what her mentor had started, righting a long-time and dangerously-secured wrong. This treasure hunt where the hunter is also being hunted by those who would hide the truth is set against the expertly researched background of the early Christian Church and shines a light on the agenda of those who would keep lost documents hidden.
The flavor of this book is similar to The DiVinci Code, but with all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed—the background taken from real historical fact. The characters are likable and the relationships realistic. Even the physical facts are accurate as the author took the care to learn to pick clocks, scale walls and learn some of the martial arts skills Layla uses. I also loved the careful balance the author used in both revering and respecting people of faith, while highlighting dangerous zealots and those who’d use the system to their own ends.
The flavor of this book is similar to The DiVinci Code, but with all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed—the background taken from real historical fact. The characters are likable and the relationships realistic. Even the physical facts are accurate as the author took the care to learn to pick clocks, scale walls and learn some of the martial arts skills Layla uses. I also loved the careful balance the author used in both revering and respecting people of faith, while highlighting dangerous zealots and those who’d use the system to their own ends.
October 13, 2013
In The Compass Master, Helena Soister has created a wonderful cast of believable characters. I loved them all, from Layla to the little boy in her building, even the villains. All the characters perfectly fit the roles they played.
The plot was designed to tell a modern-day story based on centuries-old facts surrounding the beginnings of Christianity. The author did a great job of melding the two. For me, there were a few times some of the details got in the way of the story, but this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. All in all, The Compass Master is a great story and one I'm happy I read.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Ms. Soister.
The plot was designed to tell a modern-day story based on centuries-old facts surrounding the beginnings of Christianity. The author did a great job of melding the two. For me, there were a few times some of the details got in the way of the story, but this didn't diminish my enjoyment of the story. All in all, The Compass Master is a great story and one I'm happy I read.
I'm looking forward to reading more by Ms. Soister.
November 22, 2011
The action is almost nonstop beginning in Bosnia with Layla rescuing a thirteenth century book and returning it to its rightful owner. When she hears of her mentor’s death, she hurries back to Ireland and the adventure is on. She must travel to Rome and Greece to solve the mystery with an assassin on her tail the entire way.
I loved this book. It’s fast paced action with intrigue, puzzle solving, religious controversy that makes you think, and a surprise twist at the end. Layla is the kind of heroine that makes me want to go out and live my own adventure.
I loved this book. It’s fast paced action with intrigue, puzzle solving, religious controversy that makes you think, and a surprise twist at the end. Layla is the kind of heroine that makes me want to go out and live my own adventure.
November 21, 2011
I read Helena's first book, "Prophecies" a few years back and have been eagerly awaiting her return. This was worth the wait! Smart, complex, engaging; intrigue and adventure with a woman (hurray!)--Layla Daltry-- at the helm. To put it in a nutshell, Compass Master is Dan Brown without the gimmicks--and with much better research!!
October 13, 2014
Beemis Library Sr Book Club selection prior to my joining...
Viv knows the author and had obtained the books for the group.
His copy he loaned for me to read.
As he said DiVinci code on steroid :-)
Viv knows the author and had obtained the books for the group.
His copy he loaned for me to read.
As he said DiVinci code on steroid :-)
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November 22, 2011The Compass Master is a great adventure story with a wonderful historical fiction mix. Well worth picking up or putting on your to read list.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews