Savior's Day

by Alan A. Winter

SAVIOR'S DAY BY ALAN WINTER Savior's Day is a work of fiction taken out of today's headlines. Cardinal Arnold Ford, head of the Archdiocese of New York, witnesses a murder on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral. With the old man's dying breath, he hands the Cardinal a sliver of ancient parchment to keep and protect. What follows is a tale woven from an open case that Israel's vaunted spy agency, the Mossad, is afraid to solve. What do they fear? How can the lost pages of an ancient treasure threaten the very existence of the State of Israel? LeShana Thompkins, the NYPD detective assigned to the homicide, interviews Cardinal Ford. As the investigation unfolds, LeShana is conflicted whether to reveal secrets about the priest's past that his adopted missionary parents hid from him. Ford is stunned. He learns from the Detective who his biological father was, what role his father played in history, and how his own DNA primes the priest for the challenge of a to broker a Middle East Peace agreement. Savior's Day is by turns a suspense thriller that fictionalizes history into a modern-day drama that will keep you at the proverbial edge of your seat. Surprise after surprise leaps off the pages, based on true facts that will amaze. Move over DaVinci Code, Savior's Day has arrived! Jericho lay prostrate, left elbow on the flat stone rimming the roof, gunstock against his shoulder, the barrel under the barb wired encircling the building, finger on the trigger, pulse at a steady fifty-six beats. All that was required was the missing Element who was now approaching the East Gate of Jerusalem's old city. By some, it was aptly referred to as the Gate of Mercy. Across the way, hidden in a minaret all thought safe, secure, and unoccupied, Zakkarhia ibn Mohammed took aim. In moments he would put a hole through the madness centered around these absurd missing pages written on ancient parchment. And then it happened. Two s

Genres: Religion

332 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 2013

About the author

"Writing is rewriting," so said my teacher John Bowers. And I have lived by that lesson for more than 35 years. When I finished a draft of a book, it is just that, words on paper. It may be a story, it might even be a good story, but it is not writing. Writing, at least for me, takes numerous drafts until I am pleased with the finished work, that the sentences are lyrical, that the pace is perfect, and that the ending has just the right punch. That is writing.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a good, quick read. Lots of fascinating information about the Codex of Aleppo. Far less interesting (and less true) information (presented as true) about the Nation of Islam, W.D. Ford, etc. The story was good but the repetition at the end was more than a little annoying. The ending itself was, unfortunately, over the top but endings seem to be the hardest part of any book. This one was not only not too credible but then verged into the mystical and quasi-religious (which the rest of the book wasn't).

Nowhere near the level of Daniel Silva or Dan Brown (to which it has been compared) - way too many impossible scenarios - people who have access to world figures who shouldn't, terrorists who seem to be everywhere all the time, etc. (trying hard not to have any spoilers here).

It's short and a quick, fun read. Maybe good for the beach?

[Bob Engeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book after attending a presentation the author made in April 2024 at Long Island University as part of a Hutton House series. I thoroughly enjoyed his lecture and the Q&A that followed that I looked up his info online and learned he had written several books. I jotted down a few that appealed to me (Wolf, it's sequel Sins of the Father, Snowflakes in the Sahara and Savior's Day). I chose Snowflakes in the Sahara as my first choice and unfortunately, neither my local library nor its regional network offered it. Same with Savior's Day and I temporarily put my search aside.
This past Christmas when pushed for a list of books I wanted, I shared the fact that I had wanted to read Snowflakes in the Sahara and Savior's Day and sure enough, the original 2013 hardcover edition of Savior's Day appeared under my tree.
I always enjoy historical fiction interspersed with real life events and actual people and this story did not disappoint. The story centers around an ancient biblical manuscript – the Aleppo Codex, Beta Israel, Operations Moses & Solomon, the UN Partition Plan of 1947 and many other key moments in Jewish and world history.
At first I had some difficulty focusing on the different story lines and characters with the jumping back and forth from chapter to chapter and timeline to timeline. But I stayed with it and the pace picked up and the plots became clearer.
And without giving away too much, the story has become extremely topical given recent events and I’m glad to see a new edition was released just last year, I assume based upon renewed and well deserved interest.
Next on my to do list is to purchase a copy of Snowflakes in the Sahara, which basxed on its online synopsis is another Alan A. Winter that touches on current events and an increasing credibility.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of Alan Winter before but I liked the premise of this book and the cover picture was pretty cool so I signed up to win this not really caring if I won or not. I won it and I am so glad I did. If you like Steve Berry then this book is for you. It has mystery, action and history all rolled into one very digestable novel. The first few chapters seemed to jump around too much for me to keep up with but the more I got into the story, the more it seemed to flow and I didn't notice or mind the jumping around. This book will lay out about 3-4 different timelines and keep them jumbled up in the book, as long as you pay attention to the chapter headings this will not be a problem.

I really liked the way the author took actual history and inserted his own fictional characters and stories with it. This is the part where the Steve Berry likeness comes in. Winter tells a great story and then in the author's note at the end will tell you where fact separates from fiction. I wish Mr. Winter would have given us a little more information here but it was still good.

There is a good twist in this and you will have to get to the end to see it but it is well worth the wait to find out what it is. I think Mr. Winter would be good at giving us a character or two and building a historical-fiction series around them. This was very well written and you had to pay attention while reading it or you could get lost in the story. I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the opportunity.

[OOSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

History Jumps Off the Page, Fictional But Factitious

Alan A. Winter’s novel, “Savior’s Day,” is about Cardinal Arnold Ford and a host of other characters woven in the pages of this novel. The Cardinal foresees a murder before it happens on the steps of his parish and through this he meets Detective Leshana Thompkins who sheds much light on his life, things that he didn't know and it helps the cardinal to discover who he really is.

The story line was very complex. Readers really have to read with an open mind. Some parts were very deep as it delved into the days of Christ as well as The Nation of Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity. This was a novel I normally wouldn't have read, but I gleamed a lot from reading it. Some parts were kind of long and I had to continue to read to get through to the next part, but the author pulled it together in the end. For all of those who want a lesson in religious history, this would be a book for you. Even though it’s fictional, a lot of truths were brought forth. I found a few grammatical errors but overall it was well written. I think the author did a good job!

Reviewed by: Lisa M.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I tried tried tried to finish this book. I wanted to quit before page 50 but I received this free from the Goodreads Giveaway so I pushed on. About page 70, it actually got better. I was still confused with the jumping around from chapter to chapter. There are so many storylines to follow, so many characters and years to keep track of but I thought the basic story was interesting. The story began to pick up speed as I read on. But then I hit about page 200 and it got annoying. I think the middle parts of the book are great. It felt like the author had so many characters and plot ideas in his head and tried to crush all of them into one book. Honestly, I am not educated on the actual history of the regions in the book but I was still interested in the story. LaShana was my favorite character. Even with some interesting characters, I couldn't finish it, just too much jumping all over.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My tanks to Alan A. Winter and Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for my copy of Savior's Day that I won in the Giveaway.

The story starts with Cardinal Ford witnessing a murder on the steps of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The dying man gives him a piece of parchment to keep safe. The story evolves around religious issues, mysteries and politics that will effect modern times.
The plot is complicated, interesting but I personally didn't love the ending. It didn't quite live up to the rest of the novel but is not so bad I would not recommend Savior's Day.

[Ann Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is incredibly well written. A lot of research was needed to write this book and I appreciate the effort this took.

I liked how the plots were inter weaved between the present and the past. It made me really focus on what was going on in order to keep up.

That being said, I felt that a lot of it was over my head as far as the history goes and the points that the author making. I had a hard time really comprehending what I was reading. This is a thriller that you really need to be prepared to dig into.

[Estella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plight and struggle of the Jewish people for so many years has always been of interest to me and have been happy that they finally have a country of their own. I loved the historical aspects of the story but at times had a problem with the jumping back and forth from the past to the future. But all in all I enjoyed the story and learning so much about the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East.

[Alan Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seat-of-your-pants thriller that is wrapped in fictional history. It takes off where the Da Vinci code ends.