Тайната на Торинската плащаница

by Sam Christer, Сам Крайстър, Марин Загорчев (Translator)

Вълнуващ и интелигентно написан исторически трилър, определян като най-добрия в жанра от "Шифърът на Леонардо" насам.

Това е най-спорната религиозна реликва в световната история. Никой не знае как се е появил ликът върху нея. Никой не знае точно откъде е дошла.

Днес най-великата мистерия в християнското минало крие ключа към поредица зловещи убийства в Града на ангелите. На брега на океана е намерено обезобразеното тяло на известна сценаристка, чийто последен филм се казва "Плащаницата". Само двама умели детективи съзират невероятната поредица от улики, която води от Калифорния до Ватикана. Възможно ли е всички тайни да имат общо ДНК?

Световният бестселър автор Сам Крайстър, издаван на 35 езика, предлага нов зашеметяващ сюжет, почиващ на поразителни научни разкрития и реални исторически факти.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

A pseudonym used by Jon Trace

Reviews

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve just spent the better part of two days reading Sam Christer’s second novel – The Turin Shroud Secret – and I have to say it was two well spent days and just the tonic to cure my flu! This is another one of those books you pick up, read the blurb on the back cover and prey that what lies within is a thriller worthy of the genre. I absolutely adore religious conspiracy thrillers and although I don’t read as many as I would like this is right up there with the best of them. Obvious comparisons will surface comparing the book to Dan Brown’s thrillers but for me, Christer is a better and more believable writer – plus the fact he’s British earns him a few extra Brucie points!

I remember reading The Da Vinci Code (illustrated version) a number of years ago and was completely mesmerised by the illustrated story and Christer has done something similar with The Turin Shroud Secret albeit on a slightly less grandiose scale – in terms of illustrations and colours I hasten to add – surely there’s a call to release a hardcover version in future publications? I’m a sucker for this combination but the illustrations – my own personal preference of course - add another level and although included sparingly in black and white in this paperback edition I’m being greedy and asking for more!

There are two main themes - running concurrently - to this story, one where a team of detectives are hunting a serial killer called the creeper, a killer who has evaded capture for a very long time and with the body count increasing he leaves his victims wrapped in a shroud with very little to go on. On the flip side a murder of a well-known Hollywood screen writer leads protagonists Mitzi Fallon and Nic Karakandez to concentrate efforts in Turin Italy, a trail that increasingly leads Nic to question the provenance of the shroud.

Full Review on my blog:- http://www.milorambles.com/2012/02/25...

[Boo Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based in two locations Los Angeles and Turin Italy. It intertwines together the historical evidence and theories of the Shroud along with a modern day crime story. 

Los Angeles
Mitzi Fallon a mother of two and in an abusive marriage is investigating the murders of women who have gone missing and then being found dead wrapped in bedsheets as if in a shroud. They name him the Creeper!
During the investigation Mitzi decides to take action against her husband after another night of abuse. Enough is enough. Now she has to face the embarrassment of her colleagues and solving the murder case.
Will she get the answer's she needs?

Turin
Nick Karakandez is sent to Turin to investigate the murder of a screen writer who had written a script for a film about the Holy Shroud. It turns out she never handed over the ending of the script before she was brutally murdered, so what had she found out that was so converse that she needed to be censured? Nic Karakandez is obstructed by the local carabinieri, the local priest and supposedly by the scientists who have underhandedly tested a part of the shroud. He eventually attempts to elude a killer through Italy, France and Switzerland resulting in a dramatic ending.

Overall it wasn't the best book but it had an interesting plot. It did become very messy towards the end making it hard to understand what was going on (it felt rushed).

[Saboteadora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno, la lectura ha tenido vaivenes. En general, me ha gustado, aunque hay cosas que no entiendo o no se explican. Al principio me resultó liosillo porque salen distintos personajes en distintos sitios, más adelante me enganchó bastante y, al final, volvió a ser lioso.
Las partes del guión de la peli eran lo peor: me enteraba de la mitad, porque encima se ponía a nombrar a personajes históricos sin decirme quiénes son y claro, yo sin tener ni idea pues tú verás... 🤣
Lo que es el quid de la cuestión me ha gustado y me ha intrigado, pero sigo sin saber qué relación hay entre el sigiloso y el otro. ¿O no hay ninguna? ¿Y por qué el tío lo hacía así, con una sábana y todo eso? Me da la sensación de que el autor escribió sobre dos crímenes distintos y a correr, porque no veo ninguna relación entre ellos salvo el detalle que se comenta al final (que tampoco veo que sea para tanto...).

En fin, aunque la historia ha tenido su momento de engancharme al final ha sido una cosa normalita.

[Željko Erceg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Istina je, knjiga će vas zaokupiti, dobar krimić, kratka poglavlja, stalno mijenjanje lokacije radnje, ... no na kraju ćete shvatiti da su neki dijelovi bili viška, odnosno da su nedovršeni. Što je bilo s onim, što je bilo s ovim, ... ma neće to biti bitno za rješenje priče, ali ćete se upitati - čemu se to uopće pojavljivalo, ako nije imalo veze sa ukupnom radnjom - moving radi movinga.

[Sharon Bolton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In California, a particularly nasty serial killer is on the loose, wrapping his victims in shrouds and the detectives who are our main protagonists have to hunt him down. At the same time, a Hollywood screenwriter, about to hand in the final screenplay of a movie about the Turin Shroud, is also murdered. What dark secret couldn't possibly be allowed to make it to the silver screen?

The writing is perfectly competent and the characters appealing enough, but the book rather left me unmoved. We know the identity of the killer from the outset, so the mystery surrounds the Shroud itself. What is it that led to the murder of the screenwriter's death? I finished the book some time ago, and to be honest, I can't remember.

There will be inevitable comparisons to Dan Brown, but in my mind, he doesn't have much to worry about.

[johnmarkie1905 · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW !!! I bought this over a year ago I skipped around it why on earth I did I cannot say this is is truly brilliant by far my best read of 2019 in fact none of the others come close and I have read a few cracking books this year so what makes this different
The setting
The characters
The storyline
There is more to add but if I add more I would start to give some of the story away and I refuse to spoil it for you I was engrossed in this it totally had me hooked straight from the off and the great thing about it it never let go right until the very end please enjoy this as I much as I did and my review encourages you to read this then I hope you have as much joy reading this as I did thoroughly enjoyed brilliant fast moving exciting edge of the seat stuff
I can't believe I didn't read it earlier don't make same mistake as me get turning the pages now oh and enjoy I certainly did

[Ingrid Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denne her bog var en smule langsom om at komme i gang, men da den endelig gjorde så var der fart over feltet og den var fuld af overraskelser. Sam Christer har indfanget mysteriet om Torinoklædets tilblivelse på en rigtig god måde. I den religiøse verden er dette Kristus ligklæde og det er meget helligt.

I ikke religiøse kredse så er dette klæde et falskneri af dimensioner og bølgerne går meget højt mellem diverse videnskabsmænd som mener at have løst mysteriet om hvem der virkelig er den rigtige ophavsmand til det og hvad det har været brugt til.

I bogen møder vi vicekriminalkommissær Mitzi Fallon, mor med et par tvillingepiger og hendes fordrukne mand der har tendens til at bruge hende som boksebold, og hendes partner Nic Karankandez, enkemand til kone og lille søn, der har indleveret sin afskedsansøgning og som længes efter at komme ud og sejle i den båd han har sat i stand.

De bliver sat på mordet af en berømt Hollywood manuskript forfatter Tamara Jacobs som er i gang med at skrive på et tophemmeligt filmmanuskript om Torinoklædet med sprængfarlig viden som der er en del mennesker der gerne vil stoppe for enhver pris. Specielt den katolske kirke.

Udover det så møder vi en serie morder som mener at hans hånd er ledt af gud når han dræber sine ofre og svøber dem i et ligklæde. Han er for at sige det mildt parat til blive indlagt på den psykiatriske afdeling og aldrig komme ud igen.

Læg hertil en lejemorder som er munk fra de fjerne bjerge i Libanon der gør det beskidte arbejde for den katolske kirke og myrder alle dem som får den rigtige vigtige viden om Torinoligklædet, men som skal holdes hemmeligt for enhver pris.

Så har man en virkelig spændende og meget dramatisk thriller, som når først den kommer i gang ikke stopper før den når til slutningen hvor Nic Karankandez er returneret fra Torino med en lejemorder i hælene og seriemorderen tager fusen på alle inklusiv Mitzi Fallon.

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a book of two halves. The part set in Los Angeles where Lieutenant Mitzi Fallon is trying to solve the murders of women found wrapped in bedsheets as if in a shroud. Mitzi at the same time is suffering in an abusive marriage, she is eventually forced to take action and endure the embarrassment of her colleagues knowing of her home situation and also the anguish caused for her two daughters. So far so good, a gripping story that seems to be going somewhere. On the other hand, the chapters of the book alternate, focussing on Mitzi's colleague who is sent to Turin to investigate the murder of a writer who has written a script for a film about the Holy Shroud. What had she found out that was so controversial that it meant that she needed to be silenced? Mitzi's colleague Nic Karakandez ends up traveling half-way around the world to try and find out. This is where things (for me) started to fall apart, I was waiting for some sort of plausible explanation to the mystery of The Shroud but oh dear! The author goes all around the houses to come up with what I found to be the most ludicrous idea. Take any historical character and then conceive a way that he could have been crucified in the same manner as the person on the Shroud image, then write the story, however far fetched, to fit the circumstances! Oh and along the way, manage to link it in with the DNA of the killer in LA! Well of course!

Having read this book I now think I could make up a story, plucking someone from history, (Tutankamun, Rasputin, or The Bearded Lady, from a freak show, maybe Bluebeard from the fairy story) and simply say well obviously they were crucified and that is who is on The Shroud. I have a good imagination but however elastic it may be this book stretches it well beyond the limits of comfort.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

В тази книга освен чертите на типичния трилър не търсете друго. Темата, послужила за основа, е доста интригуваща, тъй като се опира на реални исторически факти и открития, както много често е в този вид книги. Торинската плащаница (ленено платно, с което се смята, че е бил повит Христос след свалянето му от кръста) е обект на множество дискусии и научни изследвания и до днес. Да си призная, преди да отворя романа не бях чувала за нея и това ме подтикна да се поинтересувам по темата - има много материал (включително и снимков) в интернет по въпроса.
Сюжетът се върти около разследването на поредица убийства в Лос Анджелис, жертвите на които са винаги жени, увивани в подобен саван. Разбира се, под повърхността тече и втора сюжетна линия, свързана с изцяло религиозното значение и важност на плащаницата. Това, което не ми хареса, е, че читателят знае кои са действащите лица и в двете, тъй като повествованието върви от първо лице на героя в съответната глава. Така се губи елементът на мистериозност и изненада. Някои ра��крития излизат наяве чак в края, но все пак за мен съспенсът липсваше.
Действието се пренася от САЩ към Италия, Франция, Швейцария. Динамично е, определено романът не е скучен. Но не е нещо, което ще ��стави трайна следа в мен.

[Yukki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonostante un finale un po' dolce amaro per i miei gusti, non posso dare un voto minore. Un libro meraviglioso!
Capace di incatenarti alle sue pagine sin dal suo scoppiettante inizio. In men che non si dica, senza accorgersene realmente, si è nel vivo del mistero che avvolge questo libro. Così scorrevole da non renderti conto del numero di pagine che giri. Un grande cambiamento da, più o meno, metà libro in poi. È palese la diversa andatura con un ritmo incalzantequasi frenetico per la miriade di situazioni da cui vieni sommerso. L'intreccio tra storia, scienza e religione ha un connubio perfetto. Credo sia l'elemento x che lega il lettore al libro, ma forse sono un po' di parte su questo. Dulcis in fundo anche i colpi di scena, benché pochi ma giusti a mio pensiero, arrivano prepotenti con un peso non indifferente.
Ergo, un libro che consiglio vivamente agli amanti del "sacro-profano".

[David Macdonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not such a bad read really. Major down-turn for me was the moment a part of the action moved to Italy. The nice guy hero who had been well rounded-out as a character suddenly turns into a flat yank-in-Europe, we-don't-work-like-this-back-home type. Too many of the Italian characters have surnames of politicians and other public figures (giving the impression they were picked from hasty websearches) and they switch between veeery eeetalian ways of speaking (with occasional Italian words thrown in for "authenticity") to pure US slang. His understanding of Italians is very superficial and spoilt the book for me from that moment on. Perhaps a very personal view as I live in Italy.

[Gigli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Má to všechno. Osamělýho detektiva s traumatem, domácí násilí, papeže, nájemnýho vraha, celosvětový spiknutí, ujetýho náboženskýho psychopata a když už to vypadá, že na nějaký klišé se snad zapomnělo, je tu pořád prostor na poslední stránce. A do toho si autor asi myslí, že Šifra mistra Leonarda byla doopravdy. Ale musim přiznat, že ta turínský část byla vcelku napínavá a bavila mě. Takže na chatu dobrý.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read nothing groundbreaking, nothing amazingly clever but i enjoyed it maybe the topic helped i`m interested in stuff abit dark and mean spirited like the crucifixion ! Will read his first book if i get chance but i kind of like slightly deeper tales than this

[Barbara Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Brilliant story. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles wird die Leiche einer Frau aufgefunden und die zahlreichen Verletzungen deuten darauf hin, dass das Opfer vor dem Tod brutal gefoltert wurde. Die Detectives Nic Karakandez und Mitzi Fallon übernehmen die Ermittlungen und identifizieren die Tote als Tamara Jacobs, eine aufstrebende Drehbuchautorin in Hollywoods berühmter Traumfabrik.

Die Drehbuchautorin eines Verschwörungsthrillers wurde ermordet – wusste sie zu viel über das Turiner Grabtuch?

Vor ihrer Ermordung arbeitete Jacobs an einem Film mit dem Titel “The Shroud”, dessen Handlung sich rund um das Geheimnis des berühmten Turiner Grabtuches dreht, in dem angeblich Jesus von Nazareth nach seiner Kreuzigung begraben wurde. Als Karakandez und Fallon am Set des Films mit ihren Nachforschungen beginnen, gelangen sie nur mühsam an Informationen, denn die Produzenten halten die Story des Films unter strengster Geheimhaltung. Wollte Tamara Jacobs in ihrem Drehbuch vielleicht neue Erkenntnisse über das Grabtuch enthüllen, die sie schließlich das Leben gekostet haben?

Hohes Erzähltempo, blutige Verbrechen, spannende Geschichte

Sam Christers neuer Thriller “The Turin Shroud Secret” ist eher zufällig in meinen Händen gelandet. Ich hatte zum Ende meines London-Urlaubs noch ein paar englische Pfund in der Tasche, und weil ich keine Lust auf einen erneuten Umtausch des Geldes hatte, habe ich lieber das letzte Kleingeld in der Flughafen-Buchhandlung verprasst – vor allem, weil es dank nicht vorhandener Buchpreisbindung dort so unverschämte Angebote wie “buy one, get one half price” gab. Das Cover des Buches hat mich direkt angesprochen, außerdem kann man mich mit religiösen Verschwörungsthrillern und Locksprüchen wie “the most suspenseful and intelligent thriller since The Da Vinci Code” immer ködern…

Man braucht bei dem Buch auch keine lange Eingewöhnungsphase, denn Christer liefert nach zwei Seiten schon den ersten Mord und macht im nächsten Kapitel direkt weiter mit dem Auffinden der Leiche der Drehbuchautorin Tamara Jacobs. Hier wird schnell klar, dass “The Turin Shroud Secret” nicht unbedingt etwas für zarte Gemüter ist, denn die Beschreibung des verstümmelten Körpers ist nicht ohne – und bleibt auch bei weitem nicht die einzige schwer bekömmliche Szene. In dem zügigen Anfangstempo geht es auch weiter, und an der Seite der beiden Detectives Nic Karakandez und Mitzi Fallon taucht der Leser ein in die schillernde Welt Hollywoods und darf auch direkt dem Dreh einer Filmszene beiwohnen. Diese Passagen sind gut geschrieben und liefern einen spannenden Blick hinter die Kulissen einer Filmproduktion, sind aber auch nicht mehr als schmückendes Beiwerk. Immerhin geben diese kleinen Einblicke aber Hinweise auf ein mögliches Mordmotiv, denn um den Inhalt des dort gedrehten Films wird ein großes Geheimnis gemacht. Die finale Drehbuchversion sei angeblich noch nicht fertig und nur wenige Leute kennen überhaupt den endgültigen Ausgang von “The Shroud”, darunter bis vor wenigen Stunden eben auch Tamara Jacobs, die für das Schreiben der Schlussfassung verantwortlich war. Vereinzelte Gerüchte deuten jedoch an, dass die Autorin offenbar mithilfe von wissenschaftlichen Analysen und unabhängigen Experten neue Erkenntnisse über das berühmte Turiner Grabtuch gewonnen hat und dabei offenbar eine bahnbrechende Entdeckung gemacht hat, die im Film enthüllt werden und in der Welt für Furore sorgen soll.

Dan Brown meets Chris Carter…

Klingt ein bisschen so wie “The Da Vinci Code”? Ist es auch ein wenig, denn gewisse Parallelen zu den Dan-Brown-Romanen sind unverkennbar. Nicht nur deshalb, weil sich Sam Christer mit dem Turiner Grabtuch ebenso ein religiöses Mysterium herausgepickt hat wie Brown mit dem Heiligen Gral, sondern auch, weil sich die Geschichten vom Aufbau und der Machart ähneln. So hat “The Turin Shroud Secret” z.B. ebenfalls viele kurze Kapitel und wechselt häufig die Perspektive. Mal begleitet man die beiden Ermittler, mal hört man ein vertrauliches Gespräch im Vatikan mit und mal begleitet man einen fanatischen Killer bei seinen wahnsinnigen Taten. Auch die Figur eines Auftragskillers in Mönchskluft erinnert doch stark an Dan Browns mordenden Silas aus “Sakrileg”. Allerdings ist Christers Roman noch einmal eine gute Portion blutiger als das offensichtliche Vorbild und wirkt daher manchmal so, als hätte sich Thrillerautor-Kollege Chris Carter (“Der Kruzifix Killer”) an die Überarbeitung eines Brown-Romans begeben. Wer also die Bücher von einem der beiden Autoren mag, bei dem stehen die Chancen nicht so schlecht, dass er auch an dem Grabtuch-Thriller Gefallen findet, zumal dieser handwerklich wirklich ordentlich geschrieben ist. Die knackig kurzen Kapitel animieren fast automatisch zum Weiterlesen und es ist jederzeit genug Action vorhanden, sodass man kaum zum Durchschnaufen kommt. Am faszinierendsten sind dabei wohl die Passagen, die sich direkt dem Thema “Grabtuch” widmen: Christer kombiniert hier geschickt Fakten mit Fiktion und gibt eine spannende kleine Unterrichtsstunde über die angebliche Reliquie. Toll ist auch, dass in dem Buch zahlreiche Fotos abgebildet sind, welche die Erkenntnisse der Figuren auch für den Leser gut veranschaulichen, sodass man sich leicht von dem Wissensdurst und der Neugier der Ermittler anstecken lässt.

Sympathische Ermittler mit interessantem privaten Hintergrund

Auch das Ermittlerduo kommt sympathisch rüber, wenngleich der weibliche Part in Person von Mitzi Fallon deutlich interessanter geraten ist. Zwar hat auch Karakandez sein privates Schicksal mit sich herumzuschleppen, doch die Probleme seiner Partnerin sind hier deutlich origineller. Denn so tough die Polizistin in ihrem Beruf auch rüberkommt, so nimmt sie in den eigenen vier Wänden überraschend die Opferrolle ein. Ihr Mann lässt sich seit Jahren gehen und wurde wiederholt handgreiflich, was Mitzi an den Rand ihrer Kräfte bringt. Es ist sehr spannend zu sehen, wie sie mit der häuslichen Gewalt umgeht, zumal mir eine solche Ermittlerfigur bisher noch nicht untergekommen ist. Christer drückt hier aber nicht auf die Tränendrüse, sondern stellt Mitzi als fürsorgliche Kämpferin dar, was sie sehr sympathisch macht. Auch ihre Schlagfertigkeit gegenüber Vorgesetzten oder machohaften Kollegen sorgt im Verlauf der Handlung für so manchen Schmunzler.

Schlussfazit:
Man darf an “The Turin Shroud Secret” nicht mit den falschen Erwartungen herangehen, denn ein neuer Dan Brown ist Sam Christer sicherlich nicht. Zwar ist die Geschichte durchweg spannend und abwechslungsreich, allerdings entfalten nicht alle Szenen auch ihre beabsichtige Wirkung, so geht z.B. schon mal der ein oder andere ungünstig getimte Cliffhanger ins Leere. Außerdem wirkt Christers Geschichte manchmal etwas zu ambitioniert, da er für meinen Geschmack zu viele Nebenstränge anfängt und diese dann leider nicht ganz gelungen zusammenführt oder teilweise sogar unter den Tisch fallen lässt.

Spannender, aber manchmal etwas überambitionierter Kirchenthriller

Nichtsdestotrotz ist Christers Grabtuch-Roman ein guter Mystery-Action-Thriller und punktet durch die sympathischen Hauptfiguren und das hohe Erzähltempo. Allzu viel Tiefgang sollte man zwar nicht erwarten, aber einen gehobenen Anspruch an sich selbst strahlt das Buch auch gar nicht aus. Wer religiöse Verschwörungsthriller mag und auch gerne mal einen Chris-Carter-Roman verschlingt, der kann mit “The Turin Shroud Secret” eigentlich nicht sonderlich viel falsch machen. Denn abgesehen von der etwas schwachen Auflösung bietet das Buch wirklich kurzweilige Unterhaltung.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the twists and turns in this book. There's plenty of action, murder and intrigue.
The Turin Shroud has, for a long time, held a fascination for many people the world over. Many Christians (especially Roman Catholics) believe its authenticity of being the final piece of cloth to cover the body of the crucified Jesus. Then there are the detractors, who say the shroud has been faked to show the final image of the crucified Son of God and that the shroud dates back only as far as the Middle Ages.
In this novel, a Hollywood screenwriter is killed before she can release the final scene of a blockbuster film of a film about Turin's Shroud. Her death is investigated by LA murder detectives both in the States and in Turin. In Turin, Nic Karakandez is stonewalled by the local carabinieri, the local priest and seemingly by the scientists who have underhandedly tested a part of the shroud. Mitzi Fallon, who investigates the screenwriter's death alongside another case involving a serial killer, works back home in America. Both detectives are frustrated by the lack of cooperation, and Mitzi also has to cope with a husband who enjoys beating her and trying to bring up their twin daughters.
Eventually, the both murder investigations culminate in rather surprising ways.
There are a lot of memorable characters in this book, not all of them likeable, but all of them have left their impression on me, just as the image of a dead man left its mark on an old burial shroud.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a while I was afraid my first book finished in the new year would disappoint me and would receive a negative rating but the last page changed everything and so, 4 stars.

I like this kind of thriller in which authors come up with fictional answers for historical mysteries. It's amazing the plots and revelations authors come up with.

This book, with its 501 pages, keeps up with an even pace and non-stop action in LA, Italy and France - and there was still time to jump to Switzerland. After the discovery of a dead body in the ocean, the investigation takes 2 detectives, Nic and Mitzi, looking for the revelations a small group of people made about the famous Turin Shroud, the shroud in which, supposedely, Jesus Christ was wrapped after his death and contains his silhouette marked in blood. Of course, there's a group of enemies trying to stop our detectives at all cost.

In short, it wasn't an amazing story but it kept me glued all the time. It was entertaining and a welcome kind of thiller/mystery, different from the usual.

[Agustina · Rating 1 out of 5]

No pude terminar de leerlo ni tampoco tenía intenciones de hacerlo:
Primero que nada, nunca logré engancharme ni un poco con la historia, es una lectura tranquila, pero que nunca atrapa, y está narrada de una manera bastante tonta la verdad.
Segundo, el autor se esmera demasiado por tener un trasfondo científico, policial y con repercusión internacional (en el libro), pero lo cierto es que no le sale bien.
Tercero, a la edición de mi libro le faltan como la mitad a las ultimas 100 páginas, así que no tenía ganas de andar adivinando los hechos, datos y conversaciones que sucedían en mis páginas invisibles; y aunque me preocupe en buscar un pdf para poder leerlas, nunca encontré.

Si no hubiera sido por el motivo tercero, tal vez terminaba de leer el libro, más que nada porque ODIO dejar libros sin acabar; pero con este no tuve otra alternativa. Peeero, igual como dije arriba, el autor no supo explotar la idea, qué es genial como temática de un libro, pero no la supo sobrellevar de una manera para atrapar al lector y hacerlo formar parte de la historia.

Una lástima, porque tenía buenas expectativas para este libro.

[Kristyna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zlatej Dan Brown! Tohle bylo rozhodně zklamání. Hlavní dvojice postav - policistů - byla nesympatická, mezi sebou neměli žádnou chemii a proč jsme se museli dlouhosáhle zabývat jejich rodinnými problémy taky nechápu - neměly vliv na příběh ani na odhalení vraha. Oba navíc byli vykreslení jako typicky američtí detektivové ve stylu: hlavně nás moc neobtěžujte s vědou a cizími slovy / my v Americe to umíme líp než vy v Evropě.

Postav tam bylo víc než na orloji, většinou tam nějak propluly, byly mi vlastně dost jedno a zbyla po nich spousta volných konců.

Ale hlavně - když čtu konspirační thriller, který má na přebalu přirovnání k Šifře mistra Leonarda, tak čekám, ze se dozvím něco z historie. Čekám konspiraci, která mi jako laikovi přijde uvěřitelná, protože se chci nechat unášet pohádkou pro dospělé - jen si chci na konci říct - co kdyby to byla pravda... Tady je bohužel příliš mnoho akce na úkor nějaké rešerše a doplňování bílých míst v historii, na kterých tenhle žánru (alespoň pro mě) stojí.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voici un roman qui devrait plaire aux amateurs de Dan Brown avec des éléments connus: artefacts religieux, moine soldat aimant s’auto mutiler, l’église en mauvaise posture, intrigue en Europe et j’en passe probablement. L’action débute sur des chapeaux de roues et est maintenu jusque-là toute fin. Le récit se divise en plusieurs volets et sous différents personnages. Les chapitres n’ont a peine que quelques pages et on change souvent de personnages, mais curieusement, ça n’affecte pas ou peu le rythme. En gros, l’auteur présente un cynisme de bêtise humaine avec en toile de fonds un « saint » suaire qui ne l’est pas, entouré de personnages caricaturaux que sont les moines soldats qui tuent pour l’amour de Dieu, une enquêtrice qui tolère se faire battre par son mari, une police italienne corrompue et de mèche avec le Vatican. La plus grande ironie révèle que les chrétiens vénèrent depuis des siècles un artéfact arabe qui aurait en fait causer leur perte lors de la reconquête de Jérusalem par Saladin.

[Giuseppe Ruotolo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had this on the shelf so I gave it a go. Just something to pass the time. The story itself it's not too bad although I found myself laughing at the choice of names for the Italian characters. Gattuso and Balotelli (Famous footballers), Craxi(famous politician) Pausini(famous singer) and get this...Tom Hix! Well he wasn't the famous cowboy of old silent films (Tom Mix) but surely he could have picked a more credible one!
The last Christer for me I'm afraid. Scott Mariani does this sort of thing much better.

[Si Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting and fun read, despite the ending feeling a bit rushed. I really enjoyed Mitzi's characterization, but I felt Nic was lacking a little something, so he wasn't one of my favourite characters to follow. I also enjoyed the Creeper storyline, making his lacklustre ending a bit disappointing. Still, I enjoyed a good 3/4 of the book!

I know it's hard not to compare a book like this to the wildly popular Da Vinci Code books, but actually, I think I enjoyed this a lot more! I'd be happy to read further books from this author.

[Robert Mehle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vrlo interesantna tema, sjajna, mistična ali Samu Christer-u nažalost ne dostaje ono nešto kako bi stil pisanja bio nekako sadržajniji. Od Michaela Conelly-a bi imao puno toga naučiti. Ne baš kvalitetno opisani likovi i sam proces kroz knjigu je nekako nedefiniran ... iako izuzetno interesantna tema nedostaje napetosti. Sve u svemu nije loše ali bi moglo biti bolje pogotovo s obzirom na odabir tema.

[Macarena · Rating 4 out of 5]

el autor de supera. QUe historia!!!.
cuando mezclas religion, poder y politica en un a novela, el resultado es de alto impacto. Si bien la novela es ficción, toda la trama podría, perfectamente, ser real!!. Por que la religion, poder y la política siempre han ido juntos ...y juntos son MUY PELIGROSOS.
Simplemente me encantó la pareja de policias, tan normales, pero tan decididos a resolver sus casos. Feliz seguiría leyendo sus aventuras,los imagino recorreindo el mundo e investigando casos.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a religious conspiracy novel and I enjoyed this.
is it as full of facts as dangerous browns stuff? no. is it as action packed as scott marinari? no.
does it have likeable characters and a story that keeps chugging along at a speed and complexity enough to keep you invested yes.
only one thing bugged me and that was attention to detail was lacking in a couple of areas the main one being when they kept forgetting which car the detective was driving

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever
No one knows where it came from.

No one knows when it was made.

But now, the greatest mystery in religious history holds the key to a present-day serial killer who devises savage, bizarre deaths for his victims.

And only two American cops, following a trail that stretches from California to the Vatican, can expose the secret of the Shroud.

[Maria Dorey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sat on my shelf for a good year... I chose to read all the hyped up 'top sellers' ahead of it.

That was a mistake!

If there's anything this book taught me it's that sometimes work by an author you've never heard of can blow the more popular ones out of the water.

Well worth a read!

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"U genima nema zla. Zli ljudi su zli zato što su tako odabrali."

Najveći vjerski misterij otkad postoji poznati svijet i sjajan triler u sadašnjosti, jake genetske veze i prilično dobar rasplet... Christer je sjajan, voljela bih da je prevedeno više njegovih romana.

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, time killer, but towards the end the story stretches a bit too far to be believable.

[Flemming Skorstengaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a great storie