From the Author of The Ancient Code comes a new thriller for all fans of Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, and mystery adventures.
When Sarah Wilderman is forced into an internship for the digital archive project DORESPRE in Seville to redeem herself after cheating on her exams, she expects it to be a slow summer. Then priests start getting burned alive and to stop the killer Sarah and her new boss Patrick Bauer must solve a century-old mystery. But the deeper they dive into the secrets of the Spanish Inquisition and the Vatican itself, the more they realize the danger they are in. Because the killer will do whatever it takes to keep the secrets hidden.
Theologically interesting tale of a former priest bow developing programs to put entire libraries on line, readily available for researchers and scholars and the regular person. Of course, someone doesn't want some documents readily available and murder ensues.
Another excellent addition to the professor/adventure canon! And leads with an intern this time :). Very enjoyable, and the only complaint is that it had to end. Getting caught up in these adventures is addicting and always the withdrawal leaves you looking for the next one.
The story structure is good, the main characters are well-developed, and the ending is satisfying. After a few chapters, I was undecided about whether I should continue reading it. I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt because I had already purchased the book. It took about eight chapters before it became compelling enough to continue reading. At times, the story dragged on when it could have progressed more quickly, and it would have been more compelling if it had been better edited. It would also have been a shorter but more satisfying read. There were errors in the text that interrupted the reading flow, making it irritating to read. The book contains misspelled words and words that look like they were mistakenly included in sentences. These words were obviously not meant to be included. The problems with this book could have been avoided if the book had been professionally edited. If it was edited by a person other than the author, I recommend the author hire a professional qualified editor. Hence, my rating of only 3 stars.
This was my first time reading one of T.S. Falk's novels and I found it to be a very solid read. The title is what drew me to reading it since I own, and have seen those on display in person, many of the deuterocanonical (apocrypha) books, and as such, enjoy novels that are centered around them in some way.
That said, I found this book to be a fun ride that could have easily been read in a single sitting. I did not get bored and the possible implications of such a book as depicted in the novel - in its entirety - finding its way into the public would definitely ruffle some feathers.
I found the two protagonists to be pretty tolerable, albeit Sarah had a lot of scenes where she overcame adversary by digging deep within herself and unleashing an inner resolve that had been implied was due to fairly 'hard' adolescent life, but when her past is brought up periodically, it appeared pretty standard and not at all riddled with the difficulty one would assume. That said, I'm glad her overcoming of some fairly dire situations were not outlandish and instead very believable.
Patrick was a good yin to her yang.
Conclusively, I look forward to seeing where these two are headed next and plan to grab another one of T.S. Falk's books because they're definitely fun reads.
I didn’t really know how to feel about it. It’s my first time reading an archaeology thriller. I liked it, especially all the information about churches and the Spanish Inquisition.
I’d give the plot twist a 4, to be honest. But for character development, relationships, and even the writing style, I’d give it a 3 because I’ve seen better.
I found the ending satisfying, although I didn’t like how Sarah described Dr. Patrick and her relationship with him. As for the characters, for example, I think Sarah is too aggressive, Patrick is too—how can I say it?—gentle and kind for her, and Jordan was just nonsense.
But in general, it was an easy read, full of new information that I really enjoyed. 🤍
I had read T.S. Falk a few years ago, got little tired of the Ancient Secrets series and just dropped it. Here we are with a new storyline, one that I find particularly interesting, so I thought this was going to knock it out of the park. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I can't quite put my finger on what it was missing.
The plot is solid, the twists are good, and the pacing I thought worked really well. Maybe it was the character development - I can't be sure. In any case, it was certainly an entertaining read while traveling and by the pool. If you're a fan of T.S. Falk, I would venture to say this one will be a good time.
I read every book from this author but this one felt disappointing. The plot seemed engaging but I found the main character dislikable. I found it hard to suspend disbelief and stopped reading 60% in.
Being an avid fan & thoroughly enjoying all Falk's previous adventures he gifts us here with another wild journey. Featuring a couple of previous members of his last series the story hurls you into a maelstrom of danger. Written in the impeccable style of Falk which is very rarely found these days I heartily recommend this exciting tale of daring do. It has the lot - danger, daring do & of course love.
I enjoyed reading this book, it wasn’t my first by Mr. Falk. I was a little concerned that it would rely too heavily on previous material, but it doesn’t. You can pick this up and read it and get its full measure. I’m trying to avoid spoilers, so all I can say is that it hit the mark for me and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Interesting premise, but the story is all over the place, it does not flow, there are many inconsistencies and most of the characters behave like dimwits. Speaking of characters: it is impossible to connect with any of them. The book has been compared to the Da Vinci Code — the only thing these two books have in common is that Apocrypha is a not-so-subtle copy of the Da Vinci Code plot. Totally forgettable.
I love reading books about the Vatican and Catholic faith. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a preachy book but one filled with breathtaking adventure and suspense. Twists and turns and I’m not catholic so I felt like I was also experiencing what the inner workings of the Church and the amazing majesty of the architecture and ancient books. But the real story was an amazing who done it and fighting for lives. I found another favorite author.
Apocrypha is TS Falk's masterpiece. Exquisitely researched and beautifully composed, Apocrypha will appeal to mystery and thriller fans alike. The twists and turns abound and just when you thunk you have it figured out, bam, more twists and turns. I enjoyed Apocrypha as much as any book in recent memory, I can't possibly recommend it highly enough!
Saying hair rising is downsizing the fear I had all along.
WHAT A BOOK!!! Not only making you think about the blackest time in the Christian history, but putting you in the front of a war between two special protagonists, against serial killers of the worst kind. Remarkable plot, mystery and underlying fear!
A young intern gets ousted from her college class for cheating which leads to her dismissal from the class! She manages to persuade them to allow her to work off the punishment by helping a professor with a task he working at and needs help! She agrees but the task becomes entangled with murders of some of those involved in the research she is performing!
A book with references to AI, but an author that can’t even use spell check!!
I was interested in the idea of this book, but an author should either have a strong grasp of spelling and grammar, or have a simple program for it. This author didn’t have either, and so they lost my interest completely. Very disappointing.
This is the first book I have read by T.S. Falk. It's a very good action story, with well developed characters. It could easily be written as an action movie, like some of the Dan Brown novels. I liked it, and enjoyed it as an entertainment. I will likely read the sequel to this one as entertainment.
I loved that Professor Brand was present in this novel, but as a side character. It was a very interesting read using history, Religion, and Archeology too give the story depth. The characters were unique and interesting. I loved it and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Some minor issue; Hugo didn’t write the Musketeers books, Dumas did, a few other little things that did not corrupt the story. Good characters, fast moving events. I liked it and recommend the author.
A well written police drama and history yarn with murder, religion and a touch of romance. This will some day be a blockbuster movie I would love to see even if it might be PG-13 rated. 😁
If this book doesn't keep you up past your bed time and cause you to read during the day then I don't know what else there is. I'm going to continue to read everything this person has written. And will continue to share my thoughts openly.
I really enjoyed this book. Mystery, a hunt, serial killers, religion and debates. Characters are well fleshed out and while romance is there its not the main theme. Just a fun book.
Absolutely incredible story line, strong character building, terrific plot twists and a complete edge of the seat page turner in all aspects. Terrific work and looking forward to read more from the author in the future.
The main character is awful and entirely unlikeable, and the love story is atrocious. The main plot was interesting and entertaining enough, so once I started skipping over large swaths of dialogue between the two protagonists, I was able to power through and finish the book.
I was hoping sarah & Patrick get back together for another story of adventure. The best thing about a story is that it's not someone you know who involved.
Good story but too.much girl power and anti religion.
Story was interesting and engaging. Too bad the author out in too much 'woman knows everything', religion is bad, church doesn't value woman liberal nonsense. All the over done liberal talking points are sooo old.
Really like the research and trials to get from one set of clues to the next. Had you guessing at every turn. Fantastic journey and suspense it was great, loved the chase and adventures.they
Standalone novel set in Falk’s Ancient Code universe. This one takes on a religious twist as a series of murders are seemingly connected to the Spanish Inquisition and the search for a lost gospel.
Fun read and a solid 4 stars. Very fast paced book in my opinion and a few nights of late reading. Good character development on the two main characters. Some nice twists in the story.
As a Dan Brown fan I found this book great. Falk hit it out of the park with his quirky character development and created a wonderful plot that kept me entertained for hours.