The Second Coming: A Thriller

The Shroud #2

by John Heubusch

In this thrilling sequel to The Shroud Conspiracy, a child cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin has the potential to save the world - or destroy it for good.

When a fallen angel is mistakenly resurrected from the blood of an evil "Watcher" taken from the Shroud of Turin, the fiend's first gift to the world is an unstoppable plague. Dr. Jon Bondurant, the forensic anthropologist and avowed atheist, joins with devout Domenika Josef to bring another child of the Shroud into the world to save it, this one borne of DNA believed to be that of Jesus Christ. Can this child be the answer to their - and mankind's - prayers?

His parents are uncertain just who the child is or what he will become, but when he starts demonstrating remarkable powers to heal, they begin to understand that whatever he is, he is not of this world. Might he bring miracles to the world when it needs them the most? Or has science given mankind a tool with which it will destroy itself as the tempting power of the Watcher unfolds?

This globe-spanning chase to uncover the truth and stop a pandemic that just may wipe out humanity once and for all is a fast-paced, explosive thriller.

Genres: Fantasy

Audible Audio

Published August 14, 2018

About the author

John Heubusch has had a vast career in philanthropy, politics, public service, and the Fortune 500. He has served as the first president of the Waitt Institute, a nonprofit research organization founded by Ted Waitt and dedicated to historic discovery and scientific exploration, and where he helped lead to the discovery, authentication, and preservation of the famed lost Gospel of Judas, the ancient text deemed to be heretical and ordered destroyed by the early Christian Church. In 2007, he spearheaded the organization’s first deep-sea expedition to solve one of the last great American mysteries: the disappearance of Amelia Earhart during her famed circumnavigation flight of the globe in 1937. Cited often by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, Heubusch has been a contributing writer for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Forbes, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and other leading publications. He is presently the executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Heubusch stunned me with the opening novel in this series, mixing science and religion to posit what might happen if genetic material could be gleaned from the Shroud of Turin. Continuing where the drama left off, Heybusch furthers the story and explores the fallout of a Revelation-type End of Days situation inches closer to reality. After Dr. Jon Bondurant is able to remove the woman he loves, Domenika Jozef, from the clutches of the Demanian Church, a religious sect keen on pushing human cloning well into the future, they must come to terms with a personal loss. Domenika had been kidnapped and bore what the Demanians thought was the cloned Jesus, after taking DNA samples from the Shroud of Turin. However, a second sample of DNA was found on the Shroud, that of a Watcher, a fallen angel. This Watcher is the child left with the Demanians and who has begun his time on earth causing demonstrable havoc. India has been plagued with a devastating illness with no cure; something that puts the Spanish Flu to shame. With no known cure, health officials the world over are baffled as to how to handle it, as more of the world’s population succumbs each day. Knowing that they cannot stand idly by, Jon Bondurant and Domenika Jozef work alongside the Vatican to obtain a ‘pure’ sample of Jesus’ blood to clone their own offspring, the only one who might be able to save the world. Through some less than savoury acts, they are able to bring forth another child in Domenika’s womb and she bears this child, whom they call Christopher. As the years pass, Christopher proves to be a miraculous child and one who can perform many acts thought unknown, including curing the baffling illness plaguing India and elsewhere. Jon, Domenika, and Christopher all become targets of the Demanians, who have started to grow in popularity as the Vatican continues to wrestle with the ongoing issue of child abuse. With the Demanians holding their own weapon, the Vatican can do little but hope that Christopher grows into a man that has the ability to hold onto all that is pure. The stage is set for a battle of Good vs. Evil, Catholic Church vs. Demanian Sect, Science vs. Faith. A brilliant follow-up novel that keeps the reader hooked to the very end and leaves a tumultuous ending. Fans of a good religious thriller may enjoy this, though it is not recommended for the truly devout who wish not to have the Catholic Church knocked of its self-developed pedestal once again.

Heubusch used his first novel to present a foundation of science working alongside faith and the strains both possess as they seek to push to their limits. The ending left the door open with the Demanians in possession of a cloned and reborn Watcher, which sounds much more dramatic than the story presents. Now, it is time to see the fallout and how the key characters will move forward to process this and seek to rectify the imbalance. Jon Bondurant and Domenika Jozef are again great protagonists with much depth. Together, they offer the reader a wonderful means of seeing the narrative from the side of Good, though are by no means united in all regards. Bondurant has a secret, one that might fuel his strong atheistic views and shape the vigorous science-centred beliefs of his past and ongoing research. Domenika knows all about this, though has kept it from the man she loves, a secret sure to rot away at the foundation of their connection. They struggle throughout the piece not only to protect their ‘son’ Christopher, but to battle the inner demons that have created such a strain. Heubusch develops the Demanian Church more completely in this novel. What was a passing sect in the opening novel has now turned into the centre of a movement to dethrone the Catholic Church entirely. Heubusch weaves this narrative together effectively with key characters on both sides of the battle, all while injecting a flavour of End of Days being on the horizon. The remaining cast fits in nicely, all of whom add flavour and intensity to an already exciting narrative. Heubusch has crafted them perfectly and the reader cannot help but get lost in the well-grounded perspectives offers throughout the novel, which presents the theme from a variety of angles. The narrative does get bogged down at times with details regarding Christian history and Catholic dogma, but the story would not be as captivating with only superficial discussions of these topics. Heubusch has taken the time to get everything in order, creating a timely story at a time when Good and Evil seems to be ever-present. While some may look at the dust cover, the title, or even my summary and feel this is something that could only be enjoyed by the devout who want to hear all about their Saviour. It is not a ‘born-again’ piece of fiction with Jesus saving us all and the author injecting their own sermon on how to be saved in time. Rather, it takes much of the Christian foundation of End of Days and explores it through some strong arguments geared towards those who love a well-paced thriller. With a rapid pace and some subplots that demand answers, Heubusch shows that he has an excellent handle on his writing and can captivate the reader in short order.

Kudos, Mr. Heubusch, for another great piece that keeps the reader hooked. I can only hope there is more to come from you soon.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent thriller. It is rare that a sequel is better than the first book ("The Shroud Cospiracy"), but this one was more exciting.

[Richard W. McCuistian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written - a page turner with lots of twists and surprises, rich and powerful. This book proves that a thriller doesn't have to be laced with foul language to be a great read. The characters are well developed and the plotline well developed - this from a man who had never written a book before "The Shroud Conspiracy" which, as a prequel to this one, is a must-read. As a matter of fact, you should definitely read the prequel before reading this one. It's just as powerful and provides a LOT of necessary background on the characters. I'm usually reading three books at a time, and this one edged the other ones aside. Each time I laid it down, I couldn't wait to get back to it. It's gritty in places because of the nature of the story, but outstanding on every level.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I liked this one better than the first book, but you should read that one so you are fully clued in on all the background. Basically what is scientists cloned the dna from the Shroud of Turin? That was book one. This one is when we find out there were two sources of dna on the shroud and the wrong one was cloned (and is evil). It’s paced pretty well. It was good, but not a thriller to me. I was not turning pages holding my breath.

[DanTheMan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid Thriller
The Second Coming, by John Heubusch, is a fairly solid supernatural thriller with an unorthodox, yet exciting plot. It deals heavily with the topic of cloning and how the hubris of scientists who think they can create life. The main story and the science behind it was very interesting; the downside is that the characters felt very cliché and predictable in their actions. Overall, I would recommend this to fans of Biblical supernatural.

[Susan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great ending to the first book in series. Jon Bondurant, Father parenti and domenika are all in hiding from Meyer who has cloned a child from the blood of the shroud. Only thing is his child is an evil watcher who sets a plague onto the earth. Had to put the book down, well worth reading.

[Claudia Gerwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting take on the unintended consequences of trying to act like a god. Good ending to the thriller started with The Shroud Conspiracy. Hope Heubusch picks another historical icon or relic to write about.

[LAMONT D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I THOUGHT I MIGHT AS WELL READ THE SEQUEL AND IT WAS WORTH IT. NOTHING I WOULD NECESSARILY GO OUT AND PROMOTE TO THE MASSES, BUT GOOD WINS OVER EVIL IN THE END AND THE PLOT IS INTERESTING SINCE IT INVOLVES A WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC.

[Scott Lapidus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. As good as the 1st Shroud book.

[R. Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nail -biting drama, a page-turner, a great reading

What a great book! I hope there is a third part to it. John Heubusch did it agai . Well developed story.

[Giovanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to an excellent book. I enjoyed it a lot and looking forward to the next adventure of Bondurant.

[Elizabeth Swift · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not challenging, but the story had some surprises (in that, while you knew they had to be there, you didn't expect how they turned out. Fun as thriller and follow up to The Shroud

[Tarja · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really interesting story! Maybe we get next book soon

[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent thriller

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on cloning.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book...long drawn out ending..but interesting

[Chanthaina Handfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A real good read

A good read with a few unexpected twist
but so relevant to our current world. A must read with an open mind.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Same as the first. It was a great storyline, but could have been written better. Lots of repeating to catch the reader up that is totally unecessary.

[Brian OCONNOR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giid f=ollow-up and conclusion to the first book the Shrounfd. Much more of a page turner

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0

[bob robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing-- I didn't know if the sequel would match up to the greatness of the first novel, however, I was pleasantly mistaken. amazing read. one of my tops!