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Payne & Jones #2
Sign of the Cross
This format of the book is out-of-print. If you'd like a new copy of SIGN OF THE CROSS, click on the "Kindle" or "audio" version of the book.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
134 people are currently reading
3238 people want to read
About the author
Chris Kuzneski
25 books1,207 followersChris Kuzneski is the #1 international bestselling & New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels and one novella. His thrillers have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. One of his books (THE HUNTERS) is currently being made into a major motion picture, and another (THE PRISONER’S GOLD) won an ITW Thriller Award for Book of the Year.
Armed with witty prose, a unique narrative voice, and a penchant for blackmail, Kuzneski has garnered praise from many of the top authors in the world: James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Allison Brennan, W.E.B. Griffin, Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, John Gilstrap, Raymond Khoury, David Morrell, Andrew Gross, Joseph Finder, Jeremy Robinson, and his writing idol, Clive Cussler.
Simply put, his books are awesome.
A former football player at the University of Pittsburgh, Kuzneski worked as a journalist until he realized it was easier to make stuff up in the comfort of his own home. He has been writing fiction and sleeping in ever since. The only thing that has slowed him down is his obvious need for a pen name, since most people don't know how to spell or pronounce 'Kuzneski'. [Hint: Seven of the letters are silent.]
Armed with witty prose, a unique narrative voice, and a penchant for blackmail, Kuzneski has garnered praise from many of the top authors in the world: James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Allison Brennan, W.E.B. Griffin, Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, John Gilstrap, Raymond Khoury, David Morrell, Andrew Gross, Joseph Finder, Jeremy Robinson, and his writing idol, Clive Cussler.
Simply put, his books are awesome.
A former football player at the University of Pittsburgh, Kuzneski worked as a journalist until he realized it was easier to make stuff up in the comfort of his own home. He has been writing fiction and sleeping in ever since. The only thing that has slowed him down is his obvious need for a pen name, since most people don't know how to spell or pronounce 'Kuzneski'. [Hint: Seven of the letters are silent.]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 295 reviews
July 22, 2008
Have you ever had that experience that occurs when people find out that you're a reader and so the next time they see you, they're clutching a book in hand that they force upon you while insisting that you read it? And not when you can get around to it, oh, no, they want you to read it NOW. They look so damn hopeful that you, too, will love it that you just can't say no. That's how I came upon this little turd-nugget of a book. This is one of the most pitifully written books I've ever read. Every other chapter ends with a statement like, "Little did he know that in two hours, he would be dead" or "Little did she know that she held in her hands a secret that could destroy history." Gee, foreshadow much? It reads as though it was written by a testosterone fueled 13 year old boy who just can't stuff a story with enough oozing blood, explosions, high tech weaponry, fast cars, and macho banter between two special ops characters. Now mind you, I'm all for the mindless bit of entertaining fluff as long as it's well written. However, this is so terribly written that I found myself groaning aloud and longing to fling it across the room. But I couldn't, because I have to return it and, with a forced smile, say it was entertaining and that, no, I have far too many books to read, so I really can't accept another.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
October 31, 2009
This book was so bad, I am embarrassed for the publisher. (Come on, Penguin, did you run out of Jane Austen novels to reprint or something?) It appears to have been researched on Wikipedia over a couple of lattes at the local Starbucks. Laced with painfully dated pop-culture references, preposterous dialog, and demeaning stereotypes, this book reads more like Dan Brown fan fiction penned by the author's high school students. Students to whom he apparently never explained the concept of verisimilitude. I could go on but I do not wish to waste any more of my time on this book. Do yourself a favor and don't waste yours.
January 18, 2014
It could be an interesting story... if it would be properly written!.
He tries too hard to give the two "main characters" a super-cool-cop personality which doesn't really work; gives hints what's going to happen next at the end of every chapter which I believe it's intended to keep the suspense, but does exactly the opposite! and keeps writing "anyway" and "anyhow" which does not make a good writing style, but feels more like some macho-wanna-be is trying to tell a story in a bar, specially when he mentions things such as "his body odour screamed European"... I beg your pardon?!?
What I disliked the most is the lack of proper research: talks about European border crossing as if there are actual borders when, in fact, one could drive all the way from Portugal to Greece without having to stop at any border whatsoever!
He tries too hard to give the two "main characters" a super-cool-cop personality which doesn't really work; gives hints what's going to happen next at the end of every chapter which I believe it's intended to keep the suspense, but does exactly the opposite! and keeps writing "anyway" and "anyhow" which does not make a good writing style, but feels more like some macho-wanna-be is trying to tell a story in a bar, specially when he mentions things such as "his body odour screamed European"... I beg your pardon?!?
What I disliked the most is the lack of proper research: talks about European border crossing as if there are actual borders when, in fact, one could drive all the way from Portugal to Greece without having to stop at any border whatsoever!
September 4, 2019
I am adding and reviewing this book two years later and so, can't go much into details.However,this book was a one of a kind.Not in a good way,but not in a bad either.The plot was a twisting, action-packed and thrilling journey with a diverse,humorous cast of characters.I have seen the criticisms for this book and nevertheless,I think it deserves at least a 3.5 stars/5. The only bad thing I can think of right now is that I wish the book had never been so into depth and detailed in the theological aspect. I know-I know,the whole book is surrounded around the religious mystery.I just wish it never had went into the gritty details,because it can be uncomfortable at times.I would be okay if it kept the religious-thriller theme but just as a plot twist or an overview.As I am used to reading Agatha Christie and British crime fiction, it was a really refreshing change in atmosphere and perspective,to be reading from an American/European view.The characters,particularly the villains,were so realistic and jarring,and frightening to know that these kind of people exist in the world.The baddies reaped their reward,and my babies lived happily-ever-after(even though I technically can't be their mother at this age.Disappointing :( ). I did,also,appreciate,the nonchalant,hilarious,cool as well as witty personality of the main character,in contrast to the uptight,no-nonsense,genius stereotypical, fictional detectives in most crime fiction stories. Highly recommend this to mystery/sadists/Agatha Christie fans/crime-fiction addicts.
November 30, 2017
Μου θύμισε περισσότερο σενάριο περιπέτειας και όχι μυθιστόρημα. Άσε που νομίζω ότι προσπαθούσε να πιάσει τον Νταν Μπράουν...
January 15, 2019
enjoy the banter between the two main (hero's) characters and the fast paced all action story with good interesting story lines
October 26, 2014
First of all I don't compare books with others books, because they ought to be reviewed based on the book alone. So yeah...
I don't know how I ended up reading this, but I did which is awesome. I really enjoyed the suspense, the thrill, the mystery and the humor, especially.It had me gripping the book half the time, the thrill and the suspense it gave me. It had me going to bed really early, like 3 or 4 in the morning just to fulfill my desire to know what would happen next. That's how good that book is in my opinion. Also, the humor that had me laughing, Jon and DJ's banter it's so good. I really can't put much words as to how much I loved this book.
I don't know how I ended up reading this, but I did which is awesome. I really enjoyed the suspense, the thrill, the mystery and the humor, especially.It had me gripping the book half the time, the thrill and the suspense it gave me. It had me going to bed really early, like 3 or 4 in the morning just to fulfill my desire to know what would happen next. That's how good that book is in my opinion. Also, the humor that had me laughing, Jon and DJ's banter it's so good. I really can't put much words as to how much I loved this book.
December 3, 2017
If you enjoyed Dan Brown's DaVinci Code & Angels & Demons, you will like this book. It starts with some mysterious person crucifying Vatican priests on 3 different continents, & it goes from there on a thrill ride that includes secrets that could turn the Catholic church on it's ear. Great read, it hooks you from the first paragraph!
November 22, 2014
Sometimes when I'm reading a book I'm not sure if I'm meant to be excited, enrapt, or cringing. It's taken me a few days to arrive at a decision and I've decided to cringe.
Sign of the Cross is a fast paced action adventure novel in the vein of Steve Berry, James Rollins, or that guy who wrote the book that annoyed the Pope; what was his name? In the second instalment of Payne and Jones' adventures, the mercenaries are hired to hunt down two archaeologists who have uncovered a secret that could bring down the Catholic Church. Meanwhile a team of killers are reenacting the crucifixion, because, you know, that's what Jesus would have wanted. With everyone hunting for Payne, Jones and their pet archaeologists, and a few murderers running around, who at the Vatican knows and who wants the secret, and do they want it for power or payback?
This is the first Chris Kuzneski book I've read, and it will be my last. Now that I've had time to reflect upon the story and writing, I'm actually surprised I finished the novel. Kuzneski came up in my recommendations because he writes fast paced adventure novels like two of my favourite authors, the previously mentioned Berry and Rollins. Unlike those two, however, Kuzneski takes all of the same ingredients for a novel, mixes them in an overly large bowl (the book is over 400 pages), and manages to make gruel.
The novel started well, but I noticed myself cringing at the end of the chapters with the ham-fisted foreshadowing. This continued until I would start preemptively cringing as I reached the end of each chapter. Seriously, it felt like the end of every scene or chapter Kuzneski would have a line like "Little did they know that only two of them would return." But wait, there is more. There is an underlying casual sexism and racism to the novel that is unintentional, but jarring. An early scene has one of the characters, Nick Dial, surprised to see a woman Interpol agent. Not that Nick was sexist, women could be just as good as men....... No, Nick explained that he wasn't sexist, but some of his bosses weren't as open minded. Yeah. I'm not sexist, but....
These two points are just the major problems I had with the writing of this novel. And it is mainly the writing that lets this book down. In the example I just mentioned, there are many ways authors could discuss Nick's surprise at seeing a woman on the job. But the way the scene was written it sounded like the author was desperately trying to sound progressive and PC. This poor writing happened throughout the book, which actually has a reasonable plot, a bit of humour, and great pacing. Some readers may not notice these issues, although I note many reviews complain about the foreshadowing, and it was entertaining enough for me to finish reading, so others may find this enjoyable. But I would recommend reading anything by Steve Berry or James Rollins instead.
Sign of the Cross is a fast paced action adventure novel in the vein of Steve Berry, James Rollins, or that guy who wrote the book that annoyed the Pope; what was his name? In the second instalment of Payne and Jones' adventures, the mercenaries are hired to hunt down two archaeologists who have uncovered a secret that could bring down the Catholic Church. Meanwhile a team of killers are reenacting the crucifixion, because, you know, that's what Jesus would have wanted. With everyone hunting for Payne, Jones and their pet archaeologists, and a few murderers running around, who at the Vatican knows and who wants the secret, and do they want it for power or payback?
This is the first Chris Kuzneski book I've read, and it will be my last. Now that I've had time to reflect upon the story and writing, I'm actually surprised I finished the novel. Kuzneski came up in my recommendations because he writes fast paced adventure novels like two of my favourite authors, the previously mentioned Berry and Rollins. Unlike those two, however, Kuzneski takes all of the same ingredients for a novel, mixes them in an overly large bowl (the book is over 400 pages), and manages to make gruel.
The novel started well, but I noticed myself cringing at the end of the chapters with the ham-fisted foreshadowing. This continued until I would start preemptively cringing as I reached the end of each chapter. Seriously, it felt like the end of every scene or chapter Kuzneski would have a line like "Little did they know that only two of them would return." But wait, there is more. There is an underlying casual sexism and racism to the novel that is unintentional, but jarring. An early scene has one of the characters, Nick Dial, surprised to see a woman Interpol agent. Not that Nick was sexist, women could be just as good as men....... No, Nick explained that he wasn't sexist, but some of his bosses weren't as open minded. Yeah. I'm not sexist, but....
These two points are just the major problems I had with the writing of this novel. And it is mainly the writing that lets this book down. In the example I just mentioned, there are many ways authors could discuss Nick's surprise at seeing a woman on the job. But the way the scene was written it sounded like the author was desperately trying to sound progressive and PC. This poor writing happened throughout the book, which actually has a reasonable plot, a bit of humour, and great pacing. Some readers may not notice these issues, although I note many reviews complain about the foreshadowing, and it was entertaining enough for me to finish reading, so others may find this enjoyable. But I would recommend reading anything by Steve Berry or James Rollins instead.
May 12, 2011
Found this book in the effort of finding good-quality religious thrillers like Dan Brown's. Sign of the Cross is an okay book, pretty mainstream as in it's not Dan-Brown-good but it's not trash either. Everything's there: action, conspiracy, Christian leaders, cops--so it can't be too bad. The only downside to this is the believability in the details of the story. I find it so simplistic and lacking details at times, and the characters are unbelievably lucky at times too. Like avoiding a bullet. Or a lucky escape. Or stumbling into some important findings without much apparent effort. Maybe the author can't be bothered going into too much detail and effort in detailing how the characters pursued the objectives of the missions?
September 19, 2021
This started off okay but then bolted off at a pace that left me confused 🤔
October 30, 2023
2.5 rounded up
Hard to judge this one, very readable but also simplistic in execution. I quite liked the plot and the uncovering of a mass religious conspiracy that has spanned since the dawning of Christianity but also could cause offense to parties sensitive to that topic.
In terms of the writing and storytelling, it did a few things that I don’t love in a murder mystery like using leading sentences e.g “and little did they know that in X hours something would happen”. It also used A LOT of stereotypes to get nationalities of the characters across which was a little cringy IMO.
Ok read, it certainly has an audience, I don’t think I’m it. I
Hard to judge this one, very readable but also simplistic in execution. I quite liked the plot and the uncovering of a mass religious conspiracy that has spanned since the dawning of Christianity but also could cause offense to parties sensitive to that topic.
In terms of the writing and storytelling, it did a few things that I don’t love in a murder mystery like using leading sentences e.g “and little did they know that in X hours something would happen”. It also used A LOT of stereotypes to get nationalities of the characters across which was a little cringy IMO.
Ok read, it certainly has an audience, I don’t think I’m it. I
February 1, 2021
Really, really, really bad.
If you are about to go on holiday, and you rush through an airport, and pick up a paperback to read, then this is the book for you. It's fast paced, non-stop in fact, for 600 pages, it rips along, no great detail to bog you down. But also it's like popcorn, tastes good in the moment, but after leaves you utterly unfulfilled, still hungry and you wonder what you just ate.
The thing is, this book went on to spawn about 15 sequels, so it's popular. It's like a Dan Brown type story, historic fact mixed with fiction, people racing around across the globe, chasing clues, trying to unravel an ancient mystery that will have an impact on the modern world, and change everything forever!!!
So if that is all you want, go for it.
Now the truth, the characters are wafer thin, stereotypes that are so painful it physically hurts. Even the main two characters, who are the leads in this and the rest of the series, are so two dimensional it's ridiculous. Here's the other thing, I wonder if the author got all of his information on other nations from the internet and the same goes for the people. Every single time an Italian character gets excited, they say Mamma Mia!! I am not kidding. Either he was playing a lot of Super Mario or watching a lot of Ragu adverts but that is what he thinks Italian people say all the time. Same goes for the English character, every single time he is on the page, he says, my dear, to his colleague, it's like a bad drinking game and by 50 pages in you would drunk. Same for her, she always calls the mentor, Professore. All. The. Time. It's the worst kind of ignorance. And stereotyping.
The dialogue is appalling. None of it sounds realistic. Female characters get short shrift, other stereotypes are scattered throughout. I just struggled to care about anything or anyone.
Oh, and the end of every single chapter ends on a cliffhanger. That's great, in theory. Except the author then had to add a "Little did he know the man would be dead in 2 hours" almost every time again. It's not a hook. It's a tedious annoying repetitive crutch and it doesn't work.
As I said at the start, this is book 2 (the first was self published) and there are a lot more books about Jones and Payne, so someone loves these books. Boys adventure books I have heard them described and I was in the mood for some Indiana Jones type historic adventure. What I got was so bad. I'm not going to read any more of these as apparently they are just more of the same. Not for me at all.
If you are about to go on holiday, and you rush through an airport, and pick up a paperback to read, then this is the book for you. It's fast paced, non-stop in fact, for 600 pages, it rips along, no great detail to bog you down. But also it's like popcorn, tastes good in the moment, but after leaves you utterly unfulfilled, still hungry and you wonder what you just ate.
The thing is, this book went on to spawn about 15 sequels, so it's popular. It's like a Dan Brown type story, historic fact mixed with fiction, people racing around across the globe, chasing clues, trying to unravel an ancient mystery that will have an impact on the modern world, and change everything forever!!!
So if that is all you want, go for it.
Now the truth, the characters are wafer thin, stereotypes that are so painful it physically hurts. Even the main two characters, who are the leads in this and the rest of the series, are so two dimensional it's ridiculous. Here's the other thing, I wonder if the author got all of his information on other nations from the internet and the same goes for the people. Every single time an Italian character gets excited, they say Mamma Mia!! I am not kidding. Either he was playing a lot of Super Mario or watching a lot of Ragu adverts but that is what he thinks Italian people say all the time. Same goes for the English character, every single time he is on the page, he says, my dear, to his colleague, it's like a bad drinking game and by 50 pages in you would drunk. Same for her, she always calls the mentor, Professore. All. The. Time. It's the worst kind of ignorance. And stereotyping.
The dialogue is appalling. None of it sounds realistic. Female characters get short shrift, other stereotypes are scattered throughout. I just struggled to care about anything or anyone.
Oh, and the end of every single chapter ends on a cliffhanger. That's great, in theory. Except the author then had to add a "Little did he know the man would be dead in 2 hours" almost every time again. It's not a hook. It's a tedious annoying repetitive crutch and it doesn't work.
As I said at the start, this is book 2 (the first was self published) and there are a lot more books about Jones and Payne, so someone loves these books. Boys adventure books I have heard them described and I was in the mood for some Indiana Jones type historic adventure. What I got was so bad. I'm not going to read any more of these as apparently they are just more of the same. Not for me at all.
October 30, 2019
There were parts of this I really enjoyed (the historical factoids and the archeological aspect) but then there were the parts that I found corny and convenient, way too easy plot points that felt a little lazy. I might give this author another try - some of his other books sound really interesting - but if I get a hint of the stuff that took place in this book, I'm out.
December 24, 2014
This story was fast-paced, full of action, mystery, history and a fun entertaining read. Payne and Jones are great characters and add a great deal to the story. Looking forward to my next adventure with these two wonderful characters.
June 30, 2011
Extremely bad writing and plot. The most apalling book I've read all year.
November 3, 2022
A Vatican priest is found dead on a Danish shore. He was nailed to the cross, exactly like what happened to the Jesus. The crimes repeat in Africa and Asia. A serial killer on loose? Or is this related to the religion?
Meanwhile an archaeologist unearths a scroll dating back two thousand years revealing secrets that could rock the foundation of Christianity. What exactly happened two thousand years ago? What Romans had to do with Christianity?
This discovery makes him the most wanted criminal in all of Europe. Can he survive?
Jonathan Payne and DJ who worked in a secret military programme are recruited to find the archaeologist. But were they told the truth?
All those incidents are interconnected and who will reach for the truth first?
There are many historical references which intrigued me to find more about those incidents. This was indeed a good read for me.
Meanwhile an archaeologist unearths a scroll dating back two thousand years revealing secrets that could rock the foundation of Christianity. What exactly happened two thousand years ago? What Romans had to do with Christianity?
This discovery makes him the most wanted criminal in all of Europe. Can he survive?
Jonathan Payne and DJ who worked in a secret military programme are recruited to find the archaeologist. But were they told the truth?
All those incidents are interconnected and who will reach for the truth first?
There are many historical references which intrigued me to find more about those incidents. This was indeed a good read for me.
June 29, 2019
This was probably a 3.5 book for me. It was fairly fast paced and kept my attention. There were a few things that annoyed me about it though.
The main issue I had was the number of statements that kind of gave away what was going to happen. Statements like “little did they know only two would be returning” or “if only she knew she was about to make a breakthrough”. Once or twice would be ok but they were everywhere and it started to get annoying.
The book does have a “Davinci code” feel about it. If you liked the Davinci code you may also enjoy this.
The main issue I had was the number of statements that kind of gave away what was going to happen. Statements like “little did they know only two would be returning” or “if only she knew she was about to make a breakthrough”. Once or twice would be ok but they were everywhere and it started to get annoying.
The book does have a “Davinci code” feel about it. If you liked the Davinci code you may also enjoy this.
October 23, 2025
This had so much potential! The storyline itself was intriguing, but the author ruined it with stereotypes and cringe worthy dialogue.
January 24, 2018
This is a rather lame Dan Brown imitation: an ancient archaeological find threatens to destroy Christianity in general, and the Catholic church in particular. Instead, the book itself is destroyed by the central premise of its plot —which is utterly ludicrous to anyone who knows anything about the early church and/or Roman history in the 1st century AD. Kuzneski would have us believe that the resurrection of Christ was faked by the Roman Emperor Tiberius, in order to found a new religion that would cause lots of much-needed cash to flow into the empire's coffers! If you believe that, you'll believe anything. Quite apart from the mind-boggling proposition that a Roman emperor would fake a new religion way off on the outskirts of his empire in the mere HOPE that it would take the Roman world by storm, there's the unfounded assumption that this would cause riches to flow into the imperial treasury. If that was Tiberius' aim, he would hardly have chosen a dirt-poor rural Jew as the subject of his hoax! Christianity spread initially among the working classes of the empire. They gave no offerings to "the church"—they simply helped out if any of their number were in need. Having said that, the book is not badly written, and I read it through to the end just to see how the idiocy finally worked out. But then he goes and shoots himself in the foot in the Epilogue! Having led us to believe all along that this is the end of Christianity as we know it, he suddenly reverses all that, tells us the hoax failed and that Christ's resurrection was genuine after all! It's amazing what tosh gets into print.
March 23, 2008
Although, like so many of these thrillers, it falters towards the end as everything has to get tied up without too many loose ends, this is one of the better contributions to the conspiracy/thriller genre in terms of straight simple story telling.
It precedes Sword of God as a Payne/Jones actioner and, although the second is better in writing, plotting and, dare one even contemplate the term, credibility, this is a good read, simply because Kuzneski does not try to be over-educated to his audience.
His explanations of events (far from reliable but who cares) are short and to-the-point without those long boring serious passages where lesser mortals try to persuade us that they read the Vatican Library as part of their research.
Kuzneski just wants to entertain us and the only things that you might need warning about is that it has its gruesome moments (but much less so than the sequel) and there are many points when he would have been burned by the inquisition for blasphemy - certainly not a comfortable book for evangelicals and opus dei catholics.
Kuzneski seems blithely unaware that he is tampering with stuff that can get you killed in many countries - and his next book does to Islam (though more charitably) what he does to Catholicism in this one. What next - a story about a group of Buddhist killers, 'Jews for the apocalypse' or Shinto world domination? Kuzneski has the chutzpah ...
It precedes Sword of God as a Payne/Jones actioner and, although the second is better in writing, plotting and, dare one even contemplate the term, credibility, this is a good read, simply because Kuzneski does not try to be over-educated to his audience.
His explanations of events (far from reliable but who cares) are short and to-the-point without those long boring serious passages where lesser mortals try to persuade us that they read the Vatican Library as part of their research.
Kuzneski just wants to entertain us and the only things that you might need warning about is that it has its gruesome moments (but much less so than the sequel) and there are many points when he would have been burned by the inquisition for blasphemy - certainly not a comfortable book for evangelicals and opus dei catholics.
Kuzneski seems blithely unaware that he is tampering with stuff that can get you killed in many countries - and his next book does to Islam (though more charitably) what he does to Catholicism in this one. What next - a story about a group of Buddhist killers, 'Jews for the apocalypse' or Shinto world domination? Kuzneski has the chutzpah ...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2023
"Sign of the Cross" proves that just because a book is published doesn't mean it's any good. The author, riding the popularity of the super-secret religious thriller wave (thanks, Dan Brown!), sets up a mystery involving Jesus that only a pair of wise-cracking cops can solve.
I'm all for literary fluff - a good mindless read that requires the suspension of belief, but the writing here is simply atrocious. The plot is predictable, but most of the plots of this genre are. Where Kuzneski fails is in the development of his characters and his heavy-handed foreboding.
The two main characters are two cop buddies straight out of the stereotype textbook. Their development goes nowhere, and the reader's only sense of who these two men are is a laundry list of predictable wise-cracks and puns.
The whole point of a mystery/thriller is to build suspense and keep the reader guessing - and turning the page - to learn the truth. This is impossible to do when the author ends each chapter with some cliched phrase like "...little did he know that he was about to change history."
Overall, this book is a waste of time. If you are looking for a thriller or even an easy beach read, you'd be better served to look elsewhere.
I'm all for literary fluff - a good mindless read that requires the suspension of belief, but the writing here is simply atrocious. The plot is predictable, but most of the plots of this genre are. Where Kuzneski fails is in the development of his characters and his heavy-handed foreboding.
The two main characters are two cop buddies straight out of the stereotype textbook. Their development goes nowhere, and the reader's only sense of who these two men are is a laundry list of predictable wise-cracks and puns.
The whole point of a mystery/thriller is to build suspense and keep the reader guessing - and turning the page - to learn the truth. This is impossible to do when the author ends each chapter with some cliched phrase like "...little did he know that he was about to change history."
Overall, this book is a waste of time. If you are looking for a thriller or even an easy beach read, you'd be better served to look elsewhere.
December 27, 2012
Sign of the cross
Author Chris Kuzneski.
Genre: thriller, Christian mythology
Publisher
ISBN
An interesting fictional thriller, narrated in a comfortable pace. The author takes us through the Christian lore, and the politically savvy Roman Empire. He has used the available roman historic factors and academic debates to weave a thriller from Boston to Beijing, from Denmark to Libya while the action is cantered at the intersection in the catacombs of Orvieto. Where an archaeologist uncovers an ancient scroll dating back two thousand years. A scroll that holds the key to a dark and treacherous secret that could rock the very foundation of the church.
Chris Kuzneski focuses on story, action and history with a vague hint of romance making the book very interesting. Glad I discovered a new author in my favourite genre.
About the author. Chris Kuzneski is a New York Times best selling American author. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages and have been published in more than 40 countries. Born sept.2nd 1969, in Indiana is the alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh. Catch him on http://www.chriskuzneski.com
Author Chris Kuzneski.
Genre: thriller, Christian mythology
Publisher
ISBN
An interesting fictional thriller, narrated in a comfortable pace. The author takes us through the Christian lore, and the politically savvy Roman Empire. He has used the available roman historic factors and academic debates to weave a thriller from Boston to Beijing, from Denmark to Libya while the action is cantered at the intersection in the catacombs of Orvieto. Where an archaeologist uncovers an ancient scroll dating back two thousand years. A scroll that holds the key to a dark and treacherous secret that could rock the very foundation of the church.
Chris Kuzneski focuses on story, action and history with a vague hint of romance making the book very interesting. Glad I discovered a new author in my favourite genre.
About the author. Chris Kuzneski is a New York Times best selling American author. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages and have been published in more than 40 countries. Born sept.2nd 1969, in Indiana is the alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh. Catch him on http://www.chriskuzneski.com
July 31, 2013
There's a WARNING in the author's notes at the end of this book which says some major plot twists will be spoiled if you read this note first. When I gave the book up on page 216 and I couldn't care I read the note and for the life of me I couldn't work out what twists have been spoiled. The problem with this book is it's all been said before: the Da Vinci, the First Apostle. Basically find some remote scroll Christianity is threatened blah blah. I loved Kuzneski's first book The Plantation, it was original, funny and tongue in cheek and the two main characters, Payne and Jones bounced off each other like two body-checking sumo wrestlers. This book is tedious, adds nothing new to the old conspiracy theory and again I must say, those quotes on the cover by Clive Cussler, James Patterson and Nelson Demille. Are these great men actually reading the same book as me or is it just some dreamy eyed editor getting paid to come up with these quotes? I have all the other Kuzneskis waiting on my bookcase. I hope they are better than this one.
February 27, 2016
Okay, I was actually disappointed reading it. It's almost like I'm reading a badly written Dan Brown! Firstly, the main plot was very weak, hardly any good concrete events and details and interesting turns in the main plot. If you're going up against Christ, better have a great story to tell.
Writing is just mediocre at best! Very flat basic writing. No drama.
The descriptions are very weak and they fail to draw a good imagination of the scenario and the places for the reader. Hence it gets very hard to visualize and relate (which is one of the main selling point in Dan Brown's novels)
And the most irritating of all, the giveaways in every chapter. "Little did they know they'll face much bigger attack", "she was about to discover who the man was"! Cmon!
No good twists or solid plot or great descriptions and details or good storyline and I highly doubt how much of the facts and history in it is true! Oh btw, did I mention that the thrill in this thriller was non existent?
In summary, I was pretty disappointed to waste 3 days on it!
Writing is just mediocre at best! Very flat basic writing. No drama.
The descriptions are very weak and they fail to draw a good imagination of the scenario and the places for the reader. Hence it gets very hard to visualize and relate (which is one of the main selling point in Dan Brown's novels)
And the most irritating of all, the giveaways in every chapter. "Little did they know they'll face much bigger attack", "she was about to discover who the man was"! Cmon!
No good twists or solid plot or great descriptions and details or good storyline and I highly doubt how much of the facts and history in it is true! Oh btw, did I mention that the thrill in this thriller was non existent?
In summary, I was pretty disappointed to waste 3 days on it!
December 23, 2010
I really enjoyed this book despite some questionable reviews. Each to their own, I guess!
Anyhow, I thought there was an effective balance of action and suspense. Hints were given at the end of each chapter as a tease to what was coming. Some may see this as a poor cliff hanger but for me it just served to make me read on!
The relationship between Jon and D.J was well drawn and a pleasure to read. Also, thanks to good background information and rich description characters were easy to visualise.
The book's theme is a strong one and is quite thought provoking. All in all, I enjoyed a very good book and will be reading other novels in the series.
Anyhow, I thought there was an effective balance of action and suspense. Hints were given at the end of each chapter as a tease to what was coming. Some may see this as a poor cliff hanger but for me it just served to make me read on!
The relationship between Jon and D.J was well drawn and a pleasure to read. Also, thanks to good background information and rich description characters were easy to visualise.
The book's theme is a strong one and is quite thought provoking. All in all, I enjoyed a very good book and will be reading other novels in the series.
December 28, 2017
Awesome and Mind-blowing
Those who like Da Vinci Code must read this book. Payne & Jones are awesome. These characters are so amazing and funny.
I can't begin to even describe how beautiful the story is. I promise you that you won't be able to distinguish between facts and fiction. It makes you second guess whether or not the story is true.
Reading this book will take you on an adventure across the world. And all these places are so wonderful and written amazingly that it will like you are right there with them. Seeing and doing stuff with these characters.
In short, read this book. You won't regret it.
Those who like Da Vinci Code must read this book. Payne & Jones are awesome. These characters are so amazing and funny.
I can't begin to even describe how beautiful the story is. I promise you that you won't be able to distinguish between facts and fiction. It makes you second guess whether or not the story is true.
Reading this book will take you on an adventure across the world. And all these places are so wonderful and written amazingly that it will like you are right there with them. Seeing and doing stuff with these characters.
In short, read this book. You won't regret it.
July 13, 2015
I am sure the author did SOME research, had a nice little story to tell, characters he loved, etc. Too bad the book turned out to be nothing more than a mess of macho-dialogue, far-fetched plot "twists", crap writing, one-dimensional characters and loads of weird mistakes; The Scandinavian names are just completely wrong, for instance. Thats just a minor example.
Just stay away from this book unless you feel that Dan Brown and Clive Cussler are too advanced for you and that you need something easier to read.
Just stay away from this book unless you feel that Dan Brown and Clive Cussler are too advanced for you and that you need something easier to read.
December 8, 2018
Δεν με κράτησε. Ο συγγραφέας προσπαθεί πολύ παραπάνω απ' ότι θα έπρεπε να χτίσει τη δράση αλλά και ένα κάποιο χιούμορ χρησιμοποιώντας πολλά κλισέ και περιττές περιγραφές. Η ιδέα ότι κάποια στοιχεία θα μπορούσαν να καταστρέψουν τη βάση του χριστιανισμού θα προσέφερε αγωνία στον αναγνώστη ενδεχομένως (στο πλαίσιο αυτού του είδους μυθιστορημάτων) - στα χέρια κάποιου άλλου που θα έγραφε για αυτήν.
Όπως συνέβη και σε εμένα, μπορεί κάποιος να ενοχληθεί και με την τελική -επί λέξει- συμπερασματολογία, πως "ο Θεός ενεργεί με θαυμαστό τρόπο".
Όπως συνέβη και σε εμένα, μπορεί κάποιος να ενοχληθεί και με την τελική -επί λέξει- συμπερασματολογία, πως "ο Θεός ενεργεί με θαυμαστό τρόπο".
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