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Chris Bronson #3
El secreto del mesías
Año 72: un grupo de guerreros atraviesa un yermo montañoso. Solo ellos saben lo que transportan, y harán el mayor de los sacrificios para proteger su secreto. Año 2010: Angela Lewis se encarga de hacer el inventario de las pertenencias del fallecido Oliver Wendell-Carfax, asesinado en su mansión de la campiña inglesa. En el proceso, encuentra una serie de jarras de cerámica. . . Y en una de ellas se halla un antiguo pergamino con datos sobre la vida de Jesús de Nazaret. Es el primer testimonio de este tipo que ve la luz desde el antiguo testamento. Angela y su exmarido, el inspector de policía Chris Bronson, emprenden la búsqueda de una reliquia de incalculable valor, pero el asesino de Wendell-Carfax les pisa los talones.
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
August 14, 2012
God-weepingly awful. Nepotism alive and well in the publishing world it seems, there can be no other explanation as to why a tree suffered the indignity of being pulped into this brain melting offal.
August 14, 2012
Becker does it again with a great novel, full of adventure, some drama, many great action scenes and the mandetory religious relic that could blow the top off Christianity if it is discovered. He takes us on more adventures and keeps the book flowing from the preface all the way through to the last scream. I have come to thoroughly enjoy Becker's work, even though some would rather criticise its lack of a literary foundation. Are books sometimes not meant to simply entertain? If not, why do we have summers?
Becker's a master with his words and a great storyteller as well. He keeps the reader interested in the two main characters and their adventures, but also paints a somewhat sappy connection between them, even though they are no longer together. You cannot help but beg for a cheesy line here and there "I'll protect you!" and if you wait long enough, you get it. That said, although the book is not stellar in its literary foundation and has a premise similar to other UK authors (Sam Bourne and Tom Knox), I feel it stands well on its own. And for that, I applaud it as a great summer read.
Kudos Mr. Becker. What have you for me in your next novel?
Becker's a master with his words and a great storyteller as well. He keeps the reader interested in the two main characters and their adventures, but also paints a somewhat sappy connection between them, even though they are no longer together. You cannot help but beg for a cheesy line here and there "I'll protect you!" and if you wait long enough, you get it. That said, although the book is not stellar in its literary foundation and has a premise similar to other UK authors (Sam Bourne and Tom Knox), I feel it stands well on its own. And for that, I applaud it as a great summer read.
Kudos Mr. Becker. What have you for me in your next novel?
December 5, 2019
WHat a fantastic read! A contentious angle on religion and a archeological folly combined, and lots of action to boot. Onlybook 3 and as well written as the first too, gripping, and I'm definitely hooked on the series.
May 30, 2020
Takes that mind to some visual places which is good, but little to get too excited with the storyline.
July 23, 2013
Spoiler alert. Jesus was ugly.
This of course is not a new revelation because the Bible states this fact way back in the Old Testament when it said he would be comely.
After being stalked and almost killed Brown and Lewis, divorced but working on the case, discover Jesus' body. It is well-preserved, but He is ugly and short, which everyone finds so disappointing. C'mon, not one loves (or hates) Him because of his looks. Then after opening the chamber where the body is kept, His body disintegrates. So, what was the purpose? Only four people see it and two die before they can tell anyone. I think Mr. Becker just wants to hate on God (or God's on, however you view it.
There are also many continuity errors. People know stuff that they have no way of knowing, at least from the information that the author gives. Not recommended to anyone.
This of course is not a new revelation because the Bible states this fact way back in the Old Testament when it said he would be comely.
After being stalked and almost killed Brown and Lewis, divorced but working on the case, discover Jesus' body. It is well-preserved, but He is ugly and short, which everyone finds so disappointing. C'mon, not one loves (or hates) Him because of his looks. Then after opening the chamber where the body is kept, His body disintegrates. So, what was the purpose? Only four people see it and two die before they can tell anyone. I think Mr. Becker just wants to hate on God (or God's on, however you view it.
There are also many continuity errors. People know stuff that they have no way of knowing, at least from the information that the author gives. Not recommended to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2020
This is the third in a series, but the first book by this author that I have read. I think it didn't make any difference to have read this one first. With this book and probably with the entire series, we are in Dan Brown territory--a fast-paced thriller with some intriguing speculation concerning the myths of our religions, Christianity in particular. In this one, our hero, Angela Lewis, finds a parchment that gives a clue to a great treasure. No big surprise based on the title that the treasure has to do with Jesus Christ. And the race is on, as Angela in her search is opposed by ruthless enemies who desire the treasure for purposes of their own. As I did enjoy "The DaVinci Code," I found myself enjoying this one as well.
January 1, 2023
Quite good for this genre. Definitely what I would call holiday reading. The biggest problem was that the title gave away the big twist. The author was trying to through in a red herring but it didn't work.
Would like to read his previous two.
Would like to read his previous two.
January 17, 2015
The Messiah Secret is an adventure novel where the characters are out to find an artifact from history that could change how religion is perceived. Generally these novels are about hunting down something that can completely change how a historical figure or time in history is seen and understood. This novel was no different. Angela and her ex-husband Bronson go on a chase through Egypt to find what they at first believe is the Ark of Covenant. They are trailed by a religious leader and a greedy business man who are all out to find the same thing. It is a race against time to decipher the clues and find the object first. The one twist or turn this novel took that was different from the other novels of this type that I have read is that what they initially think they are searching for isn't what they actually end up finding. It was more this element then anything else that made me continue to read the book until the end.
I love dialogue in a book. Dialogue can show so much about a character. One conversation can tell us almost all we need to know about someone. The way they speak, the tone and the word choice are extremely telling elements of a story. Unfortunately I found the dialogue in this novel lacking. The dialogue was very hard to find realistic. The words were very crisp and almost business like a lot of the time. I found it hard to believe that some of these conversations would actually take place.
Much of the dialogue was used to clarify or restate what we already know is happening. They are being chased, we get a description of the chase while the characters say out loud that they are being chased. They didn’t seem to be reacting to the situation, more just saying out loud what was happening. As a reader I like the dialogue to tell me how they feel about the situation. I just found the dialogue taking me out of the story sometimes.
What I did like was the backstory to what they are looking for. The fact that they were wrong at first was refreshing and realistic to me. Generally in these type of novels the pursuers figure out exactly what they are looking for right away. All the clues end up pointing them to one place without much question or debate. Rarely are the protagonists wrong in their deduction of the puzzles.
In this novel that isn’t entirely the case. They spend half of their time believing they are looking for the Ark of the Covenant. This assumption turns out to be wrong. What they are actually looking for turns out to be still connected to Christianity but in a much more serious manner.
What they are actually looking for is something that I have read about before, but the backstory and explanation was much different and interesting. It definitely made me think which is a result I love. Any story that makes me reconsider an idea or person or moment in history gets extra points in my book. I love questioning something and even though the characters don’t question the discovery too much the reader is able to.
This story flowed very quickly and was an easy read. I just wish the characters had been stronger. I honestly didn’t care who won in the end. I just wanted to know what they were actually searching for. I kept turning pages because I was intrigued by the end result of the quest or the “treasure.” It made no difference to me who won or who got it in the end.
One character in particular, Donovan, had a very interesting reason for this search. I desperately wanted to know more about him and why he was putting so much effort and time into this search. He seemed like he could have been fascinating but we only got the surface of him. All the characters were the same, they all had their initial reasons for their mission but nothing deeper. These types of stories are fun but they are even better when we get multiple motives and are invested in why the character are searching.
For an adventure novel this is a fun and quick read. The “treasure,” is a new take on a known idea that makes you stop and think for a moment. This element and the fact that the end result is different then what the initial search was for are the reasons to enjoy this quick read.
I love dialogue in a book. Dialogue can show so much about a character. One conversation can tell us almost all we need to know about someone. The way they speak, the tone and the word choice are extremely telling elements of a story. Unfortunately I found the dialogue in this novel lacking. The dialogue was very hard to find realistic. The words were very crisp and almost business like a lot of the time. I found it hard to believe that some of these conversations would actually take place.
Much of the dialogue was used to clarify or restate what we already know is happening. They are being chased, we get a description of the chase while the characters say out loud that they are being chased. They didn’t seem to be reacting to the situation, more just saying out loud what was happening. As a reader I like the dialogue to tell me how they feel about the situation. I just found the dialogue taking me out of the story sometimes.
What I did like was the backstory to what they are looking for. The fact that they were wrong at first was refreshing and realistic to me. Generally in these type of novels the pursuers figure out exactly what they are looking for right away. All the clues end up pointing them to one place without much question or debate. Rarely are the protagonists wrong in their deduction of the puzzles.
In this novel that isn’t entirely the case. They spend half of their time believing they are looking for the Ark of the Covenant. This assumption turns out to be wrong. What they are actually looking for turns out to be still connected to Christianity but in a much more serious manner.
What they are actually looking for is something that I have read about before, but the backstory and explanation was much different and interesting. It definitely made me think which is a result I love. Any story that makes me reconsider an idea or person or moment in history gets extra points in my book. I love questioning something and even though the characters don’t question the discovery too much the reader is able to.
This story flowed very quickly and was an easy read. I just wish the characters had been stronger. I honestly didn’t care who won in the end. I just wanted to know what they were actually searching for. I kept turning pages because I was intrigued by the end result of the quest or the “treasure.” It made no difference to me who won or who got it in the end.
One character in particular, Donovan, had a very interesting reason for this search. I desperately wanted to know more about him and why he was putting so much effort and time into this search. He seemed like he could have been fascinating but we only got the surface of him. All the characters were the same, they all had their initial reasons for their mission but nothing deeper. These types of stories are fun but they are even better when we get multiple motives and are invested in why the character are searching.
For an adventure novel this is a fun and quick read. The “treasure,” is a new take on a known idea that makes you stop and think for a moment. This element and the fact that the end result is different then what the initial search was for are the reasons to enjoy this quick read.
November 17, 2017
The secret is that Jesus survived the Crucifixion, went to India and continued to cure lepers and such for many more years. When he finally died, a band of his Indian followers buried the body in a secret place, a place, of course, that was revealed in a series of obscure and heavily "coded" messages, legends, documents spurious and sort of legit, which were hunted down and figured out by an eccentric Englishman, who hid the text of the most important document clues in his portraits (as the seeming filigree on his curious uniforms). Now, a sociopathic murderous Catholic priest (who wants to protect the knowledge that the historical Jesus was not resurrected from the dead, which would put the kibosh on, oh, all of Christianity) is on the trail of the info about the location of the tomb, as is a tech billionaire-genetic scientist who wants to get the DNA from the ancient corpse so he can concoct miraculous cures from it (a hilarious misinterpretation of "miracles"). The good guys searching too are a British Museum curator of ceramics, who apparently knows everything about everything, and how to find out easily on the Web what she doesn't, and her ex, a London detective. These last are a rather faceless pair, without much personality or chemistry between them, who have apparently searched out similar earth-shattering ancient secret relics before. the whole shebang is a rather risible bunch of hooey.
Read as a recorded book, narrated very well by Graeme Malcolm, a Brit who found just the right subtle voices for the characters, especially the American ones. I always find Brits speaking American English to be much more surprising than Americans trying to sound British. Probably a third of the narrative was exposition, explaining the geographical and historical context of what the characters (the good guys) were doing – a rather awkward way to develop a thriller storyline. The bad guys were really, really ridiculous, as was the way they met their well-deserved demise (crushed by the booby-trapped stone door; being trapped inside the Jesus tomb with one very old dead guy, and one very fresh one.
I will remember the really funny reason the tech genius wanted to find the Jesus body, so he could analyze the DNA and use it to make new wonder drugs, as if there was something scientifically reproducible behind Jesus's miracle cures. I will remember how viciously bloody the action was: scourging, shooting down helicopters, trying to burn an innocent Egyptian guy alive, to cite a few incidents. An amusing exercise in trying to glom onto the audience that Dan Brown has somehow created, including the murderous priest.
Read as a recorded book, narrated very well by Graeme Malcolm, a Brit who found just the right subtle voices for the characters, especially the American ones. I always find Brits speaking American English to be much more surprising than Americans trying to sound British. Probably a third of the narrative was exposition, explaining the geographical and historical context of what the characters (the good guys) were doing – a rather awkward way to develop a thriller storyline. The bad guys were really, really ridiculous, as was the way they met their well-deserved demise (crushed by the booby-trapped stone door; being trapped inside the Jesus tomb with one very old dead guy, and one very fresh one.
I will remember the really funny reason the tech genius wanted to find the Jesus body, so he could analyze the DNA and use it to make new wonder drugs, as if there was something scientifically reproducible behind Jesus's miracle cures. I will remember how viciously bloody the action was: scourging, shooting down helicopters, trying to burn an innocent Egyptian guy alive, to cite a few incidents. An amusing exercise in trying to glom onto the audience that Dan Brown has somehow created, including the murderous priest.
February 8, 2013
ربما كانت احدى مشاكلي مع هذه الرواية هي أن أول رواية قرأتها من هذه النوعية هي شفرة دافنشي...نفس المشكلة قابلتني عندما قرأت لبول سوسمان بعد هذا ثم هذه المرة عندما قرأت لجيمس بيكر....و شتان ما بين حبكة دان براون و قدرته على الإثارة و التشويق و سوق المعلومات و بين الروائيين الآخرين...و بغض النظر عن الحبكة..فالرواية لا تخلو من الملل و الرتم البطيء و بعض التصرفات غير المنطقية...هذا غير أن عنوان الرواية كان كافياً ليوضح للقارىء أن الرواية تتعلق بالبحث عن جسد المسيح لا تابوت العهد كما فوجىء أبطال الرواية قرب نهايتها!!!
عموماً من الملاحظ أن العديد من الروايات التي تناقش هذه القضايا مبنية على أساس بشرية المسيح...ربما لتكتسب التشويق و الإثارة لدى القارىء الغربي المسيحي أو ذو الخلفية المسيحية
عموماً من الملاحظ أن العديد من الروايات التي تناقش هذه القضايا مبنية على أساس بشرية المسيح...ربما لتكتسب التشويق و الإثارة لدى القارىء الغربي المسيحي أو ذو الخلفية المسيحية
November 5, 2017
This is the third book in the Chris Bronson series and I guess what annoys me the most in this series is how much they dont learn from their previous heroic feats. Yes, individual books can stand on its own but isn't it easier to sell the series if they are actually linked by something? The first book showed how easy it was to track specific searches online and pinpoint a location so Bronson and Angela were really careful about using pc shops and untraceable searches but in the second book onward its like nobody cares and just use the internet search with impunity. Aside from that, it is interesting how the author brings in lesser-known conspiracy theories and weaves them into a story.
November 4, 2013
Although not as satisfying as The Lost Testament or The Moses Stone, this is nevertheless a fun mystery thriller, the pages of which fly through the fingers. The characters are as enjoyable as ever but I found the mystery a little less involving than I was expecting. I read it in less than 24 hours so it must have had something going for it. Such a good series!
September 21, 2019
This book was in the vein of the DaVinci code, and it was really good. What made it interesting was that you are lead to believe the search is for one object, when halfway through it becomes the search for something else entirely. The ending was interested and somewhat unexpected. There were some gory moments though.
February 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this book - thriller with history involved - my favorite. Angela finds a parchment scrap and unwinds a whole mystery behind it. She and her ex-husband Chris go a mission to Egypt and then India to discover what the treasure really is. Very good ending. Especially loved the afterword by the author.
April 6, 2011
Gave up half way through. This book seemed like it was trying to be The Da Vinci Code, but I didn't care at all about the characters. I'm moving on to greener pastures.
March 29, 2012
A pretty average book for the genre. I found it a little slow at points and the conclusions moving too fast for reality. But, that is pretty par for the course.
July 20, 2022
This is the third novel by James Becker I read and they are exactly what I expect: an easy page-turning read, full of century-old mysteries and action. It’s a fun novel to travel away from the stress of the day. What I like that Becker does differently than other writers of his genre is that, at the end, he always explains the historical facts upon which he built his fiction, and I truly love to learn those obscure sides of world history that were not known to me before. Plus, in this book I really like the growing role played by Angela, who, to me, is slowly becoming the true protagonist of this series, and it’s about time that a woman plays a role other than the sidekick in this genre. Finally, I’m not sure what book whoever wrote the short plot summary here on Goodreads read, because it doesn’t really reflect the actual plot. So, if you haven’t read this novel yet and you’re curious, read the summary somewhere else 😅
January 5, 2021
Enjoyable novel
This is a realistic story though some of the relationships are quite improbable. I won't explain this as it is easy to see and does not detract from the story significantly. I would describe it as a medium action/adventure story on a religious background. James clearly has researched the subject matter and I became fascinated by the story within the adventure. The post story historical explanation is quite.mind blowing to anyone who has not read the histories of regions as researched by James. I will definitely read more of these books
This is a realistic story though some of the relationships are quite improbable. I won't explain this as it is easy to see and does not detract from the story significantly. I would describe it as a medium action/adventure story on a religious background. James clearly has researched the subject matter and I became fascinated by the story within the adventure. The post story historical explanation is quite.mind blowing to anyone who has not read the histories of regions as researched by James. I will definitely read more of these books
September 14, 2024
Lo disfruté mucho, la relación de los protagonistas la amé.
Tuve un problema con la información, en partes sentía como si se hubiese transcrito una historia, como si estuviese leyendo una página en wikipedia y eso me desconectaba un poco.
Y luego está la inverosimilidad del final. A ver, no de la tumba, sino que ¿cómo me vas a decir que desde que empezó el libro esos dos hombres quieren matarte y van a terminar así? No gracias.
Me pareció una buena historia y un viaje suave, adecuado para las profesiones de los protagonistas y como ellos me encantaron no tengo quejas respecto a nada más.
Tuve un problema con la información, en partes sentía como si se hubiese transcrito una historia, como si estuviese leyendo una página en wikipedia y eso me desconectaba un poco.
Y luego está la inverosimilidad del final. A ver, no de la tumba, sino que ¿cómo me vas a decir que desde que empezó el libro esos dos hombres quieren matarte y van a terminar así? No gracias.
Me pareció una buena historia y un viaje suave, adecuado para las profesiones de los protagonistas y como ellos me encantaron no tengo quejas respecto a nada más.
March 26, 2020
Chris Bronson and Angela are on a race to find the location of the "Treasure of the World." Clues are found in the crumbling manor of a minor English nobleman who was mysteriously murdered. Two opposing forces follow Chris and Angela through Egypt then India's Kashmir region: a mysterious priest and an American geneticist. They all meet in a cave deep in the Himalayan Mountains. A puzzle solving thriller where an earth shattering revelation could change the world forever.
June 25, 2020
Really a 3.5.
I like these type of books. Always makes me wonder what the truth actually is. But the reason this is a 3 and not a 4 is due to the very annoying Angela Lewis. As my mother would say, nothing she doesn’t know and what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.... The information that the reader needed to make sense of the plot is spouted by Angela in such a superior way it made me thoroughly dislike her. So a 3 / 3.5 but should of been a 4.
I like these type of books. Always makes me wonder what the truth actually is. But the reason this is a 3 and not a 4 is due to the very annoying Angela Lewis. As my mother would say, nothing she doesn’t know and what she doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.... The information that the reader needed to make sense of the plot is spouted by Angela in such a superior way it made me thoroughly dislike her. So a 3 / 3.5 but should of been a 4.
July 9, 2023
So it’s just possible that the bloodline of the man we know as Jesus Christ is still present on Earth after two millennia, and that His genes can still be found among the inhabitants of a tiny mountain village high in one of the remoter parts of the Kashmir.
Absolutely brilliant! What a twist to the treasure seeked. I definitely did not see that coming. The only reason I dragged reading this book because I didn't want the books to end.
Absolutely brilliant! What a twist to the treasure seeked. I definitely did not see that coming. The only reason I dragged reading this book because I didn't want the books to end.
December 25, 2020
OK book as once again Chris and Angela are seeking to track down an ancient mystery. She is appraising antiques for the museum at an eccentrics house when they stumble on papers that may lead to an ancient treasure. She and Chris try to solve the mystery while being hunted by rivals. OK read but didn't like it as much as the first two.
April 20, 2018
Slow going during the first half of the book, picks up the pace in the middle then slows down at 3/4s and finishes abruptly with no epilogue. Not good enough to encourage me to read other books by this author.
October 4, 2018
Enjoyable
All I need to say is l love James Becker's books and The Messiah Secret did not disappoint. I like to buy copies of the books as well as read on my kindle because l re-read them
All I need to say is l love James Becker's books and The Messiah Secret did not disappoint. I like to buy copies of the books as well as read on my kindle because l re-read them
July 24, 2019
Rather interesting story. Found it intriguing and fast paced. It kept me gripped and sitting on the edge of my chair. It reminds me a lot of The Da Vinci Code in terms of the theories written in this book!
March 18, 2021
Passed some time. I couldn't suspend my disbelief. I like thrillers, mystery and action books, but this raised neither a sense of thrill of action. The mystery is unravelled unconvincingly, despite the author's research and knowledge of his subject.
May 22, 2021
The twist in the novel's middle is meaningless. Why the lead characters went to egypt for more than 100 pages that can deleted from the novel without any confuse for the reader. Anyway, the mainstream plot is interesting.
January 31, 2025
If it weren't for the chapter long lore dumps about every 3 pages this wouldve been lovely! Also, I really thought it was gonna be christian propaganda, but it wasnt! It was more general historical fiction! yay!
January 7, 2017
An interesting story, but not the kind that will keep you at the edge of your seat. A lot going on, but the characters were not strong. Regardless, I will read the next one in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews