Inquisition

Jack Howard #10

by David Gibbins

The latest Jack Howard thriller from internationally bestselling mastermind David Gibbins.258As the blood of martyred Christians runs through Rome's catacombs, Pope Sixtus entrusts their most sacred object to a devoted follower. Soon after, the Holy Grail disappears into the darkness of time.1684 While overseeing the evacuation of the English colony of Tangier, Samuel Pepys attempts to retrieve a treasure which has resurfaced after more than a thousand years. Meanwhile, a Jewish merchant is tortured by the Altamanus, a secret group determined to locate the Grail.Present DayA wreck off the Cornish coast reveals clues to a mystery that marine archaeologist Jack Howard had thought beyond solving. He embarks on an epic quest that takes him to the sunken ruins of the pirate city of Port Royal in Jamaica. But the specter of the deadly Inquisition dogs his every step, and Jack must face a descent into hell itself if he is to uncover the greatest reward in Christendom.Gibbins, who has led numerous underwater archeology expeditions around the world, writes with an authority that makes “the astounding seem more than plausible” (Parmenion Books). This latest Jack Howard novel brings together historical details and a thrilling plot for an action-packed adventure.

Genres: Thriller, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Archaeology

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 28, 2017

About the author

Canadian-born underwater archaeologist and novelist. Gibbins learned to scuba dive at the age of 15 in Canada, and dived under ice, on shipwrecks and in caves while he was still at school. He has led numerous underwater archaeology expeditions around the world, including five seasons excavating ancient Roman shipwrecks off Sicily and a survey of the submerged harbour of ancient Carthage. In 1999-2000 he was part of an international team excavating a 5th century BC shipwreck off Turkey. His many publications on ancient shipwreck sites have appeared in scientific journals, books and popular magazines. Most recently his fieldwork has taken him to the Arctic Ocean, to Mesoamerica and to the Great Lakes in Canada.
After holding a Research Fellowship at Cambridge, he spent most of the 1990s as a Lecturer in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at the University of Liverpool. On leaving teaching he become a novelist, writing archaeological thrillers derived from his own background. His novels have sold over two million copies and have been London Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellers. His first novel, Atlantis, published in the UK in 2005 and the US in September 2006, has been published in 30 languages and is being made into a TV miniseries; since then he has written five further novels, published in more than 100 editions internationally. His novels form a series based on the fictional maritime archaeologist Jack Howard and his team, and are contemporary thrillers involving a plausible archaeological backdrop.

Reviews

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 4 out of 5]

EΠΙΤΕΛΟΥΣ, ένα βιβλίο του Gibbins όπου τα 2/3 της πλοκής του (μην πω και λίγο παραπάνω) δεν διαδραματίζονται αποκλειστικά στον πάτο της θάλασσας! Θα μου πεις "καλά,δεν ξέρεις τι διαβάζεις;! Θαλάσσιος αρχαιολόγος είναι ο άνθρωπος..." Ναι,εντάξει,αλλά το πολύ το Κύριε Ελέησον κτλ. κτλ. Ευχαριστήθηκα την αγωνιώδη πλοκή,το κυνήγι με τον χρόνο και τα αρχαιολογικά ευρήματα,τα ταξίδια τόσο στον χρόνο όσο και από τόπο σε τόπο... Ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο του είδους του κι ένα από τα καλύτερα -κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη- της σειράς.
Ολοκληρωμένη η άποψή μου στο site "Book City" και τον παρακάτω σύνδεσμο: Ιερά Εξέταση

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed this adventure action thriller with the holy grail as the prize as the search goes from cornwall to southern America, not usually as long as some of his other novels

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost relics, sunken treasure, the lure of history buried beneath the seas, a tantalizing mystery that will lure marine archaeologist Jack Howard into a quest to uncover the mysteries behind the disappearance of the Holy Grail.

From the days of Pope Sixtus when Christians were martyred to a seventeenth century attempt to retrieve treasures over a thousand years old, to the sunken ruins of a pirate ship off Jamaica, a single coin will become the piece of a puzzle long though unsolvable.

INQUISITION by David Gibbins crisscrosses time to tell the story of great faith, brutal torture and secret sects who will stop at nothing to retrieve the Holy Grail and Jack Howard is determined to honor both the past and the bravery of men long dead. What does Jack uncover and at what cost to himself? Has the sect withstood the test of time while never giving up its quest?

For lovers of adventure, dark mysteries that have remain unsolved through time and the human need for answers, prepare to set sail across the globe to the warm waters of the Caribbean as man, nature and technology come together. Larger than life heroes, moments of humor, life threatening danger and ancient mysteries unravel before our eyes as we explore the depths of the sea and the skeletons it hides.

David Gibbins has created an intriguing tale around one small coin that is both entertaining and thought provoking! I was mesmerized by the historical aspects, in particular, the human interactions, both the honorable and the brutal.

I received an ARC edition from St. Martin's Press!

Series: Jack Howard - Book 10
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (April 10, 2018)
Publication Date: April 10, 2018
Genre: Thriller | Suspense
Print Length: 288 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best archaeological adventure series about and I look forward to them every year. Straight to the top of the reading pile. This one seemed shorter than normal but an excellent story as always!

[Bill Riggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. I really wanted to like this book. It has everything that should make for a fun, exciting read- Roman catacombs, pirate cities, a treasure mountain in Bolivia, and ancient secret brotherhood from the Inquisition and on and on and yet this has to be the most boring quest for the holy grail ever written. Instead of thrills and adventure Gibbins delivers stale, dry history and science lectures.

[Δημητρης Παπαγεωργιου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πολύ διεκπεραιωτικο και φλατ

[Martin Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, dull at times, found it a bit to slow at times, the action over before you knew it, so i only gave it 3 stars.

[Bookery'S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Δεν ξέρω τι προσπαθεί να πετύχει ο Gibbins. Εμένα δεν με ενθουσίασε.
Κενά, μη ρεαλιστική πλοκή, ανούσιες λεπτομέρειες, άχαρη γραφή, μια περιπέτεια που δεν είναι περιπέτεια.

ολόκληρος ο σχολιασμός στο https://bookerys.blogspot.com/2019/08...

[Olivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Potentially interesting. Plenty of 'information'. Storyline should have meant a great read with benefits.
Instead it was drearily 'boysie'...very technical...which is fine if you really want the divers' viewpoints..someone must love them. A bit would have been fine. The sea and the diving...great. Just a tediously told tale. Hard to keep on with it at times.
Not a true narrative. Not flowing. .Proof reader would have been helpful.
The end had a more 'writerly' flow.

[Deb Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've never had the pleasure of reading about David Gibbins character, Jack Howard you're missing out. Inquisition is the latest book in the Jack Howard series and Gibbins once again brings readers a book that is a mixture of history, science, mystery and thrills. This author's writing is equal parts exciting and thought provoking. The brutality of the Inquisition is the backdrop to this book which has everything from pirate ships to secret societies. A must reader for thriller fans.



What I liked:



This book gave me all kinds of interesting comparison's. Main character Jack Howard had me thinking about bull whips and leather jackets. He reminded me of my other favorite archaeologist... Indiana Jones with maybe a hint of Laura Croft mixed in for those readers who prefer a female badass. But this time we have a marine archaeologist. Which was a pleasant and interesting surprise. I thought Gibbins did a great job with this aspect of the main characters career and motivations. It's certainly easy to tell that Gibbins has dabbled in this kind of work himself. It gave the character an authenticity you don't often find in thrillers. Jack Howard is one of those very interesting people you might meet that come across as academic and nerdy, but they aren't afraid to seek adventure. Great lead character.



I'm always a fan of a book that brings history to the forefront and this one really does. From the title readers will know the time period. The Inquisition was a brutal time in the history of the church and many innocent lives were lost. I liked the fact that Gibbin's dives into the history surrounding the Inquisition and does not sugar coat what was happening in the world at that time. The book shifts back and forth through history as the past is tied to the present while Jack is on the trail of the "holy grail". It was such an interesting historical mystery and Gibbins is able to make it completely plausible that the "grail" existed both then and now. Just a very good mix of historical background and theory.



Secret societies are always so fun to read about. In this book the Altamanus is the bad guy group that is after the "grail" along with Howard. But these guys are not beyond doing some pretty dastardly things to get what they want. As far as villians go, I think Gibbins finds a group that none of us would like to mess with. Serious Illuminati feels here. When belief in something overrides good sense. It added the required conflict and thrills needed to make the chase for the "grail" realistic and scary in a fight for your life kind of way.



What I didn't like:



There were moments where I felt a little out of my element with this book. There were some technical terms I seriously thought about looking up and bringing a dictionary along isn't fun. But also felt a learned a few new things as well. It's all in how you look at it, I suppose.



There was a lot of excitement and thrills but where were also times when the book dragged a little. There was a ton of history to be imparted as well as mystery and I think that led to a percentage of the book that might not hold the interest of some readers. I liked it, but not it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But it's worth the slow parts to get to the thrilling parts. Hang in there with it and you'll love the outcome.



Bottom Line:



Great lead character, tons of historical background and leanings toward Tombraider, Indiana Jones and even the Da Vinci Code. If that kind of book is your jam... this one will do it for you. I loved Jack, so nerdy but still so adventurous. Gibbins' gives the historical mystery fans exactly what they want with this one. Very informative and interesting.

[Brittney Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: 5 stars

Note: This is the 10th book in the Jack Howard series so this will not be an in-depth review.

When I was younger, I really wanted to be an archaeologist and actually considered going to college for it, but then I realized with my severe anxiety, I wouldn’t be able to do that so as with most things, I decided to live out my dreams through books. (Since I can’t leave my home most days, I use my books and dramas as a way to escape when I can’t physically.) With that being said, I was able to pick up book 10 of the Jack Howard series, Inquisition, in June. This book tells of the adventures of Jack Howard, a famous fictional underwater archaeologist, as he travels the world finding priceless artifacts, in this volume in particular, it’s the Holy Grail.

One of the things I like most about this book was Gibbins’s ability to interweave multiple different historical storylines into a coherent plot. For instance, in this book, he interweaves storylines from 258 A.D., 1684, present day, and well as Jack Howard’s fictional family history into a seamless plot that makes total sense and is beautifully rendered. He also manages to do this without losing any of his threads which I personally would not be able to do. The reason why I think this affected me in the way that it did is the fact that these interwoven storylines allowed him to discuss a theme that I hold very close to my heart and that is the interconnectedness of history. We learn in school that history is like a line with evenly spaced steps but that is actually not the case, instead it is a tightly woven web where you pull one string only to get to unearth the tangle. I have never read an author that was able to showcase and discuss this theme with such clarity, but this may because he understands the concept/theme better than most people because he actually is a practicing underwater archaeologist. Practice what you preach, you know?

When we are on the subject of themes, another one that he addresses is the idea that censorship, particularly when it comes to history, should not exist. In history class, we tend to get a viewpoint of history that is kind of like looking through rose-colored glasses, which means we tend to only get the highlights. While this is good for basic history classes, some of them also tend to gloss over the bad parts, particularly in classes with younger children, due to the fact that some periods can be traumatic. As I mentioned, I think getting the highlights can be great for basic classes, however, I don’t feel that things should be glossed over as the whole point of history is to learn from the mistakes of the past to prevent them for happening in the present. If you don’t discuss the bad parts, then why are learning history as you have mitigated the whole reason to learn it. In my opinion, give them the full picture and if it makes them uncomfortable, then you have achieved your goal because if they are offended/uncomfortable, then they probably won’t make the same mistake and will therefore, make the future better.

All in all, this was a great addition to the series, and I greatly enjoyed it. If Gibbins chooses to write more books in this series, then I will definitely read them. 5 stars!!!!!

[Evander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now no one reads books like these for the prose but omg, I forget how bad the exposition is, lol. Like, people who have known each other and worked together for literal decades do not speak like this:

— "I'm a Greek sponge-diver, remember? Got to keep up appearances."

— "Maybe your grandfather was, but you're a PhD from MIT in submersibles technology and you were brought up in the Bronx."

— "What are you, then?"

— "Just a diver. Nothing fancy."

— "With a PhD in archaeology from Cambridge University. And a commission in the Royal Naval Reserve."

Lmao. And later on, about Rebecca, again in a character's direct speech, to her literal father: "half of her life spent in Naples with her mother, and then in New York with her guardians, followed by the tragedy of her mother's murder by the Mafia", etc. etc. This sort of reminding the reader about previous books can be done much more naturally in the narrative. There were more examples and I can't properly remember if other books in the series were this bad for it!

The plot was largely fine, although as usual, I feel like the present day scenes are far too dramatic, lol. A few parts annoyed me, such as after the whole issue with them increasing all the security at the sites because they realise the "bad guys" are onto them, suddenly Jack decides to walk to the airport by himself in the pitch dark? Conveniently setting it up for the kidnapping, of course.

Anyway, as I said, you sort of get what you expect from a series like this especially 10 books in, so it wasn't terrible, considering. It is true that Jack is a not very subtle self-insert of the author (to the point of including his own real ancestors as characters related to Jack) and that the book includes a lot of technical details of the job (which I kind of don't mind even if some of the stuff relating to the diving equipment, for example, more or less goes over my head and makes the text a bit dry because I actually like that the author's passion for the job comes through in the texts, even if some readers feel it detracts from it).

Edit to add: I actually thought this would be the last one because it's number 10 but I saw on the author's website that there's an 11th but it's an Amazon exclusive.

[Readingiscoming · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5.

Rarement, je me suis autant ennuyée dans un roman.

Le résumé avait pourtant tout pour me plaire : Jack Howard, spécialiste de l'archéologie sous-marine, découvre une épave qui va nous faire remonter le temps. Entre 2ème siècle après JC chez les romains ; XVIIème siècle à Tanger et époque moderne, nous allons mener l'enquête pour retracer tous les mystères liés à ce bateau...

Pour la 10000ème fois, je me suis faite avoir et ce roman s'inscrit en fait dans toute une saga où Jack Howard est le personnage principal. Même s'il est tout à fait possible de le lire indépendamment, on rate forcément des éléments de compréhension, notamment sur des enquêtes précédentes et des relations avec d'autres personnages plus secondaires.

Depuis petite, je me suis toujours passionnée d'histoire et je pensais justement que c'était tout
cet aspect "fouille archéologique" qui allait me faire aimer ce roman... Eh bien pas du tout ! J'ai trouvé les explications beaucoup trop techniques et pointues, pas du tout dans la continuité du récit. Les paragraphes sur les détails des réglages du matériel de plongée utilisé, ou encore sur les plus fines différences existantes entre deux types de canon présents sur les frégates de l'époque, étaient bien trop longs.

Côté intrigue, si on enlève justement toutes ses descriptions techniques, il ne restait plus qu'une grosse 100aine de pages, sur les 350 que compte le roman, ça ne m'a donc pas suffi. Malgré les quelques éléments qui redonnaient du rythme - l'alternance d'époques qui nous amène jusqu'au personnage de Samuel Pepys, l'arrivée en Bolivie et le flou qui règne autour de l'Atramannus - je n'ai pas réussi à rentrer dans l'histoire et je me suis vraiment forcée à terminer ce livre, au risque de rentrer dans une panne de lecture.

Pour le coup, j'avais acheté ce livre d'occasion dans un vide-bibliothèque pour 1 euro et il va très vite continuer sa vie dans une boîte à livres ! Je n'ai même pas envie de redonner sa chance à la saga avec un autre tome tellement j'ai été déçue, ce qui est plutôt rare. Néanmoins si vous aimez connaître les moindres détails sur comment se déroulent des recherches archéologiques sous-marines, ce roman est peut-être fait pour vous !

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inquisition felt a little shorter and a lighter than David Gibbins best reads. It was fun, and it had some great archaeological moments, but the core conflict was resolved a little too easily, and the whole thing was over far too quickly.

As usual, Jack Howard carries the show here, both as an adventurer and an action hero. He is smart, diligent, and daring, but still human - which is remarkable in a genre known for almost superhuman heroics. The archaeology, particularly the underwater aspects, is absolutely fascinating, and perfectly detailed. Some readers may find that a turn-off, but I like seeing Jack and team work for their finds, battle the elements, and struggle against both tides and time.

I felt there was too much history to this one, but I do like that Gibbins explores mythological treasures from a historical perspective - acknowledging the legends without necessarily validating the myths. The search for the holy grail considers what such an artifact might have looked like, what its origin and function may have been, and how it may have been hidden throughout the centuries, but rather than bestow upon it feats of magic or the evidence of the divine, we never even get see the grail - if that, indeed, is what lays nestled in the black cloth.

Where I felt this fell short was with the Altamanus, yet another secret historical cabal, spun off from the darkest history of the church. They were almost cartoonish (although I did like their commitment to continuing the horrors of the Inquisition), their motives a jumbled mess of arrogance, greed, madness, and faith, and their methods maddeningly inconsistent.

Ultimately, Inquisition was not the best Jack Howard adventure to date, but it is still a far sight better than much of the competition.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series in the vein of Clive Cussler, this is the tenth adventure featuring Jack Howard. It was my introduction to the character, but the author made a good job of recapping important events and establishing relationships amongst the characters, so I didn't feel like I was missing anything. The chemistry between Jack and his best friend Costas sparkles and gives the story its sense of humor. They are both very smart and resourceful and didn't fall into a common trap in these kinds of books when there is a need to propel the action: acting dumb. The criminals sometimes get the upper hand, but it is truly because they are also smart, not because the characters suddenly come down with a case of the stupids. I really liked the chapters devoted to Jack Howard, even if some technical terms about diving and seafaring went over my head. What I didn't enjoy as much was the historical chapters where we see what happened to the key figures that Jack is following in the present. Fans of historical novels will love them, but to me it just slowed down the action and made my attention slip. Still, the story is entertaining enough to spend a snowy afternoon in the Caribbean seas
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/St. Martin's Press!

[Kristian Kostov · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book. It was enjoyable from the first to the last page. I really enjoyed the throwback chapters which gave the story a nice perspective and showed it from a slightly different point of view. If one is looking for a book to blow their mind, they should look somewhere else, however, if they are looking for a nice, enjoyable read that feels real and has a gripping story, well, they have come to the right place.

I should say, though, that I would have liked maybe a bit less dense action and more exploring and searching for clues. Also, it would have been nice to get a bit more insight into the stories of the characters that surround the main plot line.

Be sure not to skip the Author's Note in the end. It provides valuable and extremely interesting insight into the general story and history.

[Nikki Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mix of history, action and adventure. The books spans three main areas of action - 258AD, 1684 and present day. There are early Christians trying to thwart the might of the Roman Emperors, Sephardic Jews caught up in the Inquisition and then Jack Howard getting caught up in the maelstrom that is the modern day Black Hand.

Who knew that such a small coin could spark such an adventure. Jack travels from IMU, to Portugal and the Caribbean and back again. I loves the parts of the book where we see the characters involved in the earlier subterfuge and then as we read on we realise that lots of the modern day characters are connected more than they realised!

Great read!

[Shaunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read, kind of reminds me of Clive Cussler's earlier works.

The Inquisition was a history lesson, that made one think.

Why do we persecute people for beliefs, that don't align with ours.

It really boggles my mind.

To think that there is a society, that goes back millennia still trying to hold on to power, that keeps slipping through your fingers.

Hmmmm

Is there really a chalice out there from the era of Jesus Christ?

And people dedicated to protecting it, at all cost.

Well that's what the Inquisition suggests.

Is it fact or fiction? Or maybe both.

I'll let you decide, as for me it was definitely a thrilling read.

Until then, Happy Reading 📚!!!

Ciao💋

[Judy O'Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled with this book expecting it to be a thriller/ adventure story based on some historical facts.
The first chapters had so much detail about diving equipment and the necessary team support required that l almost gave up.
It became more interesting when one of the time lines concerning Samuel Peps and the evacuation of Tangiers were involved. But again pages and pages about the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition of which a lot was unnecessary to the actual story.
I disliked three time lines although clearly the historical facts were well researched.
However l gave up half way through!

[Nibrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Such detail. Harrowing dives, kidnappings, torture... An amazing story of a family and it's connection to history. Starting with a coin found off the coast of England, we're taken to Africa, Spain, Jamaica, Bolivia and back until we end up again off the coast of England. It always amazes me how interconnected the world is, even 700-800 years ago.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

What awesome books.

I love history and archaeology.I subscribe to National Geographic History magazine and always check archaeology.com. A rare treat of story's written by a diver who has found his own treasures and also loves digging into history. Excellent fiction that dares to the reader to believe!

[Gayle Patacchiola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven’t read one of these books in a while. I really enjoyed the series in the beginning. However, the books have been difficult to find and I’ve been unable to find Pyramid anywhere. Perhaps by missing this segment I lost the thread of the story. I was a little disappointed but still hopeful the next one will get a higher rating from me.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again David has given us a book that holds your attention until the end. Mixing history with fact and fiction works so very well. David has delved into Samuel Pepys and his diary to deliver this outstanding book

[Andi · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I hate not finishing and hardly ever give up on a book, but on this one I did. This topic - a holy grail search - is something I would normally love. But I found the reading so tedious. It brought back memories of forcing myself to get through a school textbook. Maybe I’ll try again someday.

[Dawn Folley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable romp. The history and marine archaeology parts are fascinating and well written. Jack, his 'Jack Howard moments" and his personal relationships are less plausible and vaguely irritating.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the adventures of Jack Howard and his cronies. But this one was a little boring. Not enough diving and interaction of the base characters. I did like the ending but getting there was tough at times.

[Brad Grocholski · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not sure what happened with this entry into the series, but it's just awful. I've really enjoyed all the other books, but this one just seems rushed and uninspired.

[Pierre Renaud · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 50 pages story in a 360 pages book. A lot of useless fillers that bring nothing to the story. 2-3 pages paragraphs. 20 lines sentences with 3 different stories. Disappointing.

[Sharon Burgin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I forget David Gibbins' books are always 90% history lesson and 10% adventure.

[Aleia Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little wordy, which is why it gets 4 stars not 5.