The Q Document

by James Hall Roberts

In Tokyo, Cooper, spiritually & emotionally gutted, has sold his mind to Victor Hawkins who has a "most unusual traffic" in documents & human beings (little girls). Cooper's work is to appraise & verify papers & letters, among them now the Q document, once in the hands of a former Jewish scholar who became a Nazi. The document, a contemporary source for the four Gospels, has a potential for heresy which could destroy Christianity, & once certified, Victor plans to sell it to the Red Chinese. Cooper, partly thru a Father O'Connor who tries to make him see the spiritual light, partly thru Myoko, an 11-year-old child he rescues & hides from Victor, & partly thru Willa, his mistress, is moved to act--if he can't disprove the document he is ready to destroy it. All of this provides a drama with some obviously Greene-ish tints; the hollow hero; the spiritual conscience; the regenerative humanity. On its own, it comes off very well, as a smooth-surfaced suspense story sharpened by more inscrutable elements.--Kirkus

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Religion

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written under a pseudonym by screenwriter Robert L. Duncan and published in 1964, “The Q Document” was one of a plethora of novels brought out during the “spy boom” of the 1960s. Marketed as a “novel of international suspense and intrigue”, the book is set in Tokyo and centers on a burnt out academic who now translates and evaluates ancient manuscripts for a sketchy expatriate who deals in black market antiquities, as well as sex trafficking and child prostitution. The professor is asked to translate and authenticate a collection of ancient manuscripts that purports to contain a hitherto unknown letter by St. Paul and, most importantly, the Q document, which is the source of the Christian Gospels and may have been written by Jesus himself. As he deciphers the documents, the professor realizes that they could, if they are authentic, destroy the foundations of Christianity itself.

Even with this set up, this is no “Da Vinci Code”. Instead, it focuses on the nature of faith, despair and redemption. It follows the rules of the thriller, but it is an intellectual thriller. The heart of the story is not the Q Document, but rather its effect on Dr. Cooper. There are no car chases, explosions, or gunshots; the dilemmas are moral and spiritual. There is more here of Graham Greene than Ian Fleming. It also helps that Mr Duncan is a skilled writer who works with great restraint.

“The Q Document” was well reviewed when published, but it didn’t really find its audience and quickly sank into obscurity. It has long been out of print, which is a shame. It’s quite well done.

[SlamDunkSuperChrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read. But, when I try to list the books positives I find myself wonderng if the qualities that come to mind actually are good enough to be worth listing. An element that IS worth listing is the investigation of the documents that takes place in the story. It seems well thought out, covering both relevant history and science. So if you're a nerd for that sort of stuff then it could be worth your time. For me the book doesn't make a big impact to outright recomend it, though.

[Marylou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 1946 book that can be read today as a best seller! Written as a page turner especially if you are interested in Bible history and like a good mystery! Really got into the characters! I've had this on my self for a very long time and enjoy rereading it!

[Gary Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting glimpse of Japan in the mid-1960s. Researcher discovers old documents disputing the Gospels.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short book from 1964 about a American scholar living in Japan who is hired by a man of various questionable pursuits to authenticate some ancient papyrus documents as being true commentaries on the life of Christ. If they proved to be true they would upset the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. The writing reflects the time of the writing and the setting in Japan reminded me of the time I was there. An interesting little book for an interlude between larger more meatier ones.

[B. Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great. A historical fiction in many ways. I loved how it made you read and re-read many previous works done from the time that were accurate and in the end proved their accuracy. Very enjoyable and makes you want to finish the entire book in one sitting.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This attracted my eye because it's a suspense novel which involves not only Nazis (bad!), but the Quelle document (good) presumed to be the lost sayings of Jesus behind the commonalities of Matthew and Luke.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before the DiVinci Code- an early- at least for me- exploration of the belief that Jesus married Mary Magdilan and has a child and then....

[Nataly · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting..cant wait to finish

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: in Tokyo, Cooper appraises letters while working for a trafficker in historic artifacts and humans.