Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets

by E.A. Allen

An unbreakable cipher, a dead priest with expensive shoes, a hermit who has conversations with saints, an angry French girl, a guardian angel with attitude, a murderous master criminal, and a gaggle of angry demons might stop an ordinary fifteen-year-old safe-cracking genius, but not Percy St.-John. He's out to prove he did not steal a mysterious ancient book that may hold the key to mankind's greatest hope and greatest danger.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Dr. Edward A. Allen is a retired CIA Intelligence Officer. During Bush and Clinton Administrations, he served as the CIA’s Senior Analyst for European Security Affairs, and as Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Europe. He has lectured widely on International Relations and has published more than a score of historical articles in scholarly journals—notably The Journal of British Studies and French Historical Studies. He now lives in his native Northwest Arkansas, where he raises cattle, promotes Historic Preservation, continues to lecture on International Relations, and teaches Modern European History and World Civilizations.

Reviews

[Dave Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining YA fiction, short, and a breezy read. Imagine Harry Potter at a monastery rather than Hogwarts and it's kind of like that, though the day revolves around the drudgery of monastery life, not attending classes. The narrator is a sheltered young monk named Gabriel who is intrigued by the newest member of his monastic world, Percy St. John. Rumor has it that teen St. John is a thief and has been sent to the Swiss monastery as a punishment. The two quickly become good pals, and with the help of visiting pilgrim Elizabeth, the three try to solve the mystery of the Chronicle of Secrets, a book fabled to be on the monastic property. But where is it, and who's trying to steal it?

Ostensibly set in 1911, the story seems like it could just as easily have been set in the 17oo's or even earlier, though there are the occasional slang phrases that are very 21st century. But it's all in fun, the book is an easy and engaging read, and is sure to entertain tween and teen readers who like a bit of thrill and adventure but all in a safe and ultimately benign setting.

[Tanya Volkova · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impressive detective-mystical story seasoned with humor. Will be interesting to absolutely everyone who loves mysteries, detectives and a little bit of mysticism.

When you read Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets, it seems that the author treats you to your favorite dishes. Can't tear yourself away from the stories about Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's detectives? Here, please, is a complicated case involving the theft, murders and investigation of young detectives Percy, a laybrother of the monastery, and his companion, the young monk Gabriel.
Has the atmosphere of Umberto Eco's «The Name of the Rose» sunk into your soul? In Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets, you will also plunge into it with your head. The author takes you to a monastery of the early 20th century with all its traditions and foundations, so you will investigate crimes to the accompaniment of monks' prayers and Chorus of Evil Voices.
Well, if you adore J. R. R. Tolkien «The Hobbit, There and Back Again» or «The Witcher» by Andrzej Sapkowski, you will be happy to watch the journey of Percy and his companions through the Forest of Ohme, where demons and other fantastic beasts live.
And yes, lovers of treasure hunting are not forgotten either. You have to think carefully and solve a lot of ciphers and riddles to find the hidden treasure of the monastery.
Personally, I adore all these ingredients, so I swallowed Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets in just two evenings with great pleasure. Highly recommend it!
As soundtrack of the book just listen to Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QPU1...) - very atmospheric, really.

[Mary L · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets because I will always be interested in murder mysteries set in monasteries. More than that, I find the premise of a former teenage thief becoming a monk endlessly interesting; however, Percy St. John fails to deliver.

Percy’s character is so tied to the rational, logical, and tangible world that it’s bizarre to introduce a variety of supernatural and mystical experiences to the plot. It makes sense that Gabriel has mystical experiences because that’s what resonates with him due to his highly impressionable mind and single-minded worldview, but once everyone in the book begins to have mystical experiences, and Percy doesn’t even bat an eye in response, everything feels off. One would expect Percy to at least be skeptical of such experiences, if not outright investigate the experiences to find a rational explanation.

Additionally, I think it was an odd choice to have Gabriel narrate the book when much of the plot relies on events that Gabriel is not present for. I realize that the author may not have wanted to narrate the book in Percy’s first person point of view to hide Percy’s background and secret schemes, but I ultimately think the narrative overall would have benefitted from being narrated by Percy instead of Gabriel.

The premise is interesting, but I feel like everything in Percy St. John could have been executed better.

[Michael Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I found out that E. A. Allen was writing a series for younger readers, I wanted to see what the first one was like. I had read with pleasure Allen’s 2013 mystery novel When Beggars Die, about the Parisian detective and intelligence officer Gérard de Montclaire. I expected this series about a young orphan, Percy St-John, a prodigy of lock- and safe-opening, to have the same variety of action and interesting characters. I wasn’t disappointed.

Percy has had a hard life already when we meet him at age fourteen in a Swiss monastery. He’s old for his age, having experienced his father’s murder, an unpleasant orphanage, the discovery that he is good at the light-fingered trade, and his exploitation by both French and English authorities who are only too happy to use him for their own purposes.

Allen’s ideal audience is probably a fourteen-year-old like Percy himself, but I think readers much younger and much older will find his story interesting. We know from the beginning that mystery will accompany Percy when his father is murdered for no apparent reason, and soon we have another mystery—one that Percy must solve to avoid being locked up.

Who stole the ancient copy of The Chronicle of Secrets, said to have been brought to the monastery by St. Hilda of Ireland, whose body rests in its crypt? I kept turning the pages until I found out.

[Chiara Ferrari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery, adventure, magical creatures, and a safe-picking sleuth who won't give up when a murderer is afoot. The setting and historical background were accurate and there were just enough weird characters and strange occurrences to keep the story moving along at a good pace.

[Jen (The Jenerator) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite. Sounds great on the jacket, but there were way too many characters and it also seemed a bit juvenile. I felt like the author was trying too hard. I wanted to like this and have there be more, but oh well.

[victor hugehoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is it. this is christian harry potter.

[Library K]

2025 - DNF @ Chapter 9.