Sign of the Cross

5 stars

I read the Kindle edition.

This story is told from several time lines.

Religious Studies and Archeology Professor Cal Donovan is contacted by a local cardinal at his office at Harvard University. The Pope wants him to investigate a young priest named Giovanni Berardino who apparently has stigmata. Is he for real, or is he a hoax?

Traveling to Italy, Cal begins his search for the truth. Through all this – Cal’s search for the truth and the media frenzy – is Giovanni’s story. Giovanni is the young priest who is afflicted with the condition. He is suffering, not only physically but emotionally as well. It is a heavy burden to carry. He doesn’t care if some think he is an imposter, he knows the truth. He doesn’t know why he has been chosen to carry this “cross,” so to speak. Cal interviews his fellow priests, friends and family. Giovanni’s sister Irene is hostile to Cal’s questioning her and her mother.

Also going on in the early 70’s we have a group of Nazi’s seeking the Reich’s hidden treasures. The catcher is that they are supposed to be hidden in Antarctica. When they find what they seek, they return. The story then skips back to 1935 and the Nazi search for Christian treasures, such as the Holy Grail, thorns from the Crown of Thorns, the Shroud of Turin and so on.

People start getting killed and an attempt is made on Cal’s life. The game is getting very serious. When it’s time to report to the Pope, Cal gets shuffled off to Cardinal Lauriat. The Cardinal requests that he give a verbal report that is different than the one Cal prepared for the Pope. He then goes home to Harvard to recuperate.

Before long both Cal and Irene have visions of Father Giovanni being in trouble…being kidnapped. Cal contacts the Cardinal to whom he reported and Cardinal Lauriat seems less than cooperative. So Cal flies to Italy to see what he can do. He really felt a connection to Father Giovanni and wants to help him.

He contacts Father Giovanni’s family. Finally, the truth comes out about the bilocation, the visions and all of it. Irene and Cal decide to team up to try to find Father Giovanni. They are visited by a high ranking police official. They do not tell him everything. Across the street, a man is watching and taking pictures.

The Nazis want to create a Fourth Reich and will do anything to achieve their goal. They collide with Cal, Irene and Giovanni. Kidnappings, torture, threats and a chase across Europe are all present in this exciting thriller.

This book is very well written and plotted. It was an easy read and enjoyably exciting. I liked the characters of Cal, Giovanni and Irene. The bad guys were suitably evil and the kind the reader loves to hate. The suspense begins immediately in the story and ratchets up as the novel goes on. It reaches an exciting and action-filled denouement. This is my first Glenn Cooper book, but it won’t be my last. I truly enjoyed it. I immediately went to Amazon to look for other books of his. Well done, Mr. Cooper!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this most excellent book for me to read and enjoy.