Never before has a murder mystery led me to consult the Bible. I'm
agnostic but nevertheless fascinated by the wide differences in
interpretation of the Christian faith.
This book ticked all the boxes for me—an intriguing whodunnit cleverly interwoven
with description of life behind the closed doors of the Vatican,
verifiable references to the differences between the four gospels in the
Bible, and the Turin shroud as a key feature.
I had expected something similar to Dan Brown's Angels and Demons,
but I found the plot in this book much more credible. I would expect
that the mounting of an exhibition of religious artifacts that could
challenge traditional beliefs would generate strong passions, which, in
this novel, proves fatal for the exhibition's organiser.
The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the international sensation The Rule of Four combines a lost gospel, a contentious relic, and a dying pope’s final wish into a “deliciously labyrinthine” (Providence Journal) intellectual thriller that “kicks off at ninety mph and doesn’t slow down” (Associated Press).
A mysterious exhibit is under construction at the Vatican Museums. The curator is murdered at a clandestine meeting on the outskirts of Rome a week before it opens. That same night, a violent break-in rocks the home of Greek Catholic priest Father Alex Andreou. When the papal police fail to…
The brief scenario on the book's cover reminded me of a classic
Agatha Christie novel. Neither Miss Marple nor Hercule Poirot, however,
were among the guests gathered at a remote hotel on the North Devon
coast for a New Year's Eve murder mystery game devised by a member of
staff.
I was not surprised that make-believe quickly became fact, nor that everyone present—guests and staff—would have a motive. My attention was gripped by the many twists and turns in the story,
linked to an old lighthouse and two deaths in the nearby village years
earlier.
I didn't guess the identity of the murderer until
revealed in the last few pages, but in retrospect, I realised that
subtle clues had been placed in the narrative.
My attention was taken by a mystery set in a school close to the town I lived in before I married. Given that I had already enjoyed books from Elly's Ruth Galloway series, I was soon engrossed in this novel, apparently the first in a new series.
With links to the writings of an author who had once lived at the school and suggestions of paranormal activity, I found the story captivating and, indeed, quite scary at times. I was glad that, when revealed, the perpetrator of the crimes, however, was not from the spectrum of ghosts and ghoulies but a person with a motive very much set in the real world.
THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR. THE RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK.
'Utterly bewitching ... a pitch-perfect modern Gothic' AJ FINN, author of THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
A dark story has been brought to terrifying life. Can the ending be rewritten in time?
This is what the police know: English teacher Clare Cassidy's friend Ella has just been murdered. Clare and Ella had recently fallen out. Found beside the body was a line from The Stranger, a story by the Gothic writer Clare teaches, and the murder scene is identical to one of the deaths in the…
The title applies to two very different stories where false information and a fantasy world generate very real problems for the young teacher who created them. While both stories are fiction, the second is based on a successful environmental studies project in which I was involved during the 1980s.
In the short story "Fragile," a teacher withholds from his infant children the true details of his wife's disappearance. Seventeen years later, his past actions return to haunt him as a respected headmaster standing for election as an M.P.
In the main story, "Out Of This World," an ambitious, extended simulation exercise introduced by a teacher to his class of young teenagers leads to tensions that spread beyond the classroom, with devastating consequences.
