First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Gary McAvoy for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. When the briefcase mysteriously reappears in the Vatican Archives, Father Michael Dominic and his team—Hana, Marco, Karl, Lukas, the feisty Pauline nun Sister Teri, and Dominic’s new assistant, Ian—are up against two powerful and enigmatic organizations, Opus Deus and the secret, outlawed Masonic Lodge P2, who savagely fight for control of the briefcase and its secrets. Their goal? To carry out one of the most dangerous conspiracies the Church has ever faced—all happening during an unexpected conclave to elect a new pope. Hana is researching an article about the Vatican bank conspiring to hide gold stolen from Jews during WWII, and the two researchers are natural allies.

Their journey reveals the existence of Pope Joan, the first and only female Pope whose reign has been obscured by time and conspiracy. As they traverse the intricate tapestry of deceit and power, they must confront a society unwilling to relinquish its patriarchal hold. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Grace Dempsey, assigned to a seemingly unrelated murder case in England, stumbles upon a thread that binds her to the historic revelation. Their paths converge, creating a thrilling narrative that intertwines past and present, fact and fiction. A great thriller that weaves numerous storylines together effectively. Recommended to those who love a good thriller with historical implications, as well as the reader who enjoys Vatican and Catholic politics. McAvoy creates a wonderful story that never stops building throughout. Juggling modern and ancient Church issues, McAvoy does not lose his reader at any point, as his writing is so clear that the attentive reader will likely want more.” — MATT PECHEY, Reedsy Discovery Overall, The Magdalene Deception is a thrilling read and offers a compelling story that is resolved in style. The characters are well written and even the villains are interesting as they are more than just the evil caricatures found in many other books. Michael and Hana make a great team as well, so hopefully, this won’t be the last time they team up for an adventure. Readers who like speculative plots based on possible ancient manuscripts will like this one. It has a good amount of intrigue and a little suspense near the end. It will also appeal to readers who like Dan Brown's early novels. I personally don't appreciate a novel that has as its plot disproving accepted historical accounts of Jesus' life. In that sense, the plot is not unique as similar plot lines have been written before. Other than my dislike of a plot critical of Christianity, I felt it was a very well written novel. The Magdalene Deception is an impassioned thriller that’s directed by Church mysteries, featuring a crystalline portrait of persistence.

The Magdalene Deception

The Vatican is well described, with its hidden treasures and writings, the rivalries and ambitions within, and secrets which caused many conspiracy theories to spring up. Michael becomes friends with a Swiss Guard and meets his cousin Hana who is a journalist from a very wealthy Swiss banking family. The military training and experience of the Swiss Guards was a surprise to me. When photographing them in their elaborate, multi-coloured uniforms, I thought these men served a decorative function. Father Michael Dominic and his journalist friend Hana Sinclair are off to follow a tantalizing lead: a Nazi journal revealing a holy relic’s hiding place. The pair believes the book could lead them to a sacred cloth Christ used to cleanse his face, which according to legend now bears his image—a living record of the Son of God’s true appearance.

Father Michael Dominic and his friends are called to Jerusalem to inspect the silver scroll, but others are trying to get to the precious manuscripts first—members of a little known sect called the Mithraists, the chief rival to Christianity up to the fourth century . . . a wealthy Texas televangelist . . . an Egyptian antiquities broker . . . Israeli Mossad agents . . . and a cast of rogues each out for themselves. As an aside, I have to note that Gary McAvoy exercised pure genius in setting this 3-book series in the Vatican Secret Archives. Think about the possible and potential gravitas for protagonists making world-changing discoveries hidden away in the bowels of the Vatican, such a fertile setting allowing limitless plotlines, subterfuge, intrigue, and all manner of juicy badness/goodness! I bet Dan Brown is pea-green with envy! Father Dominic sees a kindred spirit in Hana and reaches out to her for help in his latest discovery which will lead them both into a maze of danger, secrecy and corruption. There are those within the higher ups of the church who would love to have this document to advance their own agenda without a care or concern for the repercussions of what this information could do to the world of believers. In the heart of the English countryside, a discovery is made that threatens to overturn centuries of Church history. When Father Michael Dominic uncovers a cryptic diary leading to a lost 1st century Gospel, he is thrust into a labyrinth of deceit, murder, and controversy. Alongside Hana Sinclair, a savvy journalist, Michael sets out to unravel a mystery buried deep within the Church’s past. The Confessions of Pope Joan is a gripping tale of courage and faith, charting their quest against a powerful adversary seeking to keep the truth hidden. With pure determination, Dominic finds a way out of the cave, but still needs to get his hands on the reliquary before it can be sold off and hidden away anew. It will take much grit and determination to find Gović and ensure these secrets do not end up in the wrong hands. It’s a race across Europe and no one is entirely sure where they’re headed next!With the help of Hana Sinclair, a reporter for Le Monde newspaper and heiress to a Swiss banking fortune, and Karl Dengler a member of the Swiss Guards of the Vatican, Father Michael finds a document that could bring down the whole of Catholic religiosity. The priest and reporter aren't the only ones interested in the earth-shaking discovery. The Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Fabrizio Dante - who spies on everyone in the Holy See - has gotten wind that Dominic is on to something.

Arrayed against the “good guys” are some malevolent individuals who will not hesitate to kill. Among the antagonists is Cardinal Fabrizio Dante, Vatican Secretary of State. His muscle is supplied by Petrov Govic a Croatian liaison to Interpol in Lyons, France. His father was a major leader of the Croation Ustasha who out Nazied the Nazis during WWII when it came to eliminating Jews and Romas in Croatia. The apple did not fall far from the tree. Almost three hundred years later, the encoded music is discovered by Father Michael Dominic, Prefect of the Vatican Secret Archive, who tries decoding the cipher with the help of journalist Hana Sinclair and her former teacher, music cryptologist Dr. Livia Gallo. Dominic, Hana, and their Swiss Guard companions Karl Dengler and Lukas Bischoff, meet up in the enchanted city of Venice during Carnivale celebrations to further investigate Vivaldi’s coded music with the help of the maestro’s descendant, Contessa Donatella Vivaldi—whose palazzo on the Grand Canal holds many secrets of its own. When Dominic discovers a long-hidden papyrus written by Mary Magdalene-one that threatens the very foundations of Christianity-he and Hana, aided by brave Swiss Guards, try to prevent sinister forces from obtaining the manuscript, among them the feared Ustasha underground fascist movement, Interpol, and shadowy figures at the highest levels of the Vatican itself. From Rome to France and Switzerland, his search for the object finds Dominic pitted against deadly agents and a ruthless Russian oligarch. Desperate, he must choose between trusting an unlikely collection of possible allies—or certain death. As his enemies close in, can he survive and bring this staggering new secret to light, or will his pursuers bury it beside him in the cold, dark earth of a long-forgotten cave?

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Query: Do you investigate further? What do you see in the cave, and what is it they think you have? The Magdalene Deception was a really entertaining read for me especially considering Jesuit Priest Michael Dominic had just got a job working in the Secret Archives at the Vatican with the responsibility of going through archival documents and verifying their existence. While doing his job he stumbles across a particular papyrus that could break open a cornerstone to religious belief and show it for the lie that it is. Thus turning the words of the Catholic Church and all of Christendom on it's head. But this discovery doesn't come without danger either. The second novel in the Magdalene Chronicles is The Magdalene Reliquary which begins when F. Michael accidentally discovers a 13th Century 3-dimensional puzzle that leads him and Hana, among other favorites from the first novel, to the location of an ancient reliquary from the time of Jesus. If this discovery is disclosed to the world, the results would send the Catholic Church and other Christian religions crumbling to the ground in piles of shattered debris. But F. Michael and Hana are not the only people pursuing this treasure, and the dangers and mystery surrounding their quest before it falls into the wrong hands will keep you up reading all night long!

Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit information about your own books. Find out how in this guide. F rom Rome to France and Switzerland, his search for the object finds Dominic pitted against deadly agents and a ruthless Russian oligarch. Desperate, he must choose between trusting an unlikely collection of possible allies—or certain death. As his enemies close in, can he survive and bring this staggering new secret to light, or will his pursuers bury it beside him in the cold, dark earth of a long-forgotten cave? One of the most successful aspects of the book was the sensitive way McAvoy handled the potential fallout from the contents of both the reliquary and the manuscript that Father Dominic and Hana had discovered in the first volume of the series. By counterposing the reactions of Brother Calvino and Father Dominic, McAvoy showed why these discoveries could shatter one's long-held religious beliefs, while also allowing for the possibility that one's faith could perdure relatively unshaken. His handling of the issue was more nuanced than I expected to find in a novel of this genre, which I appreciated. What makes this sequel so satisfying is how thoroughly McAvoy anchors the story with factual detail. The protocols and rituals, the physical layout of the Vatican – not to mention how its power is structured and how that power has in the past and continues to this day to manipulate world events - are rendered in such fascinating and convincing detail (including, for example, what type of weaponry is standard issue for the Pope’s Swiss Guard) that one might be forgiven the notion that McAvoy is, himself, some mad monk escaped from the bowels of the Vatican archives to pop into the upper world like a chatty groundhog and give us the lowdown.And now comes the question that I always like to end our discussion with, a question that delves deep into the heart and soul of the man, the myth, the writer, Gary McAvoy. This shouldn’t hurt too much. Having long been a fan of novels with Catholic and/or historical twists, I thoroughly enjoyed Gary McAvoy’s debut book in this series when I read it a few months ago. Now, with the sequel ready for publication, I eagerly accepted a copy to see how the adventure would continue. A new relic is hidden, news of scandalous proportions awaits, and a man is out to avenge the death of his father. All this and more in a single book. Perfect for readers who loved the first book or are searching for something thrilling! After consulting his friend, Swiss journalist Hana Sinclair, Dominic realises what he’s got in his possession. It’s a map of a cave that is said to possess a valuable reliquary once owned by Mary Magdelene. Eager to see it for himself, Dominic convinces two members of the Swiss Guard to accompany him as they troll through the cave. P.S. Below I have attached some links about the author and this wonderful book so if you would like to learn more about the author and the book then please have a browse. Thank you so much again for reading book lovers! Based on illuminating historical facts—including the intriguing true story of Bérenger Saunière, the mysterious abbé in the French village of Rennes-le-Château; and the Cathars, fabled keepers of the Holy Grail—THE MAGDALENE DECEPTION takes readers on a gripping journey through one of the world’s most secretive institutions and the sensitive, often explosive manuscripts found in its vaults.