***** Plausible Thrill Ride With Endearing Characters Review by Rox Burkey
Author K. Bruce Mackenzie grabs the reader from page one with a paid assassin on the loose in a nursery with a diabolical mission. The killer for hire has no conscience. The fiendish character along with unfolding plans of terror kept the pages turning to find the answers.
This first book for this author and book one of the Shroud Series is fabulous. The writing is strong and compelling. The details uncovered, like one layer after another of peeling this onion will make you a believer.
Like the assassin, Author Mackenzie provides great character development including the two cardinals of the Catholic church who are close to the Pope. The details of the Shroud of Turin also piqued my interest as that item’s been surrounded in mystery. The premise of their quest opens the door to incredible possibilities, even when that door appears to close. You can hear the acute disappointment in the exchange.
“Giuseppe, I agree with you but I’m disappointed,” Oleg muttered as he stared down at his hands. “The idea of bringing back our Savior to save mankind was foolish. We’ve dreamt the impossible and we’ve been two foolish old men.” After a moment he added, “Going through the extensive security reminds me of why we are here. It is unfortunate we live in a world that is so troubled that we need security of this nature. We tried, my dear friend, we tried. Now we have no choice but to go home and pray for guidance. What else can we do?”
Cardinal Ratzinger leaned over and replied, “I suppose all we can do is to urge His Holiness to continue to reach out to all the people of the world as he has been doing.”
“I fully agree with you, Giuseppe. I’m afraid there is nothing else we can do.”
My favorite character is Angus MacGregor, security for the institute and Ian McKinney the scientist. Together with the cardinals, they are traveling a path that combines history, faith, technology, and fear of the unknown. Author Mackenzie takes you into a complex mystery with extreme possibilities at every juncture. There are surprises galore, especially in the astounding ending. Lovers of mystery, thrills, chills, and excitement will devour this story and stay attuned to the next release in this new series. Wow, I found a new fav.
About the Author
BRUCE MACKENZIE is a proud member of the Mackenzie Clan, having researched his family’s ancestry back twenty-three generations to its beginnings in the mid-1200s. As an avid student of Scottish history and through his ancestral research, he has discovered great men of renown, honor, and achievement in his exciting history along with fabulous historical events, instances of intrigue, and of course, betrayal.
Bruce is an avid collector of all things Scottish; his library includes every issue of five different Scottish history magazines dating back dozens of years. He has personally indexed all major articles of this library, an index that is nearly 100 pages in length.
A future book will gather all the personalities of his historical Clan and write the Scottish version of Roots.
As his career evolves from real estate to writing, he looks forward to bringing joy to those who follow his writing with the publication of his first novel, The Shroud Solution, and its sequels, The Shroud Assassins and The Shroud Verdict.
Originally brought up in an idyllic suburban neighborhood in Chicago, he has called Colorado home since 1981. He writes in the wee hours of the night surrounded by his family tartan, expansive gardens and waterfalls along with a good Scotch.
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