The Magdalene Deception
Magdalene Chronicles, #1
by
Gary McAvoy
Secrets, old and even older, threaten the very foundation of the Church.
The Magdalene Deception is the first book of author Gary McAvoy’s exciting and suspense-filled series, The Magdalene Chronicles, and features a young, connected American priest-scholar assigned to the Vatican Museum, specifically its secret archives, and a young and also connected female journalist working to make a name for herself at Le Monde. Jesuit priest Father Michael Dominic has been at the Vatican for only a few weeks when he stumbles across hidden documents secreted at the bottom of a box disguised as a large book. While one of the documents is a cryptic handwritten set of quatrain verses by Nostradamus himself, the other is a letter from a parish priest in Rennes-le-Chateau, France, notorious in the early 20th century for his extravagant spending and unknown source of funds, that appears to be dunning the Vatican for unnamed Church services and sounding suspiciously like a blackmail demand.
Michael meets journalist Hana Sinclair, the granddaughter of a Swiss baron and banking mogul who has been an advisor to several popes, through her cousin, a recent acquaintance in the Swiss Guard. She is researching for a controversial series of articles about the involvement of the French government, the Vatican, and the Vatican Bank in taking and keeping the assets of Jews stolen during World War II. Together, as they try to unravel the truth behind the mysterious documents, they uncover an ancient secret that would irreparably harm the very foundation of the Catholic Church, and someone else is determined to stop them.
Michael is the son of a single, unwed mother, a devout Catholic who served as the housekeeper to a now-powerful cardinal when he was a parish priest in New York City. The priest took an interest in the boy, becoming a father figure to him, and later, as his circumstances improved, assisted him in attaining a good education. Michael, although following in his benefactor’s footsteps on his career path, has done so for the love of scholarship rather than a true spiritual vocation, but he hopes that one day that will change and he will feel the deep religious connection that his colleagues do. As for Hana, she is determined to succeed as a journalist on her own merits rather than on the prestige and privilege of her birth and family connections, but there are backdoor machinations at work that may circumvent her best intentions.
The author gives readers a Vatican City full of intense watchfulness, suspenseful intrigue, and power plays by church leaders at the highest level. It feels like someone is constantly watching and listening, just looking for something they can exploit for their own advantage. As the story progresses, interesting and relevant bits of church history and dirty laundry are presented throughout.
After introducing the main characters and their backstories, the plot quickly takes off. Some secrets must remain secret, and deadly measures are employed to ensure they do. If you are a history buff as well as a reader of mystery, suspense, or thrillers, THE MAGDALENE DECEPTION is for you.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.