The Magdalene Deception: 1 (The Magdalene Chronicles)

£6.995
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The Magdalene Deception: 1 (The Magdalene Chronicles)

The Magdalene Deception: 1 (The Magdalene Chronicles)

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Price: £6.995
£6.995 FREE Shipping

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This connects with my major quibble about the story - almost everyone who meets Michael comments on how handsome he is, and marvels that he became a priest. It's just a bit much. 😏

McAvoy has done a good job of weaving a fictional story into historical events. The descriptions of locations are detailed, allowing readers to get a very good sense of the setting. The characters are well developed, providing an essential aspect to an engaging novel. Unfortunately, the egalley I read did not have an author's note indicating which parts of the novel were, in fact, based on history and which were the author's imagination.Dominic is keen to discover what Saunière used to coerce the Vatican and gets the opportunity to investigate after he makes the acquaintance of Parisian journalist Hana Sinclair, who writes for Le Monde. 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. THE MAGDALENE DECEPTION by GARY McAVOY is yet another entry in the Cathar legacy. The story opens in March 1244 as the last holdouts in the Castle Montsegur are about to surrender to the Crusaders led by King Louis of France. The night before their “final solution”, four Cathar men secretly depart the Castle with the treasure and holy relic(s) of the group. That event has been the subject of many books. What was the treasure and what were the relics that went missing?

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. 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. Historical elements of the story include references to the Crusades; the brutal Inquisition; the controversy surrounding Pope Pius XII, who remained silent while Jews were exterminated by the Nazis; and a secret pact connected with WWII French resistance fighters called the Macquis. 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.The novel is enhanced by engaging secondary characters, picturesque descriptions of the Vatican..... Father Michael Dominic is a recently ordained Catholic priest assigned to work in the Vatican Library's Secret Archives, which aren't so much secret as reserved for elite scholars. Kudos, Mr. McAvoy, for this wonderful book. This may have been the first of your books that I have read, but it will not be the last. 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.

There’s something about biblical revelations set against a fictional thriller that pulls me in every time. Be it the history or the politics of what entered the narrative of the biblical teachings, there is something there and loads of mystery behind what did not make it. McAvoy creates a wonderful story that never stops building throughout. His protagonist, Michael Dominic, comes from humble beginnings, but is never one to let that get him down. He finds ways to work within his limits and find true passion for all he enjoys doing, without needing to focus on the solitary of life as a priest. His grit and determination is on show here and keeps the reader connected to him throughout. Other characters offer some wonderful flavour to the overall narrative and keep things exciting, amongst all the twists and revelations. McAvoy captures the secrecy and deep-rooted history of the Vatican and its politics throughout this piece, with a strong story and plot that moves in many directions. While there is the inherent biblical document that is revealed, there is not too much of a focus on its gnostic or apocryphal nature, but more that it adds new depths to the narrative of the Church’s past decisions on how to portray the Christian story. With a mix of longer and short chapters, McAvoy pulls the reader in and keeps them guessing, while also refusing to place a damper on the action. 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. I look forward to more by the author, with Michael Dominic or others in the protagonist’s seat. In The Magdalene Deception you’ll find a plot that mixes elements of a treasure hunt, contempory and historic fiction, and spy stories. This mix reminded me a lot of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series, though The Magdalene Deception felt a bit slower and darker in some moments. It is also much more matter-of-fact in style, I’d say. Hana is pursuing a story that Nazi and Croatian gold is held in the Vatican bank. Gold and other treasures were stolen by the Nazis and Ustasha (an extreme, brutal right-wing group in Croatia) from their victims of genocide proceeding and during WW11. Hana meets with Dr. Ginsberg who is documenting the collaboration of Pope Pius X11 with the Nazis and the role of secreting war criminals out of the country. A vast amount of looted and stolen treasure ended up in Vatican vaults. 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.

Customer reviews

Dominic is a classical medievalist whose rapid rise in the church was engineered by his mentor, Cardinal Enrico Petrini, who's known Michael since he was a boy. Meanwhile a journalist, Hana Sinclair, who also happens to be related to one of the cardinals at the Vatican is working on a piece that will highlight the theft of millions of dollars from the Jews in WWII by the Nazi's and the hiding of the money within various banks and even the complicity of the Catholic Church in stealing their share.



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