The Venice Conspiracy

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Praised by critics and readers alike for his international bestseller The Stonehenge Legacy, Sam Christer continues to weave an irresistible plot of conspiracies and sudden death in one of the world's most mysterious ancient sites. When ex-priest Tom Shaman, jaded from years in the Los Angeles ghetto, decides on a last-minute trip to Venice, he gets much more than he expected. A brutal killer is on the loose and Tom finds himself in the midst of a series of ritualistic killings unlike anything Venice has ever seen. Enlisted by the Italian police, Tom teams up with young investigator Valentina Morassi to dig deep into the city's darkest history, stretching from an ancient civilization to the sexual decadence of eighteenth-century Italy to the gritty underworld of modern-day Venice. As Valentina and Tom trace the killings through the centuries, they uncover a deadly secret that generations have killed to protect: a priceless mosaic known as the Gates of Hell. As the clock counts down, Tom and Valentina's adventure builds to an astonishing and satisfying end. Exotic and well-researched, The Venice Conspiracy will continue to build Christer's name in the hit-thriller genre. From BooklistSuspend your disbelief, and immerse yourself in Venetian history, secret societies, Satanism, symbolism, art, and the Etruscans. Since this purports to be a thriller, there are also lots of gruesome ritualistic killings as well as plenty of short chapters. The main protagonist is a former priest, Tom Shaman, whose very name is a symbol. After accidentally killing a man while defending a woman’s honor, Tom feels the need to get away and goes to Venice. There he finds the body of a young woman who was ritualistically murdered, and the local police want his priestly help in solving the case. Despite the fact that Tom speaks no Italian, and the Italian cop he spends the most time with freely admits that her English is subpar, they communicate beautifully. The story constantly jumps back and forth in time from the symbolically important 666 BCE to the late eighteenth century to the present day, with the dramatic ending neatly tying up all the loose ends. Fans of Dan Brown and Steve Berry will be enamored. --Stacy Alesi ReviewPraise for The Stonehenge Legacy: **"A self-assured first novel."(-Wall Street Journal ) "A creepily compelling tale . . . This is one of those very rare books that is capable of both thrilling and chilling the reader."(-James Becker, The Moses Stone ) "British author Christer follows his 2011 debut (The Stonehenge Legacy) with a leisurely paced yet suspenseful religious conspiracy thriller…The story of a young priest and his pregnant wife in Etruria in 666 B.C. that alternates with the contemporary action adds historical depth. A beautiful silver relic passed down over the centuries that holds evil mystical powers, modern-day satanic rituals, and Vatican intrigue all help propel the plot of this solid entry in the post–Da Vinci Code subgenre."(Publishers Weekly )