cover image The Venice Conspiracy

The Venice Conspiracy

Sam Christer. Overlook, $25.95 (368p) ISBN 978-1-4683-0049-9

British author Christer follows his 2011 debut (Stonehenge Legacy) with a leisurely paced yet suspenseful religious conspiracy thriller. One night in a poor L.A. neighborhood, Fr. Tom Shaman busts up a rape attack and kills two of the rapists in the process. To escape the news furor, Tom leaves the priesthood and travels to Venice, Italy, where he falls into a steamy sexual relationship with travel writer Tina Ricci—and becomes enmeshed in a murder investigation after finding a young woman’s mutilated body in a canal while on a morning walk. 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. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, Luigi Bonomi Associates. (Nov.)