cover image The Survivor

The Survivor

John Zodrow. Black Rose Writing, $18.99 trade paper (206p) ISBN 978-1-68433-654-8

The verdict that Fr. Bobby Powell, who was found with a bullet wound in his head hanging from a bridge in New Delhi, India, died by suicide doesn’t sit well with Bobby’s twin, Burt, the hero of this exciting religious conspiracy thriller from Zodrow (Sins of War). Burt, a Kansas police officer, examines his brother’s body after the remains are transported to Rome, and his suspicions that his twin was murdered are validated by Fr. Martin Urrutia, a friend of Bobby’s. Martin adds that Bobby, after finding an ancient document in the Vatican archives that supposedly proved that Jesus Christ didn’t die on the cross and the Catholic Church was a fraud, made many enemies, including a radical right-wing group, the Hand of Christ. Burt hopes for more details from Father Sebastiano, Bobby’s superior, but an assassin dressed as a nun blows Sebastiano’s head off and almost kills Burt. To his peril, Burt seeks to ascertain the truth about the origins of Christianity. High-octane action and a killer ending elevate this above similar books. Dan Brown fans will be captivated. (Self-published)