cover image EYES OF THE VIRGIN

EYES OF THE VIRGIN

Thomas F. Monteleone, . . Forge, $24.95 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-312-87874-0

Robert Ludlumesque political intrigue with a religious twist is on offer in this newest thriller from Monteleone (The Reckoning; The Blood of the Lamb). At the heart of the story is a sliver of stained glass depicting the eyes of the Madonna, which is believed to possess supernatural powers. The artifact has long been safe in the benevolent hands of the Vatican and its secret society of defenders, the Elder Knights of Malta, but as the novel kicks off, the shard is stolen by the Guild, a shadowy international cabal. Shortly after the theft, American computer whiz Kate Harrison is framed for the double murder of her husband and sister. She goes on the lam with private investigator Matt Etchison, whose Navy SEAL background proves handy when assassins start showing up periodically and spraying hot lead in their direction. It is soon revealed that Harris has been targeted because brother-in-law Domenic Petralli is one of the Elder Knights of Malta's top operatives, a kind of dogmatic James Bond. All three team up to retrieve the precious relic, racing to a final, anticlimactic showdown with the Guild that's as violent as it is familiar. While Monteleone's high-energy, cartoonish narrative is sleek and diverting, it is also relentlessly silly. The prose ranges from workmanlike to downright embarrassing. Monteleone's similes are some of the worst offenders; when arch-villain Kurt Streicher begins to fall for a vivacious co-worker, the author tells us that the realization "had forced its way to the surface of his thoughts like a drowned corpse that refuses to sink." (Dec.)