The Virgin of the Wind Rose: A Conspiracy Thriller

Description

Rookie State Department lawyer Jaqueline Quartermane was never much good at puzzles. But now she must solve a mysterious ancient palindrome to thwart a global religious conspiracy that reaches across five centuries.Books & Benches Magazine Book-of-the-Year Finalist *** indieBRAG Medallion Honoree Praise for THE VIRGIN OF THE WIND ROSE:"An impeccably researched, high-velocity historical thriller.... If you love Steve Berry, Dan Brown or Umberto Eco, you may have a new author favorite in Glen Craney." -- BELLA WRIGHT, BEST THRILLERS"An exciting journey across time, with more twists and turns than a strawberry Twizzler. Craney has produced a page-turning adventure, with crisp, clean and measured prose... The research behind the stories is massive, lending credence to the cast of characters and authenticity to the historic periods. This is a highly recommended historical thriller." -- QUARTERDECK MAGAZINE"This book is wonderful in that when you are finished, you are still asking yourself all kinds of questions. It is a great story and one I enjoyed thoroughly." -- OLIVIA MORRIS, REVIEW THIS!"A page turner...and a very well written narrative which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended."-- HISTORIC NAVAL FICTION MAGAZINE"A fantastic and enthralling page-turner.... [W]ill keep you glued to your couch. It's the kind of book you can read without seeing the hours pass by, enveloping the reader in its complex and yet logical and well-developed mystery. It's most certainly a tour-de-force." -- DAVID BEN EFRAIM, QBR REVIEWS "[A]n excellent, interesting, challenging, addictive and very rewarding read. Look - I'm still figuring it out all these days later.. Thoroughly enjoyable, thrilling and inspiring." -- STEVE DENTON, SPEESH READS"I stayed up all night to finish this great read and was left wanting more... Many times I will figure stories out early on, but this book keeps you guessing. Mr. Craney is a master of holding back and building the suspense. Though this is a fast-paced romp through history and time, you are still holding your breath... I'm hoping for a sequel." -- ONE BOOK SHY OF A FULL SHELF REVIEWS"Grips you in its teeth and whirls you through history... Naturally this novel will be compared to the books of Dan Brown but the quality of writing in The Virgin of the Wind Rose has the edge for me." -- ROSIE AMBER REVIEWSWhile investigating the murder of an American missionary, Jaqueline discovers the mysterious Latin palindrome carved into an underground Ethiopian church near the tomb of the biblical Adam. Her obsession with solving its coded message draws her into a desperate race with an elusive Middle Eastern mastermind to find the last relic needed to resurrect Solomon's Temple. A trail of cabalistic clues leads her to the catacombs of Rome, the crypt below Chartres Cathedral, a Masonic shaft in Nova Scotia, a Portuguese shipwreck off Sumatra, and the caverns under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.Intertwined in a time shift with this modern relic hunt, a parallel duel is waged:The year is 1452, and one of the most secretive societies in history, Portugal's Order of Christ, is led by a reclusive visionary. Prince Henry the Navigator and his medieval version of NASA plot to foil their archenemies, the Inquisitor Torquemada and Queen Isabella of Castile, who scheme to bring back Christ for the Last Judgment by ridding the world of Jews, heretics, and unbelievers.Separated by half a millennium, two conspiracies dovetail in this breakneck historical thriller to expose the world's most explosive secret: The real identity and mission of Christopher Columbus.