Armor of God

This sequel to "The Masada Scroll" is terrific! As implicity promised in the first book, this second volume continues the larger story of what spiritual faith of any stripe should really be about. Once again, the authors enrich the telling by framing their tale in a double viewpoint context--one contemporary and one in the historical past; this time, readers travel back to the Middle Ages and Crusades. Through it all, the book's primary protagonist, Father Flannery, now himself a Keeper of the Sign, finds he is under constant threat from powerfully entrenched religious groups with a very great deal to lose if he accomplishes his prime directive--revealing the newly discovered Masada gospel of unity and peace to the entire world. Throughout, the authors keep the reader on chair's edge; both are master thriller/suspense story-tellers and once again with "Armor of God," they do not disappoint. all the way through to the last page.

Though at times he feels the weight of the world upon him, forty-seven years old Father Michael Flannery knows faith and his mission for God keeps him going. He is the Keeper of the Sign that somehow combines the Star of David, the Cross of Christianity and the Crescent and Star of Islam before any of these symbols have been known to have existed. He knows the consolidated symbol represents the Trevia Dei paths to God. He continues his work to bring peace and harmony through the recently stolen Gospel of Dismayas that predates the four accepted Gospels. Many fanatics from each major religion want him dead as he preaches any path to God not one intrusive way. On his way to give a talk in New York, a Via Dei assassin tries to kill him to keep him from preaching the earliest known gospel; one that has been contradicted ever since. This fast-paced religious thriller also contains a subplot involving the Crusades starring a scholar Tobias Garlande, who sees the future which adds depth and excitement, but this is Father Flannery's tale. The story line is fast-paced from the onset as assassins try to kill the hero to prevent him getting the word out. Although at times the language feels stilted, fans will relish the sequel to THE MASADA SCROLL as Paul Block and Robert Vaughan provide an intriguing look at the three major monotheistic religions in which a gospel of peace and harmony is unacceptable to the powerful who need the masses conflicted to maintain their affluent position on earth. Harriet Klausner