Gospel Truths

I have been studying the origins of Christianity for years now, and this book tells it like it is. There is a great summary on pages 166-171. When the DaVinci Code came out, I thought there could be no equal. Gospel Truths surpasses the more popular book in the story telling and in the facts-department.

This is a compelling and well-told tale, as edifying to savor after its conclusion as it is to be swept along as it builds. Sandom takes the search for an ancient religious text and weaves a fascinating story of history into a fast-paced thriller. The characters, led by Koster, the quirky and brilliant but somewhat socially inept hero, are as interesting as the story itself. Having read my share of contemporary thrillers and literary novels, I'd put this near the top of my list in both categories. Intriguing, gripping, fast-paced and exceptionally well written. Bravo, Mr. Sandom!

"Gospel Truths" is a superior read. It's both fascinating, smart and mysterious. The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, believed to be Christ's own words writtin on the page, has been hidden away in a cathedral in France. If it is found and exposed, it will undermine the very essence of Christianity as we know it. Reviewer #1 has done a superb job of describing the characters, so I won't go into it again here. Just let me say that J. has a gift for putting words together beautifully. "Gospel Truths" is filled with such beautiful passages that I found myself going back and reading them over again. "Gospel Truths" was not an easy book to write but J. did a superb job. Books on the subject of religion are often fascinating, especially when it is thought that an actual relic exists that was hidden 1,000 years ago. It would be wonderful to have everyone to read the book in a room for a discussion. Please buy it. It's well worth the read.

The year is 1991, and British police inspector Nigel Lyman has fallen from grace following a run as media darling after he solved a gruesome case involving a teacher who had dismembered several young students who attended a prestigious school. But then Lyman accidentally shot and killed another officer during a scuffle with some bad guys. Add to that the loss of his son in the Falklands war and the end of his marriage, and Lyman nearly reached his breaking point. To top it off, he's been assigned to a seemingly insignificant but reopened case involving a powerful Vatican-connected Italian banker who presumably hanged himself off Blackfriars Bridge in London a year earlier. Like the labyrinths that will eventually provide pivotal clues, the path Lyman follows in solving the case will take turns that appear to lead directly to the center of the mystery, only to steer him in another direction entirely. At the heart of the case is the legendary "Q" document, which is purported to be the gospel that the apostles Matthew, Mark and Luke used as source material for their own gospel accounts. It's believed to have been hidden away in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres in France. But before Lyman figures out the link to Q in Chartres, his investigation leads him to another French city, Amiens, and its cathedral --- plus a half-dozen or so people who play essential roles in the unraveling of a web of crime extending far beyond a London bridge. It helps to get the characters straight right away: Guy Soury-Fontaine, tour guide at the Amiens Cathedral; Mariane, his sister, whose lover, Maurice Duval, mysteriously disappeared a year earlier; Joseph Koster, an American mathematician and architect who is smitten with Mariane; Archbishop Kazimierz Grabowski, Guy and Mariane's cousin who heads up the Vatican Bank; and Marco Scarcella, who has his hands in all manner of nefarious enterprises. And then there's Countess Irene de Rochembaud, who is worthy of her own paragraph though she gets less ink in the book than the other main characters. But in this novel of superbly written scenes, the scene in which Koster meets the countess in a Paris park merits honorable mention. It provides a delightful respite from the gripping suspense that characterizes the novel as a whole. All are in one way or another connected to the pursuit of Q, which is believed to contain passages that would undermine the foundations of Christianity. Some, of course, would love to find the document so they could threaten to expose its contents, while others want it in order to hide it all over again and protect the church. With so much at stake --- particularly the extraordinary sum of money that could fall into the hands of either camp should Q be found --- there is lots of opportunity for intrigue, corruption, murder, deception, mystery, greed and the like. Based on a true incident, GOSPEL TRUTHS was first published in 1992 and is facing the prospect of a second successful run in li

Captivating, erudite and masterfully plotted, Gospel Truths is the thinking man's Da Vinci Code. The novel is set primarily in the cathedral towns of France (Chartres and Amiens), features colorful characters, and explores a variety of issues from Medieval architecture and topology, to the early Gnostic Christians (considered Heretics by the established Church) and Free Masonry. Interestingly, both Sandom and Brown went to Amherst College. Wonder if Brown was influenced by his fellow alumni's novel. Sure seems that way. But Gospel Truths is actually far more interesting and complex, though clearly a more "difficult" and challenging read. A "must read" for any mystery lover. If you liked Da Vinci Code, you'll LOVE Gospel Truths. Stick with it and the book will deliver in spades.