Like any good historical fiction book (at least the ones I’m accustomed to reading) they tend to jump back and forth between stories. How else are you to know the distinct connection between past and present? Craney’s book jumps between present day and Spain starting around 1455 AD. What does an Ethiopian tomb and a tale of 3 mariners have in common? Find out in my book review at:

https://quitterstrip.wordpress.com/2016/08/04/an-ancient-hide-and-go-seek/ ( )

While investigating the death of her fiance in Ethiopia, State Department newbie Jacqueline “Jac” Quartermane stumbles upon a mysterious word puzzle in an underground church in Lalibela, Ethiopia. Determined to solve the puzzle, she finds herself thrown into an ancient Christian mystery. Her investigations spark a wide ranging race to resurrect the Temple of Solomon. Running parallel to this, we travel back to 1452, where a Portuguese secret society seeks to avert the Spanish crown’s designs to bring about judgement day.

If you’re thinking that this sounds very like The Da Vinci Code, you’re not alone. The promise of an interesting mystery tied to a historical thriller sounded like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the main character, Jacqueline Quartermane, is a literalist, born-again Christian. Her mentor is a megachurch pastor with most of the GOP in his pocket. Forgive me for saying this, but I find the idea of cheering for someone like Jac to be repellent. The historical portions of the plot were interesting, although the time jumps did get confusing at times. It was the modern-day portions, with Jac at the helm, that ultimately turned me off this book. Perhaps I’m letting my personal feelings have too much sway, but especially in this day and age I find I have no patience for the religious set. If this book had been more secular, like The Da Vinci Code, it would have been much more palatable for me.

So, this book was entirely not to my tastes. For those who don’t mind the overly-religious bits, you may still enjoy it. One person’s tastes are not the be-all and end-all (which is the whole point of this blog). But for myself, I had to say no.

A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. ( )

The Virgin of the Wind Rose grips you in its teeth and whirls you through history and around the world. As soon as State Department employee, Jaq Quartermane, is told of the tragic death of her fiancé in Ethiopia she is dragged into a terrifying investigation rooted in the tales of the Knight Templars and the voyages of the explorers sponsored by Prince Henry the Navigator.

Finding herself in peril inside an ancient rock hewn Ethiopian church, does she trust to her deep Christian faith or to Elymas, an agnostic rascal? And it is trust and conspiracy which underline this thrilling adventure, taking Jaq from Rome to France, Portugal and Israel.

While Jaq and Elymas try to solve the SATOR square, an ancient palindrome, their travels are paralleled by the story of three young 15th century Portuguese boys. Meeting in alarming circumstances, Pero, Zarco and Dias form a bond which carries them through their difficult training at the Tomar observatory and sustains them in their navigational test at Prince Henry’s fort in Sagres. Split apart by the different missions they are given, their friendship is maintained and their actions will have repercussions throughout history.

I was fascinated by the details of early exploration, which has always interested me, and the further involvement of Christopher Columbus add to the intrigue. At the same time, I was anxious to continue following the mysteries and dangerous situations explored by the present day couple. Glen Craney has made their relationship suitably prickly and intense, given their very different backgrounds, but he has allowed their humanity and understanding to shine through.

I loved Craney’s acerbic wit in comments such as, “The priest was obviously one pew short of a full congregation.” 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. Almost the best part is the last chapter with so much promise and fascinating clues.
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Jacqueline (Jaq), a lawyer working for the state department, is thrown into a religious escapade when her fiancé is found murdered in Ethiopia. Traveling to retrieve his remains she realizes once there that the story does not prove sound and when she stumbles across a travel stub for Italy amongst his belongings and a news clipping about ancient Jewish relics she realizes her fiancé was not there for pleasure. She begins to investigate on her own starting with the church where her fiancé was found murdered; while there she comes across a man, Elymas (later known as Boz) who makes her aware that this was no random murder. Together and separate they begin a journey to retrieve lost religious relics and ultimately find the Ark of the Covenant before the rapture but there is someone who is always one step ahead of them.

The other half of the story takes place mostly in Portugal during the time where new routes to India were being explored and the discovery of a New World by Columbus. This part of the story was filled with myths and what I would call today conspiracy theories. The two stories do collide perfectly together and the relevance of each is revealed.

The story is impressive in that the research that went into telling this story is intense. However, I found it a bit unbelievable and extravagant. The story moves incredibly fast from point to point with all the clues being readily available at just the right moment. The ease of how Jaq and Boz are able to go from point A to point B is unrealistic. I did find the story intriguing but too implausible for my taste. ( )

4.25 Stars
An adventure end-of-the-world epic that spans centuries. This historical mystery is told in two separate storylines, one during the Age of Exploration and the other in contemporary times. Religious fanatics, spies, government conspiracies, and beautiful landscapes are included throughout. The author did some serious research. Perfect for Dan Brown or Steve Berry fans.

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