The Secret Gospel

De: Dan Eaton

Narrado por: Patrick Lawlor

In 1958 a young Bible scholar stumbles upon a version of the Gospel of Mark far older than that recorded in the New Testament. Unfortunately, his discovery brings him nothing but vilification and accusations of forgery. Eventually, the secret gospel simply disappears. Fifty-one years later, the scholar is dead, the victim of an apparent heart attack. However, evidence found in his room, coupled with a letter to Cairo-based journalist Alex Fisher, suggests murder - and hints that the missing gospel harbors deep secrets. Alex; his girlfriend, Sadie; and British diplomat Aubrey Bairstow's attempts to locate the gospel quickly turn deadly. An Islamic terrorist group, an Israeli intelligence agent, and the head of a scandalous Christian sect also want the gospel. In Egypt's Western Desert, in the midst of a massive sandstorm, the fate of the secret gospel will be decided in blood. As the hunt grows increasingly dangerous, it becomes apparent the lost manuscript has ties to both Nazi Germany and the Vatican's refusal to condemn the Holocaust. More is at stake than a lost text: The secret gospel could spell disaster for the Catholic Church - and change the balance of power in the Middle East.

©2015 Dan Eaton (P)2017 Tantor

B Movie Thriller

A journalist, Alex, and his diplomat pal, Aubrey, try to figure out the whereabouts of the 'Secret Gospel' in modern day Egypt - an alternate and controversial telling of the life of Jesus by one of his disciples.

All the while they are tailed by an American Christian cult - desperate to validate it, the Mossad who want to exploit it and an inept Middle Eastern based group that also want it for their own purposes. The search intensifies when Alex's girlfriend is apparently killed (or gone missing) in connection with his search.

I found the characters were somewhat cliche, the plot a little bumpy but predictable and some of the asides (explaining the gospels) a little long winded. It felt like an old time B movie thriller that you would likely be fine watching at home on a rainy Saturday if nothing else was on, but would not have wanted to shell out money to see at your local cinema.

The voice narration was competent on this relatively average thriller. Recommended for those who like light thrillers and do not want complicated characters or plots.

Daisy-chained quotes from Wikipedia.

I’m trying hard to finish this thing but I now there are 20 main characters, 15 locations, and at least 10 timelines going on. And why is there a character written like an 1800s English nobleman?