Tom Bohannon’s discovery of an ancient scroll led him on an international adventure and through mysteries of faith and politics, ending in a place not even he could imagine: the Third Temple of God hidden under Temple Mount in Jerusalem. But soon after his remarkable discovery, the future of the world changed again. Tom watched as a chasm tore apart Temple Mount, as new rivers swept through the Kidron Valley and into the streets of Old Jerusalem, their discovery swallowed by an earthquake, crushed under tons of stone and debris. A biblical prophecy realized. The final days were upon them.
Wondering how to recover from such a momentous find and such horrendous destruction, Tom’s adventures are not over. No one knows how much time is left in these last days—a year? A hundred years? A thousand? Plagued by murderous dreams, Tom fears members of the Prophet Guard—killers who wear the Coptic cross with a lightning bolt slashing through it—are back and looking for him. But they are not the only threat to Tom and his team. Forces behind the Arab Spring have sinister plans. And underestimating their determination would be a fatal mistake.
Terry Brennan has had an extensive career in journalism, winning several awards, including the Freedoms Foundation Award for editorial writing. Terry served eleven years as the vice president of operations for The Bowery Mission in New York City and is currently a management consultant.
My Impressions:
The Brotherhood Conspiracy is the continuation of the international suspense/intrigue that Terry Brennan began in his first novel, The Sacred Cipher (read review HERE.) Following his adventure in Jerusalem to uncover the Third Temple, Tom Bohannon is back in New York trying to get his life back to normal. But threats from enemies old and new and the machinations of world governments and terrorist groups pull Tom and his band of colleagues back into the middle of a search that could bring the world even closer to an end.
The Brotherhood Conspiracy brings back characters from the first novel and adds a lot more — characters that include terrorists, world leaders, intelligence agents and academics — all with conflicting motives and plans. The first half of the book spends a lot of time introducing these characters, and I have to say I had trouble keeping up with who was who. And all the characters have an agenda. This complexity was a bit of a problem for me, causing me to not fully engage with the story. All of the groups involved are on a race to find Israel’s Tent of Meeting. The last half of the book is much more fast-paced. The mixing of historical events with the fictional account gives this novel a real life feel — chilling in light of the fanaticism and calculation exhibited by the characters. And there is obviously a third book coming up, because there are a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions left hanging.
While I think that the overwhelming amount of plot lines is a negative, the spiritual journey the main characters are on is a big positive. We see Tom, whose faith sustained the group in the first book, suffering a crisis of faith. And we have others turn from skeptics to seekers — mostly because of the faith Tom exhibited in book 1. And Proverbs 19:21 was definitely a verse that kept coming to mind —There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the Lord which will stand.
So, I guess I have some mixed feelings about The Brotherhood Conspiracy. But I will definitely keep book #3 on my wishlist. I just have to know how all this will end!
(Thanks to Kregel for a copy of this book. The opinions expressed are mine alone.)
To purchase a copy of The Brotherhood Conspiracy, click on the image below.
Recent Comments