This book is quite a fun read. The storytelling is flowing, though the ex-priest's story for quitting priesthood isn't that convincing, jumping right into another a new (sexual) relationship, no less. There are a lot - and I mean, a lot - of plots of historical backdrop of the Tablet of Atmanta that, while engrossing, leaves much to be desired. From the violent death of Teucer and Tetia in 666 BC, it jumps right to 18th century Venice with the violent death of another ex-priest. Although it's understood that much as the history of the Tablets have remained unknown, hence the supposedly big gap in its happenstance, I wish there is more to be said, of how the Tablets have spawned a Satanist cult following throughout the centuries. Was it really all started by Larth, the brutal enforcer who stole the Tablets in the first place? Had there been successes? The ending of the book suggests that the seed of Satan is sought in another raped pregnancy. Are we to believe that, over the course of centuries, from 666 BC to present day, there has not been one - even just one - success of the Satanist cult? If we are to believe too, from the Carabinieri findings, that there had been various other events in past history that would point to the inkling of the Tablets and this cult, including as farfetched as 9/11 and the tsunami in Asia, are we truly to believe that this Lars Bale really can cause that much damage, with the exception of maybe three explosions, two of which were folded? I highly doubt it. It's also puzzling, of how the three Tablets were snatched by Tanina during the frenzy, have ended up scattering about? It seems odd, that the author has spent so much inks on the stories of Teucer/Tetia, and then Tanina/Tommaso, just to suddenly drop the prior historic plots, as if he's got a sudden change of hearts or has lost interests in it all.And then there're loose ends, in the thick of plots towards the last 1/3 of the book, like the suggestion that the 15-year-old's killer might have been left-handed Mera Teale, when around the middle of the book, it's suggested that the killer was the one who controlled the security monitors who was Ancelotti, the rogue lawyer, instead. In comparison, the character of Valentina and his murdered cousin, Antonio, seem almost like an afterthought, which can almost be done without. Is the subplot of Antonio's murder in explosion really necessary? It's almost as if this was added to the plots, just so that we can feel something about the rather one-dimensional character of Valentina. In fact, the book could very easily stand on its own with Major Carvalho in the investigation, without the distractions of Valentina/Antonio; afterall, the veiled attraction of Valentina to Father Tom is all but white noise. What's the point, really?All in all, I wish the book has some of the plots trimmed, and others expanded to make it more coherent, rather than trying to throw everything in one big melting pot, with the hope to fit into the category of religious thriller created by The DaVince Code. Should it have done that, this book could have attained 5 stars. Pity.
Praised by critics and readers alike for his international bestseller The Stonehenge Legacy, Sam Christer continues to weave an irresistible plot of conspiracies and sudden death in one of the world's most mysterious ancient sites.When ex-priest Tom Shaman, jaded from years in the Los Angeles ghetto, decides on a last-minute trip to Venice, he gets much more than he expected. A brutal killer is on the loose and Tom finds himself in the midst of a series of ritualistic killings unlike anything Venice has ever seen. Enlisted by the Italian police, Tom teams up with young investigator Valentina Morassi to dig deep into the city's darkest history, stretching from an ancient civilization to the sexual decadence of eighteenth-century Italy to the gritty underworld of modern-day Venice. As Valentina and Tom trace the killings through the centuries, they uncover a deadly secret that generations have killed to protect: a priceless mosaic known as the Gates of Hell.As the clock counts down, Tom and Valentina's adventure builds to an astonishing and satisfying end. Exotic and well-researched, The Venice Conspiracy will continue to build Christer's name in the hit-thriller genre... A must read novel, the history, the time frame, the mystery blends with the ritual killings of a serial killer(s). Very well written and top marks for an entertaining and most enjoyable read. Definately worth the time and effort to learn some history (albeit maybe fact or fiction) after all is that not what a good story is...
What do You think about The Venice Conspiracy (2016)?
Ugh, this book was not what I thought it was going to be. The characters weren't that well developed (or that interesting) and the story was just plain weird. It flips back and forth from 666BC to 18th century Venice to present day Venice, which in itself isn't terrible -- but the stories of what was happening in the first two timelines were awful. Terrible, boring, disgusting. The present day was the only timeline I could actually follow, and even it wasn't great. It was just all a bit over the top for me, and way too much blood, gore, religion and Satanism for me. Thumbs down.
—Beth
Father Tom Shaman has just administered last rites to an dying 100 year old woman and is walking home at midnight in contemporary Los Angeles. He passes an alley and sees three thugs molesting a young woman. He deals himself a hand and when the smoke clears the young woman has been raped and two of the thugs are dead. After being exonerated for the deaths and leaving the priesthood he feels compelled to go to Venice. Then we are zapped back to 666 B.C. where we meet a young Etruscan priest and find the root of the story. We continue to be moved back and forth through the ages and watch the conspiracy unfold. The author lacks polish but it's a pretty good story.
—Chuck
En primer lugar, creo que sólo se puede disfrutar plenamente de esta lectura si conocemos de antemano lo que vamos a encontrarnos y, a pesar de ello, su contenido despierta nuestra curiosidad. La Conspiración de Venecia es una novela negra con un pequeño amago de fantasía. De hecho, el propio autor define su obra como leyenda satánica. Si bien es cierto que el suspense no se alimenta de grandes sucesos paranormales y puede leerse como una novela negra del montón, sus principales pilares son un vidente que emite una profecía demoníaca antes de Cristo y un puñado de rituales satánicos.Jon Trace relata una investigación a tres tiempos: 666 a.C., 1777 y la actualidad. Por norma general, me pierdo con las novelas históricas, pero su narrativa es tan sencilla como amena. Aunque el pasado está muy bien ambientado, no entra en descripciones históricas demasiado cargantes, sólo enumera los datos imprescindibles para un contexto sólido. Por otro lado, los capítulos son tan breves que se leen en un suspiro y permiten hacer todas las pausas que sean necesarias. Además, he devorado con avidez cada frase, deseando conocer cómo están relacionados los tres tiempos. Si bien es cierto que se trata de una lectura bastante lineal que no presenta ningún sobresalto inesperado.La psicología de sus personajes está muy bien definida, aunque no profundiza en historias raras. Y con esto me refiero a que todos los protagonistas "buenos" son personas normales y corrientes, sólo que emocionalmente afectados por un trabajo complicado. El único que se escapa ligeramente de la normalidad es el protagonista de la serie, Tom Shaman (La Conspiración de Venecia, The Rome Prophecy). Tom es un ex-sacerdote con un pasado casi traumático, aunque se lo toma con filosofía y no se obsesiona con los hechos, a pesar de su relevancia. Porque resulta obvio que los tres tiempos guardan cierto paralelismo.En fin, que me ha parecido un argumento muy correcto, pero he echado de menos uno de esos giros imprevistos capaces de alterar nuestra respiración. Por el contrario, el desenlace se va tejiendo de forma pausada, con muy pocas sorpresas. De todas formas, es imposible predecir la mayoría de sus deducciones con la información disponible. Por cierto, en un par de ocasiones, su forma de proceder me ha parecido un tanto dudosa. No obstante, es una novela bastante entretenida que te atrapa hasta el final.
—Ainhoa de Alberto
