Lois Henderson
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/bookseries/B06Y2ZLK3W/ref=dp_st_0765378752" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source</a>
Continuing on from her first hidden religious mystery, The Sixth Station, in which she clearly established the identity of her lead female protagonist, Alessandra (Ali) Russo, as well as her own penchant for mysteries of this order, the Book of Judas (Forge Books; ISBN-10: 0765378752; ISBN-13: 978-0765378750) confirms once more that Linda Stasi is a writer of note. In common with her feisty heroine is Stasi’s own widely ranging background as a popular and well-read columnist for some of the key publications in the land, including, most notably, the New York Daily News and, previously, the New York Post. Many have come to draw parallels between Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and Stasi’s own work, with the exception that the latter is most definitely female-dominated. Even so, her male characters have an innate strength of their own, with her close friend and confidante, Roy Golden, heading the pack in this respect. A highly sensitive and emotionally torn gay man, he has had to grow up with substantial emotional abuse from his father. Having withstood years of degradation from the latter, his delight on his father’s death is portrayed with empathy and understanding. No shrinking violet, he is pictured as being capable of taking out an opponent with a single punch. Stasi appears to revel in the warmth of the relationship between Ali and Roy, which goes some way to indicating the depth of her own emotional feelings towards life—not for her the cold objectivity of the stereotypical journalist, but rather she appears to enmesh herself in, and to relish, the intricacies of life, as, too, does her female lead.
The detailed research that Stasi undertook to make the Book of Judas authentic in tone took her right to the heart of Vatican City and the sometimes hypocritical ethos that underlies the associated pomp and ceremony. Having a close personal relationship with a former top member of the Vatican, allowing her extraordinary access to the innermost secrets of the Roman Catholic Church, has given Stasi incomparable insights into the ecclesiastical way of thinking and its many pitfalls. Seen from a woman’s standpoint, instead of that of the traditional patriarchal authority, the questioning that ensues of long-held dogmas and beliefs contributing to the mysticism that surrounds such a publicly ostentatious and inwardly deeply troubled institution makes for riveting reading.
The Book of Judas should appeal to all those who appreciate fast-paced action and racy dialogue, set against a backdrop of international intrigue ranging from New York City to the very heart of Israeli heritage and culture. With her previous novel having papacy-verified research, Stasi’s willingness to travel far and wide in her search and to brave dangers that many would not be prepared to face so as to be able to uncover the possibilities of long-lost sacred relics and divinely inspired writings can only auger well for the future—she assures her readers that this book will most definitely not be her last featuring her dauntless heroine and fictional comrade-in-arms.
Good book reviews
Thank you!
Good book reviews that arouse curiosity. I am very interested in things like this. How do you think about the reality of the Book of Judas itself outside of Linda Stasi’s novel?
Thank you! Haven’t laid my hands on a copy, I’m afraid :(.
I see. Thanks
Nice review Lois! I look forward to seeing more book reviews from you later on.
Thank you, Andrew! I’ve brought out a collection of my book reviews, entitled From Aguirre to Zipes. The ecopy isn’t too expensive, but the hard copy is, unfortunately :(.
You’re welcome Lois! Are you a writer too or you just review books?
At the moment I just review books and compile augment word search puzzles, that consist of the puzzle and the material that I blog in here (apart from the puzzle part). I want to write a short bio of a local children’s author when my present stint of work is over (mid-November). I’ve already interviewed her, and want to review all her books, and compile them all together with an essay on the author herself. I used to write poetry, which I might also try my hand at in the form of haiku (don’t laugh, I know that it’s incredibly difficult!), but I have the subject matter on hand (the banks of the Berg River) and a local author’s done a great deal of research into the local fauna and flora, so I hope to blend all that with my first-hand encounters with the environs. Oh, BTW, if you want a free review pdf copy of my book of book reviews, just please let me know where I can send it, and I shall do so. I’d love a comment (it doesn’t have to be a full review) on the related Amazon page. Hope I haven’t bored your socks off, but you DID ask! *grin*
‘augment’ should read ‘augmented’ in the preceding comment – sorry!
A great book review. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you!
very cute book
Thank you :).
Well said
Thank you :).
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. In fact, I am not quite sure that I actually got the point of it.
As a librarian, I loved the references to newspaper libraries and her explanations of how the Internet has impacted on the world of journalism.
Nice one
Thank you!