The Sacred Blood (2008 Byrnes), novel

The Sacred Blood (2008) is a novel by Michael Byrnes.

Abstract

Jesus's mortal remains turned up in a secret crypt below Jerusalem's Temple Mount. When American archaeologist discovers she shares the same DNA, she has to face a kidnapping attempt. Fast-paced sequel to: The Sacred Bones (2007 Byrnes), novel.

Editions

Published in Great Britain (London: Simon & Schuster, 2008) and the United States (New York: Morrow, 2009).

Translations

• Die Messias-Linie (2009 Byrnes), novel (German ed.)

• 聖血密碼 = The Sacred Blood (2011 Byrnes / Cai), novel (Chinese ed.)

Synopsis

The narrative starts off right after Father Donovan and Charlotte had thought that the conspiracy in the Vatican over a mysterious ossuary that was stolen from Temple Mount was over and that the secrets that the ossuary contained were in the past. It didn’t matter that the bones were possibly those of Jesus Christ and cured the cancer that had plagued Charlotte. That is until two mysterious assassins hired by The Sons of Light come looking for both of them. The assassins know many confidential secrets and are willing to kill to get their hands on the bones from this ossuary. The Sons of Light is a secret society of the bloodline of the Tribe of Levi who are fanatically preparing for the fulfillment of the prophecies of the second coming of the messiah and the end of time led by rabbi Aaron Cohen. Rabbi Cohen orders the abduction of Charlotte in belief that she is the new messiah. At the same time a group of archaeologist (Israeli archeologist Amit Mizrachi and Egyptologist Julie LeRoux) find an ancient scroll, possibly another of the Dead Sea Scrolls, while searching the Qumran. This scroll was carefully hidden and intentionally preserved. The Sons of Light do not want these archeological finds to become public information. They hire an assassin to blow up the archeological dig and kill Amit and Julie. When the assassin fails to kill Amit and Julie, They decide to look to answers to why someone wants to kill them. They uncover Rabbi Cohen’s plot to return Isreal to its real power and rebuild the temple of Jerusalem involving the Ark of the Covenant and the “new messiah,” Charlotte, that leads to a wild conclusion at Temple Mount in Jerusalem. -- Anthony Martus, University of Michigan

External links

• Fantastic Fiction