Bibliosaurus Text

Published by Blue Rider Press
Released August 6, 2013
432 pages
Where I got it: E-galley received from publisher via NetGalley
Rating:

Description (from publisher):

The Historian meets The Da Vinci Code in this exhilarating supernatural thriller set in Rome, where rival groups are searching for a document that holds a secret that could shatter the Catholic Church.

This document, dear friend, will shatter the Church….. 

Reading these words in a letter in a dusty archive, Thomas Kelly is skeptical. The papers to which they refer have vanished, but Father Kelly, a Jesuit priest, doubts anything could ever have had that power—until the Vatican suddenly calls him to Rome to begin a desperate search for that very document.

Meanwhile, standing before a council of her people, Livia Pietro receives instructions: she must find a Jesuit priest recently arrived in Rome, and join his search for a document that contains a secret so shocking it has the power to destroy not only the Catholic Church, but Livia’s people as well.

As cryptic messages from the past throw Thomas and Livia into a treacherous world of art, religion, and conspiracy, they are pursued by those who would cross any line to obtain the document for themselves. Thomas and Livia must race to stop the chaos and destruction that the revelation of these secrets would create. Livia, though, has a secret of her own: She and her people are vampires.

In a sprawling tapestry that combines the religious intrigue of Dan Brown with the otherworldly terror of Stephenie Meyer, Blood of the Lamb is an unforgettable journey into an unthinkable past.

“The Historian meets The Da Vinci Code.” Those words resulted in some conflicted feelings in me about whether or not I wanted to read this book. I loved The Historian but couldn’t stand The Da Vinci Code. As you can see, I broke down and read Blood of the Lamb. The result: not as good as The Historian but certainly better than The Da Vinci Code.

Blood of the Lamb is another example of a biblio-mystery that promises to reveal a particularly damning secret of the Roman Catholic Church. Also, there are vampires. One vampire must team up with a priest in order to uncover where the important document is hidden. Church by church, they solve clues in a scavenger hunt for the truth.

I had fun reading Blood of the Lamb, probably because I didn’t go into it with high expectations. Characters fall into stereotypical roles, and there are no real surprises throughout the plot or with the characters. There is one unfortunately one-dimensional bad guy who trails our heroes like a single-minded bloodhound, and I found myself trying hard not to just roll my eyes every time he appeared. He is laughably bad, and fulfills a bit of the albino’s role from The Da Vinci Code.

The best part of this book was how it takes place in Rome, at various churches, and made me really want to visit the city. As somebody who has art historical training, the descriptions made me long to go and check out the architecture, sculptures, and reliquaries for myself. Also, vampires.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code, you should give this book a try. You’ll probably like it. I found it satisfying as genre fiction and as a light, fun adventure.

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