The Moroni Deception
by
Jack L. Brody
Publisher: Visigoth Press (December 19, 2012)
- ISBN-10: 0615722261
- ISBN-13: 978-0615722269
Michael Chenault, award-winning investigative journalist with the New
York Times, is rousted in the middle of the night by NYPD detectives and
accused of the bizarre murder of a complete stranger. After clearing
himself, Chenault finds that Martin Koplanski, the retired history
professor he’d been accused of murdering, was likely killed for a
mysterious Mormon relic long thought to be just a myth. Twenty-four
hours later, Chenault receives an email with a photo of the recently
murdered wife of Presidential candidate, Brockston Ratchford. She too
appears to have been ritually killed in the exact manner as Koplanski,
right down to having the same cryptic character scrawled in blood across
her forehead. With way more than just a hunch to now go on, Chenault
heads out to Salt Lake City, the site of the Ratchford murder
investigation, to find out what, if any, connection there is between the
murders. With the help of a beautiful young reporter he meets along the
way, Chenault comes to learn the dark family secrets of a rising
political star, along with the rather strange but true history of the
Mormon church. As he pieces the story together of what appears to be an
ever-growing conspiracy, Chenault is pursued by The Brothers, two
murderous zealots who will stop at nothing to retrieve the Mormon relic
Chenault is also trying to find. What Chenault eventually discovers is
that what he’s uncovered may not only affect the outcome of the next
Presidential election, but decide the fate of an entire religion–if he
can manage to stay alive. In the tradition of Raymond Khoury, Brad
Meltzer, Dan Brown and Steve Berry, The Moroni Deception is a cleverly
conceived, twisting tale of political and religious intrigue by a new
master of the conspiracy thriller.
Author bio . . .
Jack Brody is a writer, entrepreneur, ex-military and an avid traveler. He’s had an interesting
and varied life, and is fascinated by history, politics, architecture,
and of late, zealots of all stripes who have shaped recent world events.
When not writing, he can be found hiking with his two faithful
canines, mountain biking, or playing bar trivia or volleyball. He
divides his time between his mountain hideaway in the Southern
Appalachian Mountains and wherever his passport will take him.
After reading Jon Krakauer’s bestselling Under the Banner of Heaven,
he was inspired to undertake a full year of research in preparation for
the novel. Taking what he’d learned, combined with a bit of
imagination, the resulting work of fiction was The Moroni Deception. The novel is the author’s first conspiracy thriller.
Reader review . . .
New York Times journalist Michael Chenault is minding his own business when NYPD detectives show up at his door in the middle of the night to accuse him of murder. When Michael receives a photo of Presidential candidate Brockston Ratchford's murdered wife, it appears that she was murdered in the same way as the first victim, with the same mysterious character written on her forehead in blood. It appears that the first victim, Martin Koplanski, was killed for an ancient Mormon relic, so Chenault heads to Salt Lake City to investigate. What Chenault uncovers there could change the course of political and religious history; that is, if he survives.
Reminiscent of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code, this suspenseful page-turner asks serious "What if?" questions of a long-established religion. While the ending was somewhat predictable, the plot kept my interest until the last page.
The character of Michael is likeable enough, even though a couple of times I thought he was a little slow to figure out a major plot point. Now to the most obvious character in the book. Ummm.....was the author watching the Presidential campaign last year when he wrote this? No offense to Mitt Romney, but Brockston Ratchford has Romney written all over him. I couldn't help but see his face every time the character was mentioned.
I'm sure that many LDS believers will be offended by this book, as many Catholics and Protestants were offended by The DaVinci Code. However, if the reader sees this as a fictional novel, or is not a member of the LDS faith and is comfortable with novels that cause them to question long-established beliefs, this is a great read.
5 stars
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Buy the Book book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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