The Book of Light [Paperback]

Michelle Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 4, 2004

Named one of USA Today's Top Summer Reads.

Episcopalian priest Lily Connor is investigating the authenticity of the Book of Light--a biblical scroll purported to contain the transcribed words of Jesus Christ. But there are those who wish for Jesus' words to remain unknown.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Blake's third outstanding Lily Connor mystery (after 2001's Earth Has No Sorrow), the slightly unorthodox Episcopalian priest, now a temporary chaplain at Tate University near Boston, helps an old friend from divinity school on the Tate faculty, Samantha Henderson, with a big problem. The author of several bestselling Biblical studies, Samantha reveals to Lily that her assistant has been receiving photographs of what seems to be an ancient scroll, The Book of Light, which predates the New Testament gospels and includes the words of Jesus himself. As Samantha and Lily become engrossed in discovering the source of the photos and trying to ascertain the scroll's authenticity, it soon becomes evident that others on the same quest will stop at nothing to get what they want. In spite of the personal dangers the priest and her friends face, the document provides a stepping stone for Lily to clarify her own personal doubts and solidify her spiritual beliefs. Eloquent prose, astute scholarship, convincing characters and vivid settings, from the streets of Harvard Square to a monastic community on the Greek island of Athos, make this a remarkable work, raising the genre of the parish mystery to new heights.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

In her third adventure, Lily Connor, Episcopalian priest and amateur sleuth, tries to discover whether an ancient scroll, called The Book of Light, really contains the secret words of Jesus and served as source material for the synoptic gospels. Blake tries to balance a lot here. Along with the questions about the scrolls--Who has them? Who wants them? What do they mean?--she makes room for Lily's ongoing struggles with alcohol, faith, love, and family. Most of the time Blake manages to keep all these balls in the air; the whodunit element, in fact, works quite well as an old friend draws Lily into the mystery. Unfortunately, the manuscript itself, the most enticing part of the story, tends to get short shrift. Though Blake lets her characters peruse the photographic copies of the scrolls, she fails to satisfy the curiosity of readers tantalized by the never-before-seen words of Jesus. Still, series fans will enjoy the story, even if those drawn by the idea of the scrolls will need to keep looking for the real thing. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (May 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425196909
• ISBN-13: 978-0425196908
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When my daughter graduated from college, our family gift to her was a trip to the Sawtooth Mountains and the River of No Return, in central Idaho. She had seen a series of photographs of the region and its people, taken by the photographer Susan McPhee , and had been so moved by the landscape and faces that she vowed to get there someday. From my point of view, this was an excellent gift, because I got to go with her. The picture above was taken outside the town of Stanley, after a week at the Diamond D ranch, a hidden gem of a guest ranch inside the Frank Church Wilderness Area, the largest wilderness area in the lower forty-eight. I look sad because we were leaving the next day, and I knew I would miss the beauty and the people.
Art isn't required to serve some useful function, but despite itself, it often does. A photography show drew my daughter and me to Idaho for one of the great adventures of our lives. Dorothy Sayers's novel Gaudy Night introduced me to the possibility of a life of the mind, for women, where books and thinking and truth held sway over the polite lies and pincurls of my southern upbringing.
I've been a writer for all of my adult life, and most of my childhood. I wrote poetry for the first fifteen or twenty years (depending on when you start counting). During most of that period I taught writing and literature, and founded and directed a graduate writing program at Warren Wilson College. Later, I attended Harvard Divinity School, where I got my Master of Theological Studies and for a short while considered seeking ordination in the Episcopal Church. Instead, I started a mystery series that features Lily Connor, a priest and activist in Boston.
This was the right choice. I would not have been a good priest. I am an impatient perfectionist who prefers to be left alone with a good book or a blank page, or both. I have just finished a new novel that is not part of the mystery series, though it does include an art heist and a psychic. I live with my husband, the writer Dennis McFarland, in rural Vermont, and our two grown children, when we can lure them home.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From dark to light, January 1, 2005

By 

T. Woodworth (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Light (Paperback)

There are a few other books which explore the topic of newly found words of Jesus or "Q" specifically. The subject lends itself nicely to intrigue and suspense. Blake adds the edge of spiritual angst. She also has a few passages which are great for sermon fodder.

Way back in seminary I found the idea of text criticism fascinating. If my ancient language skills were better it would have been even more interesting. Blake's book may be a good one to help explain to lay people about how the Bible came to be. It would certainly create some serious questions.

The use of present tense, while incredibly annoying at times, gives a distinct impression of Lily's detachment from her present life. I expect the next book will have something to do with her relationship to her parents and deepening (I hope) relationship with Tom.

All in all the book was good. I'm looking forward to the next one.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting concept, July 27, 2003

By 

E. Griffin (Wilton, CT, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Book of Light (Hardcover)

Lily Connor has temporary position as a chaplain at a Boston university when she encounters a classmate from Lily's own school days, Samantha. Samantha seems to need more than Lily is willing to give, and presumes on a friendship Lily is not sure ever existed.

Samantha soon reaches out to Lily for help--Samantha is receiving photographs of what appears to be lost, pre-biblical text called "Q"--words of Jesus never before seen. The plot twists and double twists with appearances of Samantha's assistant, the assistant's boyfriend, and Samantha's ex-husband, all of whom have some nefarious involvement with Q.

The Book of Light starts strongly, and the author's biblical references add wonderful authenticity to the story--the reader can sense the awe of this work. Unfortunately, in the last few chapters the novel falls back to a cliched resolution not worthy of the characters or writing. Still, an enjoyable read for mystery lovers.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars creative theological mystery, May 12, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Light (Hardcover)

After graduating from Cambridge Theological Seminary, Lily Connor becomes an ordained Episcopalian priest. At present she is the interim pastor of Tate University located a few miles from Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. One day while counseling a student in her office, Samantha Lamb-Henderson walks in and says she want to get reacquainted with Lily. Lily feels the professor has a hidden agenda because when they attended seminary school together they were just acquaintances, not friends.

Lily's suspicions soon prove right when Samantha confides in her. Samantha's assistant, Francine, has been getting photographs in the mail that look like they could be the mythical Q document, the second source document for the Gospels of Luke and Mark. If it is proven to exist and is authenticated it will be the most important religious revelation in over a millennium. However, Lily, Samantha, and Francine are all being followed and it is clear that these individuals want the photographs and will go to any lengths to retrieve them.

Readers will absolutely adore the protagonist who knows that she doesn't have all the answers and at times, her faith, the foundation of her life, can be shook. She is believable as she is willing to go the extra mile to see if the photographs could be the Q source and is even willing to accept the danger that goes along with that mission. Michelle Blake writes a creative theological mystery that will enthrall readers with its insights into the realities of organized religion.

Harriet Klausner