Crucified [Paperback]

Michael Slade (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2009

Meet Wyatt Rook lawyer, historian, detective...Germany: a bulldozer on a construction site uncovers the remains of a Second World War bomber and so begins a treacherous international journey from the crucifixionof Jesus at Golgotha to modern archaeological discoveries. Lawyer/historian Wyatt Rook and Liz Hannah must solve a series of whodunitsto unravel the Judas puzzle. Blocking them at every turn isthe Legionary of Christ, a crusader backed by a secret inquisition that will stop at nothing to make sure the Judas puzzle remains unsolved.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The discovery more than 60 years later of the wreckage of a British bomber that crashed in Germany in 1944 triggers a hunt for connections to Christ's crucifixion, the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition in this middling religious thriller from Slade (Kamikaze). Wyatt Rook, an American writer who specializes in books and TV documentaries that dig up dirt about recent history, agrees to help a sexy young British researcher, Liz Hannah, look into the case of the crashed plane (of which her grandfather was a crew member). The complicated trail takes the pair from England to Germany, where a plot involving Churchill and a Nazi traitor called Judas began, and then to Golgotha. Meanwhile, the Vatican's Art Historian is worried (If the resurrected bomber yields a map to the Judas package, Christendom might be rocked to its two-thousand-year-old foundations). Those with an insatiable appetite for Da Vinci Codeknockoffs will be most rewarded. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (March 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1847510809
• ISBN-13: 978-1847510808
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,720,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flight of faith, July 16, 2008

By 

Bawlmer Guy (Mount Airy, MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crucified (Hardcover)

[Note: This review based on the Canadian trade paperback edition]

For many years after my introduction to Michael Slade during the mid-80s, it was tempting to compare successive Special X novels to Slade's first two, Headhunter and Ghoul. This made for a somewhat unsatisfying progression despite some excellent stories. The antidote was to appreciate the merits of each novel on its own. Eventually it became clear that Slade has little interest in being nailed down to any formula, genre, or subject matter, except perhaps for his love of mystery, history, and inventive mayhem. Even so prepared, I was stunned to learn that Slade has offered in his thirteenth novel a thrilling departure from the Special X series.

Crucified is sweet torture for the reader who seeks an answer to the still-hanging "who lives, who dies" question at the end of Kamikaze, the previous Slade novel. It's also a superb example of Slade's ability to link seemingly disparate elements--to reveal what they are would spoil the fun, but they exceed the jaw-dropping connections (among Chinese pharmaceuticals, General Custer, and the legendary Sasquatch) found in Slade's novel Cutthroat. Yet the connections are quite logical; Slade has simply looked deeply enough into history to find them. On top of it all, Crucified entails some interesting twists on the locked-room puzzle found in some Golden Age mysteries.

Wyatt Rook, an author who specializes in Second World War plots, probes the crash site of a British bomber downed over Germany in 1944. As he tries to learn the fates of missing airmen, Rook runs afoul of murderous conspirators who are determined to acquire religious artifacts on behalf of the Vatican.

Crucified includes some fine, realistic exposition of Royal Air Force bomber crews' daily routines. The passages seem to stem from first-hand interviews. If so, it's commendable that Slade has saluted war heroes from another era before they pass on. Tight, smooth, and engrossing throughout, Crucified is the work of a novelist moving onward and upward. Even far from the familiar ground of Special X, Slade flies high, straight, and true. It's a most welcome adventure.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Character . . . ., October 8, 2008

By 

J. Stoner "TV Oldie" (California - United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crucified (Hardcover)

As a devotee of all things Slade . . . I was interested in reading this latest offering . . . and I was not disappointed. As usual, my friend Slade brings history into the story line . . . and that prompted me to want to read more on the subjects mentioned. And with the creation of a new character in Wyatt Rook . . . the creative juices will be renewed for future adventures. In my opinion it takes a lot to keep those juices flowing . . . as evidenced by the change over time in the books of Dean Koontz and Steven King and others who have continued to create and develop characters that I truly care about and want to read more about. Those are the kinds of authors I ENJOY . . . and kudos to Slade for continuing the cause!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Quick Read, March 18, 2009

By 

Michelle D. Kieffaber "MichelleDawn" (Smithville, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crucified (Paperback)

This book isn't what I expected from Michael Slade. I'm used to layers of intrigue centered around the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This book, although a big departure from his usual style, is a fast read with plenty of action to keep you coming back for more. If you are a fan of The Da Vinci code, you will enjoy the subject matter of this book.