Customer Reviews

The Magdalene Cipher

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

With "The DaVinci Code" riding high on the bestseller lists and dragging similar novels along on its coat tails, it's a good time for fans of conspiracy novels. It's an even better time to be a conspiracy novelist, as older novels are being dusted off and reprinted. Sometimes that makes for some ho-hum reading, but at other times, it's a treat for readers who might have missed the book the first time around.

The latter is definitely true for "The Magdalene Cipher," originally published in 2000 under the title of "Kingdom Come." This is an espionage-cum-secret society novel that combines fast action with religious mystery. Its conspiracy includes almost everything but the kitchen sink--Roswell, UFOs, cattle mutilations, visions of Mary, government cover-ups, ancient cabals, and Merovingian history. If nothing else, Hougan has chutzpa throwing this all into one book.

The basic plot follows, Jack Dunphy, a CIA operative who is pulled out of his cover when the subject of a wiretap is murdered in a distinctively ritualistic way. Brought back to Washington, DC, Dunphy is assigned to a low level desk job where his career will likely wither away. His decision to investigate what really happened and why he's been sidelined leads to consequences he doesn't expect. Soon he and his British girlfriend are on the trail of a conspiracy whose origins lie buried in history.

Overall, this was a quick read. The characters were cardboard figures, but who cares? The plot was fast moving enough that it hardly mattered, and there were occasional unexpected touches and even flashes of humor. I got the feeling that Hougan didn't take himself too seriously and that he was using the Merovingian legends without any hidden agenda-they were just a convenient plot device. Personally I find that a relief in contrast to the ponderous seriousness of many other novels based on religious motifs. Books like this may not be quality literature, but they make for fun reading.
This, and books like it, are pure escape.

If you like conspiracies, this is the book for you. The author has used almost all of the biggest conspiracies of the 20th century to write this book (UFO's and crop circles are only two of them). But, as always, the mystery of Maria Magdalene is the main theme here.

A lot of people might think that the author has tried to make easy money by writing another Mary Magdalene book, but 'The Magdalene cipher' was actually published before 'The Da Vinci code'.

But this book isn't 'The Da Vinci code'. Although it is a fast read and funny at times, I was disappointed. The cardbord characters didn't help, but the worst of all was the 'big finale'. One of the most bizarre endings ever.

A page turner with interesting ideas, but a horrible finale.

This is the most conspiratorial book I've ever read. It's just way cool, and has everything---the CIA and fake UFO sightings, the Priory de Sion (under a different name) and this geezer named Gomelez who turns out to be the last Merovingian. Anyway, what makes it so believable (really!) are the characters, and the way it all goes down. An investigative reporter, Hougan obviously knows how the CIA gets things (and people) done. What makes it even more incredible is that this book actually came out before the Da Vinci Code (though I don't think I ever saw it). I guess the publisher re-issued it with a new title, so the Magdalene posse would jump on it. Glad they did.

After reading this story, I wouldn't be surprised if the author reminded himself what the story was about. It took a little over 200 pages to finally get it going with the Magdalene plot. And mind you, the story is roughly 400 pages!

I gave this 4 stars because the characters are very believable and fun. This is a story about Jack Dunphy and his girlfriend, Clementine. The secret society plot seems thrown in there just for fun.

Don't expect Dan Brown or anything closely related. Expect a fast-paced story about two lovers trying not to get killed.

An interesting and rather fun read. Given the long exposition, multiple plot lines and rather open-ended conclusion, it seems to be intended as the first book in a series -- one that I must say I'd like to read.

Mr. Hougan, are you listening?

Tried to get into this 3 separate times, but it was just too painful. Sophomoric writing style, too cool protagonist. My patience gave out when I read the sentence "He was manly as hell." Perhaps Cipher would serve as a mindless beach read, but not for me. (Some readers think this is a DaVinci Code clone but it predates Dan Brown's best seller.)

Having read The Rozabal Line, The Last Templar, The Alexandria Link: A Novel, The Third Secret, The Pegasus Secret , The Julian Secret and countless other thrillers that deal with elements such as the survival of Jesus on the cross, the holy grail, the purported bloodline of Jesus, the appearance of the Virgin Mary, the tomb of Jesus, the Knights Templar etc. it was just a matter of time before I picked up this book, even though it has been around for a while. While some of the ideas in this book were good, the problem was that there were too many of them. I also had a difficult time accepting the ending which was rather out of sync with the rest of the story. The character of Dunphy felt a little "artificial" at times. The primary problem with The Magdalene Cipher was that it lacked a real "hook" and this made it a little tedious to follow through. Some portions of the book had some brilliant flashes of writing but these could not make up for the lack of a hook and "thrill element".

I really liked this book. Unlike the Dan Brown book, the writing was very good. The characters were likable and interesting, and the humor was clever and unexpected and fresh. The process of reading the book was unusually fun - I enjoyed every page. It wasn't like the Dan Brown book where the revelations were interesting but the writing was just awful. (If I never see the words "stunned" and "shocked" again, it will be too soon.) If Mr. Hougan had other books I would absolutely go get them.

Slow in a couple parts compared to similar historical-based conspiracy thrillers but worth hanging in there. Ending begs for a sequel.

On the one hand, this is a typical by-the-numbers conspiracy thriller. On the other hand, it manages to avoid several of the more predicatable cliches of the genre, which makes it much more interesting than your typical book of this type. As an added plus, the author totally avoids the didactic overtones and overt lecturing that sank The Da Vinci Code in more than a few places. Throw in an ending that plays out on a more intimate, human scale, rather than focussing on bombast and explosions and you end up with quite an enjoyable read.