Customer Reviews

The Secret Madonna

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I was fortunate enough to be able to read a pre-release copy of "The Secret Madonna" in a semi-editing mode, with the stipulation of not talking about it. For me, this was very hard to do so I welcome this opportunity to share my thoughts. I also recommend that "The Jesus Thief" be read first, to really feel the warmth of the characters. I think this enabled me to better realize how drastic a personality change one of the main characters underwent as this sequel moves forward in this story. Lankford's rich text to portray the internal multi-leveled mental struggle of many of the characters as their roles develop through the cat and mouse chase to find the Jesus clone builds suspense and kept me turning the pages. And my jaw dropped to the floor when I read what happened to Maggie's son Jess, the Jesus clone. It totally took me by surprise. A very enjoyable, exciting, thought provoking, and imaginative sequel, which pulled at my own beliefs. I recommend both books.

This sequel to The Jesus Thief remains as riveting as its predecessor. What I enjoy most is the linking of mystery, thriller, love scenes and philosophy. Both books can be read purely as thrillers as the writing is clear and brings one into the character's lives so one cares about their fate. But they can also be read as deep pondering on the nature of religion, the role it might play in moving the world to compassion, and how compassion need not be tied to religion, only to the innate goodness in people.

As a reader I have always been fond of sequels and trilogies. The Jesus Thief begged for a sequel to fulfill the story started with such power by Ms. Lankford. This sequel, just published, is more than any answer I could imagine.

Ms. Lankford's writing is crisp, powerful and evocative. Her subject is chilling in it's possibilities and this sequel delivers on its promise to prod deeply held beliefs and stir up more controversy than the DaVinci Code.

The Secret Madonna explores the corrosivness of power, the crippling nature of despair and the redemption of love all clothed in the beauty of Italy and her shrines.

And for the emotionally challenged, beware, this book will move a stone to tears, but will leave you, the reader with a sense of real hope.

Fiction or non-fiction? Cloning of someone from dried blood is almost possible with the technology available today. The book is second in a series and is fiction. The story is about cloning Jesus using dried blood stolen from the Shroud of Turin.

Lankford has researched well. The description of the landscapes and architectures of Italy are real. The sexual desires, religion, power and the mystery of how a human mind makes decisions is used throughout the book, but is well placed and not overdone to the point of becoming the theme of the book.

You never know how or when the character will change. The doctor, who saves the life of the private eye, commits murder without hesitation. The powerful rich man, who will do anything to retain power, realizes he cannot cheat fate. The private eye who worked for the power player becomes a protectorate of the young virgin, only to be seriously wounded, which creates a personality change to the worst. He then must return from a killer personality to the protectorate again in time to save the young Jesus. The virgin sacrifices her future to carry and then care for the cloned Jesus.
The book is excellent reading and may be closer to real life than fiction. To get full enjoyment of this book, you should read the first book "the Jesus Thief" by J R Lankford.

The Holy bloodline, a concept explored by the hit book 'The DaVinci Code.' - But what of Christ's modern day descendants? "The Secret Madonna" follows the theoretical search for this distant great grandson of Jesus. A tyrannical millionaire is out for hunting down this boy for his own gain, and is abusing all of his power to do so. This desire leads to a fast paced and riveting tale elaborating on the concept that has come to modern light. "The Secret Madonna" is solid reading, recommended.

The Secret Madonna picks up, story-wise, where The Jesus Thief left off, though it fast-forwards almost immediately ten years into the future. The Jesus clone who was born at the end of The Jesus Thief is now a young boy, and the story is mostly about him, and how he affects those around him. So is this boy really Jesus, come again? If he wasn't, that was bound to be a let-down. If he *was* Jesus all over again, then what have we here- second coming, and end of the world? Seemed suspiciously like the author had got into her sequel without knowing how to handle a messy situation.

Turns out the author had more than just a great premise for a book and a sequel. A scientist who steals genetic material from the Shroud of Turin was an awesome enough premise for the first book, more than enough to carry it through. But the sequel needed more, and it delivered, though this wasn't immediately apparent to me upon finishing The Secret Madonna. In fact, upon finishing this sequel, I was left with the uncomfortable feeling that either I'd missed something, or that the author had. It was me, after all.

The boy clone himself reveals, mid-way through the book, exactly why he came to be on this earth; and this revelation shows a good deal of insight on the author's part, and additionally, not just an assimilation of the messages of multiple religions, but more importantly, an understanding of how these seemingly conflicting messages reconcile with each other. If this boy *was* Jesus, (and The Secret Madonna leaves little doubt that he was), then he had a wonderful, moving reason for coming over, besides his second coming.

Turns out the author had the philosophy of her novel and sequel worked out well in advance. And this philosophy seems very much in line with a God who has not just affection and concern for His creation, but respect and reverence. Seems strange to hear of reverence for His creation on God's behalf, hmm? Respect, I believe, is never a one-way street, not even with God. And this happens to be the conception of God as enshrined in Hinduism- a God who respects the choices that His children make, even when He knows it would bring them harm. Not His style to forcibly enforce His will- no sir, He'd rather win them over, one at a time, with love. And when the boy clone in The Secret Madonna reveals to his biological mother his reason for coming down to her (and for doing some of the other things he did), it perfectly wrapped up, for me at least (though it took me some subsequent thought to figure this out), the philosophy of this book. That was the best part of the book for me.

The Secret Madonna didn't seem as fast-paced as The Jesus Thief, but "fast-paced" is a relative term here- The Secret Madonna does deliver a decent dose of thrills. And to those who still miss the frenetic pace of The Jesus Thief, The Secret Madonna certainly makes up in other ways, most prominently through the human interactions in the novel, and with the understanding, or at least the ample evidence of invested thought on the subject, that it displays with regard to ancient messages. Not to mention the vivid descriptions of sunny Italy.

If you want a good, fast-paced intelligent thriller, read The Jesus Thief. If you're looking for a more thoughtful, insightful sequel to wrap up the experience, The Secret Madonna is just what you need. There are many ways to the one God, and there is hope for all, regardless of religion. Thank you, The Secret Madonna, for reinforcing this in an entertaining way.

Once in awhile, I come across a book that I can't put aside. When I sat down and opened The Secret Madonna, I intended to read one or two chapters at a time, but found myself turning page after page until the very end. Only rarely do I find a story so compelling that my own world falls away while I find myself transported to realistic settings such as this. From the sophistication of New York city to a picturesque Italian villa, I felt like I was there. And speaking of realistic, each character came alive, from the sweetly spiritual Jess to the sinister Theomund Brown. As with all good reads, there are memorable life lessons interwoven here too, along with questions about spirituality and morality. Settle down with a cup of tea and make sure your chair is comfy - you'll be reading for awhile!

The Secret Madonna ran side by side with me as I read its pages within the charged dimension of deepening awareness. This thriller brought to me the vision of a young man who contained within himself a bold, new message for this brave, evolving world of ours.

The Secret Madonna is the grippingsequel to The Jesus Thief and is every bit as enthralling as the first book was. The writing is first notch and the storytelling is a compelling nexus of love, spirituality, philosophy and just plain sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller. I read this straight through the first time, then went back to ponder the intricate details and nuggets of characterization that brought the story to life. This book is not only a great read, it leaves you thinking.

I would give this book 10 stars if I could. I read The Jesus Thief, the prequel to this book, and my first thought was that I hoped there would be a sequel. The concept of cloning Jesus is not new and is fairly controversial, but Lankford has taken the theory and turned it into a beautifully written story with very real and, yes, human characters. The Secret Madonna continues the story of Maggie, a simple and loving woman, and her son Jess, who may or may not be the embodiment of Jesus. In order to enhance the experience of reading this book I highly recommend reading The Jesus Thief first. Like The Jesus Thief, Lankford draws the reader in with her lyrical writing and wonderful characters, and we grow to care about them. Lankford crosses religious boundaries with Jess, whose beautiful soul embraces all humanity. I am Jewish (daughter of a Rabbi), and I felt this book speaks to us all, no matter what religion we belong to,or even those who do not consider themselves religious. In a world full of turmoil and uncertainty, this story brings hope and comfort, while at the same time being a well crafted and highly readable book. I truly hope Lankford continues this beautiful and inspirational story. Read this book and feel blessed.