The Sacred Sword by Scott Mariani

"There are many aspects to like in 'The Sacred Sword' but also a couple that surprised me, one being a little distasteful and the other being more of a disappointment. What I like about this story is how we learn a lot more about Ben Hope's early life when he was studying theology. We also see a darker side to his character, which some readers may find a little jarring with how he is usually portrayed. In addition, some of the acts that occur in the story I feel are unnecessary and somewhat distasteful (e.g. the descriptions of what happens to some of the victims are more explicit and gratuitous than in previous novels). However, as we expect from this series, the plot has many twists and turns as our hero investigates the deaths of two friends from his college days and the action takes Ben to Jerusalem, the North-Eastern seaboard of America and England. Unlike the earlier books in the series, there is hardly any mention of his French business base or his complex personal relationships with Brooke and Darcey, two females who feature quite prominently in some of the earlier novels. However, I was a little disappointed by one critical twist in the plot that, for me, is just a little too convenient and incredible, occurring as it does at a point in the story where Ben's future is looking exceedingly bleak ...."

글의 초반은 상당히 흥미로운 편이다. 시대가 다른 이야기의 서술과 사건의 암시, 미스터리한 살인 사건들의 연속 등 시드니 셸던의 작품 등에 등장할 것 같은 인물들의 출현 및 성격 묘사 등은 재밌는 부분이다. 다만 책의 중반에 가서 전개되는 'I AM YOUR FATHER' 나 'WHO AM I ?' 부분에서 식상하다는 생각이 들기 시작한다. 작가의 반전에 대한 집착이 너무 강한 거 같기도 하다. 불필요한 이야기 전개는 재미를 반감시키는 결과를 낳기도 하는 거 같다. 장편이지만 문장이나 구성은 읽기에 쉬운 편이다. 핵심어는 칼, 종교, 무신론, 가족, 증오, 미스터리한 단체 등인 거 같다.