Status
Available
Publication
Bantam (2006), 416 pages
Description
Fiction. Short Stories. Historical Fiction. HTML:The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud is the explosive international bestseller that mixes fact and fiction to tell the riveting story of one of the worldâ??s most controversial relicsâ??the Holy Shroud of Turinâ??and the desperate race to save it from those who will stop at nothing to possess its legendary power.... A fire at the Turin cathedral and the discovery of a mutilated corpse are the latest in a disturbing series of events surrounding the mysterious cloth millions believe to be the authentic burial shroud of Jesus Christ. Those who dare to investigate will be caught in the cross fire of an ancient conflict forged by mortal sacrifice, assassination, and secret societies tied to the shadowy Knights Templar. Spanning centuries and continents, from the storm-rent skies over Calvary, through the intrigue and treachery of Byzantium and the Crusades, to the modern-day citadels of Istanbul, New York, London, Paris, and Rome, The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud races to a chilling climax in the labyrinths beneath Turin, where astounding truths will be exposed: about the history of a faith, the passions of man, and proof of the most powerful miracle o… (more)
Collection
Original publication date
2004 (original Spanish)
Subjects
Language
ISBN
0385339623 / 9780385339629
User reviews
LibraryThing member GramLouise2
I haven't finished this book yet, but enjoy these fast-paced mystery/thriller books concerning ancient
relics, and archaeological finds.
relics, and archaeological finds.
LibraryThing member miyurose
I didn't care for this book. I barely skimmed the last 80 pages. The basic premise of the book is that these art crime detectives believe someone is trying to steal and/or destroy the Shroud of Turin after a string of strange happenings at the Cathedral where it is occasionally displayed. There's 3
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groups of people here -- a group that are trying to protect the Shroud, a group trying to "reclaim" it, and the art crime detectives. It was very slow, and really not very interesting. She tries to generate some interest in the history of the Shroud with flashbacks to the time of Jesus and then of the Templar Knights, but it still isn't a particularly interesting history. And the time changes were very abrupt. This book is touted as an "international best-seller", but if that's the case it was for solely one reason: The Da Vinci Code. The only good thing about this book is that I can now return it to the library. Show Less
LibraryThing member deep220
I won't say I didn't like The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud. But I didn't love it either. It was just okay.
The Brotherhood the Holy Shroud follows the history of the Shroud of Turin. The story moves back and forth through time periods giving you pieces of the puzzle at a time. It was the medival
The Brotherhood the Holy Shroud follows the history of the Shroud of Turin. The story moves back and forth through time periods giving you pieces of the puzzle at a time. It was the medival
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story line of the shroud that held the majority of my attention, as I have a fondness of period fiction involving relics or historical figures. There wasn't much of any thriller or suspense element. I never found myself on the edge of my seat or tearing through the pages to find the outcome. The modern day art crimes division investigating the attempted thieft of the shroud of mediocre at best. Missing completely obivious lines of reasoning until their was no other possible reasoning left. However their were some characters that I enjoyed following. Wouldn't read it again or really recommend the book but still enjoyed it. Show Less
LibraryThing member vpfluke
I rather enjoyed reading this thriller. I find the Shroud of Turin to be a fascinating object. Although this book dosn't really answer the question of the veracity of the shroud, it is interesting to follow a story surrounding the shroud and how there might be some groups who a lot of effort into
There are several threads to the story. The main one is the detective effort of Marc Valoni and his Police Art Theft group in Italy to solve the mystery of the fire in the Torino Cathedral. The second is the hitorical provenance of the Shroud following its early arrival in Edessa (now Urfa) into the mixed period of the Middle Ages now in France and then Italy. The third narrative stream is that of Urfa Christians who believe the shroud was improperly taken from them and would like it back. The fourth stream is that of its protectors and their possible Knights Templar association. It is noteworthy that the author, Julia Navarro, attempts to get into the psychology of the participants in the first three groups, but lets the fourth group of actors play out from a distance. Perhaps the Catholic church itself is a fifth stratum.
We do get to see a fair amount of questinable ehtics by some of the players in the novel, but do not fully get inside the religous feeling that promotes people to do many questionable acts on the Shroud's behalf.
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either desiring or to protecting the shroud.There are several threads to the story. The main one is the detective effort of Marc Valoni and his Police Art Theft group in Italy to solve the mystery of the fire in the Torino Cathedral. The second is the hitorical provenance of the Shroud following its early arrival in Edessa (now Urfa) into the mixed period of the Middle Ages now in France and then Italy. The third narrative stream is that of Urfa Christians who believe the shroud was improperly taken from them and would like it back. The fourth stream is that of its protectors and their possible Knights Templar association. It is noteworthy that the author, Julia Navarro, attempts to get into the psychology of the participants in the first three groups, but lets the fourth group of actors play out from a distance. Perhaps the Catholic church itself is a fifth stratum.
We do get to see a fair amount of questinable ehtics by some of the players in the novel, but do not fully get inside the religous feeling that promotes people to do many questionable acts on the Shroud's behalf.
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LibraryThing member mahallett
i listened to this and it didn't capture my audio attention. the reader was good.
LibraryThing member brian_irons
This is another one of those that I've tried to read at least twice. The jubject is interesting so I'll give it another try someday.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
A mutilated body is found in Turin Cathedral, the home of the Shroud of Turin and the department of Art theft is called in, the body has no tongue, just like a previous attempted theft and as the unit start investigating they start uncovering a multi-layered, many people conspiracy. Between the art
And yes I had some problems with it, not with the alternating story , that was interesting but with the cast of characters, they didn't come across as distinct enough some of the time and I found myself wondering who it was that I was dealing with at that time. Still it kept me up and guessing what was going on.
I do want to read more by this author I think it's an interesting idea and much better written than the Da Vinci Code.
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investigation unit and a curious journalist the story unravells and Navarro builds a convincing story.And yes I had some problems with it, not with the alternating story , that was interesting but with the cast of characters, they didn't come across as distinct enough some of the time and I found myself wondering who it was that I was dealing with at that time. Still it kept me up and guessing what was going on.
I do want to read more by this author I think it's an interesting idea and much better written than the Da Vinci Code.
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LibraryThing member Britt84
In this story we follow an investigation of the art crimes department in Italy, who are studying the case of the 'Sindone', the shroud of Christ. Throughout history the Sindone has often been threatened; it is now stored in Turin, where strange fires and accidents keep happening, involving men who
It turns out that two competing groups are after the Sindone, and the investigative team ends up in the middle of an ancient conflict, with disastrous results.
I enjoyed the historical parts and thought they formed a nice background to the investigation. The investigation itself also keeps you on the edge of your seat. I did guess the involvement of the different parties at quite an early stage in the book, but I still enjoyed following the investigation.
One thing I found annoying is that Navarro feels a need to give lengthy explanations in a way that breaks up the story. Often she lets the investigators tell parts of the history to each other, even if the characters both know the story already - this gives the strange effect that obviously the characters are only having that conversation for the sake of the reader. It feels very awkward and also slows the story down.
I also found the ending somewhat annoying - nothing gets resolved, and there is no real 'wrapping up'. It seems like nothing has changed and the conflict will simply go on forever, with all the investigative work having been useless. I guess that is how it works sometimes, but it left me dissatisfied.
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have no tongue and no fingerprints. Alongside the story of the investigation we are given a secondary story, telling the history of the Sindone.It turns out that two competing groups are after the Sindone, and the investigative team ends up in the middle of an ancient conflict, with disastrous results.
I enjoyed the historical parts and thought they formed a nice background to the investigation. The investigation itself also keeps you on the edge of your seat. I did guess the involvement of the different parties at quite an early stage in the book, but I still enjoyed following the investigation.
One thing I found annoying is that Navarro feels a need to give lengthy explanations in a way that breaks up the story. Often she lets the investigators tell parts of the history to each other, even if the characters both know the story already - this gives the strange effect that obviously the characters are only having that conversation for the sake of the reader. It feels very awkward and also slows the story down.
I also found the ending somewhat annoying - nothing gets resolved, and there is no real 'wrapping up'. It seems like nothing has changed and the conflict will simply go on forever, with all the investigative work having been useless. I guess that is how it works sometimes, but it left me dissatisfied.
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LibraryThing member Cathy_Donnelly
I enjoyed this novel very much. It blended historical fact with the right amount of fiction to make it an interesting story.
The descriptions of the settings were excellent and I thought the characters were fleshed out well. The quality of the writing helped me overlook some of parts where I got
Definitely worth reading if you enjoy the real history of the Templars blended with good fiction.
The descriptions of the settings were excellent and I thought the characters were fleshed out well. The quality of the writing helped me overlook some of parts where I got
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lost a bit with the storyline. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy the real history of the Templars blended with good fiction.
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