BOOK REVIEW: The Linen God by Jim O’Shea

Welcome to The Linen God blog & review tour and GIVEAWAY, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: The Linen God
Author: Jim O’Shea
Publisher: Ambassador International
Release Date: March 31, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Suspense/Thriller

The Shroud of Turin is the most studied and controversial religious relic in human history. The ancient linen cloth bears the image of a man, alleged to be that of Jesus of Nazareth. What if it were real? What if it contained a secret powerful enough to alter the course of human history? And what if it fell into the wrong hands? Manny Lusum is convinced the Shroud is the genuine article and obsessed with proving it scientifically. Grace Barden is not only Manny’s best friend, but also secretly in love with the physics student and soon-to-be Catholic priest. Across the globe, three grisly murders and the theft of a secret manuscript thrust Grace and Manny into a generations-old conspiracy of biblical proportions. From New York to Rome to the inner sanctum of the Vatican, they struggle to untangle a bizarre mystery surrounding the controversial artifact. In a dramatic confrontation between faith and the ultimate evil on the world stage, Grace and Manny are pushed to the edge of an abyss, balanced on the brink between heaven and hell.

This suspenseful and captivating thriller is perfect for fans of Dan Brown, John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, and David Baldacci. Order your copy today and experience a unique blend of history, science, conscience, religion and a battle of good versus evil that will keep you reading into the early morning hours!

. . . a wonderfully engaging, page-turning thriller. – Doug Peterson, Award Winning Author of The Vanishing Woman and The Puzzle People

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Ambassador | Book Depository

About the Author

Jim is a long-time resident of Chesterfield, Missouri – The City of Sculptures. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia and now spends his time crafting novels of suspense that tackle the complex relationship between science and religion, stories designed to take the reader places he or she may not have previously considered.

CONNECT: website | Facebook | Ambassador International

Review

I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure where this book was going to take me. I was intrigued by the idea of this book and I enjoy faith-based suspense stories that take nuggets of real truth and real artifacts (like the Shroud of Turin) and weave them into something that could be, might be true. My concern lay in the idea that this book may focus so completely on the Catholic thread that I would quickly be lost in the sauce. I’m not Catholic, I have an aunt that is, and I don’t really have Catholic friends so this branch of Christianity is so very foreign to me. I just know they do things differently than I’ve encountered in my faith path. However, despite my concerns I had to give it a go. And let me tell ya, yes it’s very very very Catholic but it takes you places that you never anticipated coming to. Things, sadly, I won’t share with you due to spoilers but let’s just say. . .left field people. Left field.

Here’s the nitty gritty of this book for me. I never really connected with the characters, I mean there was a rather large cast that I never really got straight. I never really connected with the storyline either. I spent a chunk of this book just confused. I was dangled just enough information to keep going but then not enough information to keep me engaged. The science game here was strong and the weaving of it with faith was strong as well. I do believe that in the right hands science and faith go hand in hand. The problem there is that many science minded folks turn away from the faith that goes with it. You don’t have to prove everything to know it’s true, but as we prove things it just goes back to solidifying faith. It’s a circle. However, I digress here for a moment. Back to the story and lack of bonding. I also didn’t really bond with the overall storyline either. It was jumpy in fragments and I just didn’t get enough to buy in so to speak.

That all being said, however, I was still drawn to where it all lead. I was still drawn to the history and even the science. And we all know how unscience-y I am. But it drew me in. This book also took a turn to the supernatural aspect of faith. Good vs Evil. Angels and Demons. That part of the story drew me in. I didn’t have a grip on the characters but I knew now where we were headed. I still didn’t have a grip on the storyline itself but I knew where it was taking me. Or, rephrase that, I thought I did. This book took a back alley toward something so unimaginable there at the end that I was snapped back into this story. Yup, I still didn’t have a connection to anything but I had a need to know that superseded everything else. This book did exactly what I was meant to do. It took a bumpy path to get there but wow, yup an amazing journey.

Giveaway

Ambassador International is giving away: 5 winners will receive an ebook copy of The Linen God (open internationally, except where prohibited by law)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight July 2, 2018 and last through 11:59pm July 9, 2018. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.