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 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. ( )

A story of the Shroud of Turin.... ( )

Very interesting history lesson. The plot was more than a little contrived in places yet quite engaging. Presented a lot of the current arguments on all sides and was a pretty painless way to get caught up on the debate. ( )

Mystery set in modern day Turin, with frequent change to various periods in the past, from the time of Christ to the Middle Ages, to give the history of the Shroud of Turin. There is a secretive and mysterious organization that wants to steal the Shroud. One such attempt causing a fire in the Cathedral in Turin and starting the plot of the story. There is also another mysterious organization, with links to the Church, that wants to keep them from having it. Italy's Art Crimes Unit and a renegade reporter all work to solve the mystery behind the break-ins and fires at the Cathedral, before these organizations manage to go into hiding again. The story is moderately, but consistently paced. The mystery is intriguing, but the reader is aware of more than the characters. The history of the Shroud, The Crusades and the Knights Templars is interesting. There is a good balance between plot than characterization - the modern day characters are well drawn. The movement between time periods is handled well and easy to follow. ( )

I haven't finished this book yet, but enjoy these fast-paced mystery/thriller books concerning ancient
relics, and archaeological finds. ( )