I'm a big fan of Mr. Cooper's stories, in Sign of the Cross, there's a lot of conspiracy as some lunatics want to ressurect Hitler's beliefs and hold on the globe, and they believe that through the relics of Christianity's past they'll be able to implement doom, and have the surfacing of the IV Reich. Their plans will become ineffective through the swift action of Cal Donovan who developed a strong affinity with Father Gio who had developed stigmata after touching a nail that held Jesus on the cross. The story is fast-paced, with lots of action, and it mixes reality with fiction. If you are the sort of reader that does not get annoyed with accusations thrown at the Vatican and Christian beliefs and see everything you read in this story as entertainment, you'll certainly enjoy reading this story.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

An excellent, well written storyline, interlaced with history, religion and murder. Plenty of action throughout, and a must read. Highly recommended.

Cooper's novels are rich in religious history and cultural references. You skirt the fine line of truth and fiction, which makes the storytelling so captivating. Even for a non- or lapsed Catholic, you get swept into the complex community that is the Catholic Church and notice its touches on the shaping of our world. Cal Donovan is an unlikely hero; without his brute strength and his encyclopedic brain, he would be just a bystander. However, his extensive knowledge of religious history, including the people, relics, timelines, landscapes, elevates his value to education and the Church. This book delves into modern miracles and holy relics, and the dark side of human nature in controlling the narrative. What starts as a case of possible stigmata - determining whether this is true or self-inflicted - quickly becomes a race to save the afflicted priest and find stolen relics. The book is very fast-paced and exciting. By the last page, you come away excited about Donovan as a hero, thrumming from the outcome of the story, and even feel that you learned some rich history! I have loved every book that I have read from Cooper - the immersive environment, the historical foundation, the exciting pace, and memorable characters combine to make his books all Must Reads! Thank you to Book Whisperer for the DRC of this book - I expected a lot, and this book delivered it all!

My thanks to Book Whisperer, Lascaux Media, and the personal invitation I received to review this book.

Professor Cal Donovan is back and called upon to investigate a young priest who is allegedly experiencing a stigmata. In the meantime people associated with the Nazis are trying to steal ancient relics associated with Christ.

I really liked this book.. Fascinating historical content. My one and only tiny comment was it was a heavy read .

˗ˏˋ ✞ 𝟒 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬! ˎˊ˗
𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍?
𝒮𝒾𝑔𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 is a wonderful thriller that fuses religious mystery with a lot of suspense.

⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧
A young priest in Italy, 𝐆𝐢𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢 suffers the stigmata. The Vatican summons Harvard professor 𝐂𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐧 to investigate, and what follows next is a perilous race across Europe against neo-Nazi conspirators who believe the priest holds the key to a devastating secret.

The theological mystery with wonderfully blended with a pulse pounding adventure. The stigmata is not just a spiritual phenomenon but it actually becomes the catalyst for a global conspiracy.

Cal Donovan is not an ordinary academic. His intellect and vulnerability make him a compelling protagonist. Yes, he is flawed but he is courageous- a man caught between faith and reason.

✧₊⁺🕯⋆.˚୨ৎ Every chapter felt like a cliffhanger- so many secrets and betrayals.

From Rome’s sacred corridors to Berlin’s shadowy underworld, I loved the vivid backdrops that heightened the tension and immersed me in a world where history and myth collide. .⋆♱⃓
⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧

⟡⟡ 𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: ⟡⟡
I don't know why it says that it was published on 7 November 2016 according to Goodreads, but according to NetGalley, it says it's getting published on 29 January. Maybe it's a new edition. Had requested for this book because the premise sounded interesting.

I’ve heard this described as 'Dan Brown x Michael Crichton'.
A Harvard skeptic investigating a miracle at the Vatican? Sign me up.

<i>Thankyou to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this arc.</i>

Another excellent book written by Glenn Cooper, which deals with religious history of the Roman Catholic Church, as is rich in the complexity of the Roman Catholic Church community intent upon changing and shaping our world.
This is a new series centring on the Roman Catholic, scholar, friend of the Pope and hero - Cal Donovan. At times he seems to be an observer in the background, a bystander while at other times he appears like a cross between Indiana Jones and Dan Brown's Robert Landon. Within this fast paced story Cooper weaves in religious history, Roman Catholicism, relics, miracles, neo-nazis, events ... all coming together in Donovan's value to the Church, education and the reader. Once you begin reading allow yourself to engage with this fast paced book, you will not be disappointed. Cooper allows his readers to live with his memorable characters, living through everything that happens to them.
Thank you to Glen Cooper, Netgalley and Book Whisperer for the ARC of this book. These opinions are mine given freely.

It's been a while since I read any kind of religious thriller, but I'm glad I picked this book to get back into it!

A young priest develops marks of the stigmata and a thrilling adventure ensues - you've got Nazis, Catholics, holy relics and kidnapping. I particularly enjoyed the dual timeline showing the characters journeys to the present day, and the historical aspects of the story. Cal Donovan is 'loveable rogue' character and I look forward to reading more, because the rest of the series is definitely on my TBR now!

Hear me out..
I got hooked pretty quickly, 3-4 chapters in I’d say. Then I started to get nervous.
I appreciate a full detailed, information packed start to a story, really set the scene, you know? but it started to drag.
I know now looking back the information wasn’t unnecessary, but it started to get confusing, there was just a lot of back and forth. I personally found it hard to keep up with all characters names.
But, I persevered and it became absolutely incredible. I really struggled to put it down and the ending had me audibly gasping and exclaiming ‘Oh my God!’ several times (no pun intended).
I will say if you enjoyed ‘The Da Vinci Code’ or any of the ‘Indiana Jones’ movies, this book is 100% for you.
I would like to thank the author Glenn Cooper and NetGalley for this ARC.

I love a well written archeological thriller. This one had it all. Love the main male character, he has strength, depth, and compassion. Can't wait to read the next one in the series. Will be buying some of the authors other titles right away. Do yourself a favor during this cold weather, curl up and lose yourself in the text!

Entertaining and well-written novel. Definitely a page-turner, and to be recommended to anyone who enjoyed 'The Da Vinci Code", and similar novels.

With thanks to NetGalley and Lascaux Media for an ARC.

Cal Donovan book #1,

A religious conspiracy of the crucifixion

The story in a few words:

Abruzzo, Italy: a young priest suffers the stigmata of the crucifixion. From the Vatican, the Pope calls on Harvard professor Cal Donovan to investigate the truth of Padre Gio claim. Cal is determined to uncover the truth and the cause of the mysterious wounds.

Berlin, Germany: a neo-Nazi organisation believes the priest is the key to an earth-shattering secret. A secret that can be used as a deadly weapon.

When the priest is abducted, a perilous race against the clock begins. Only Cal can track down the ruthless organisation and stop it, before an apocalyptic catastrophe is unleashed.

My thoughts:

There is a lot going on in this book as it toggles from the current day story to back in time to the stories of the men who were involved in the kidnapping of padre Gio. This backstory lays the groundwork for the plot and all eventually comes together at the conclusion. But I admit for a good part of this story I was overwhelmed trying to piece all parts together. It appeared disjointed and quite a challenge to stay with it but as I got further into the storyline it does eventually blend nicely and I was happy to have stuck with it. The action takes us from Italy to Germany in search of the truth about the padre condition and who was behind his kidnapping.

I was glued to Cal quest when he teamed up with Gio sister Irene and they set out in a perilous race against the clock and unravel the mystery and track down and save Gio. This part was exciting and very suspenseful. The fast-paced narrative that intertwine historical and religious themes is engaging and the exploration of religious relics although less than original was nevertheless captivating.

If you are interested in a story with a religious twist, you may enjoy this one.

Sign of the Cross
By Glenn Cooper

Mr. Cooper writes once again about Christianity – specifically the Catholic Church – and the fight against the forces of evil loose in the world. This book begins with a young Italian priest, Padre Gio Berardini, who displays the stigmata or wounds said to mimic the wounds on Christ's body from the crucifixion.

The appearance of the stigmata over the millennia has led the church to investigate whether this is a fraud or a true miracle. In this case, the Pope has called upon a History of Religion professor from Harvard to lead the investigation. Professor Calvin Donovan, after meeting the priest and being touched – both physically and psychically – believes that the priest is not a fraud but a true miracle.

In the meantime a group of old time Nazis, calling themselves the Knights of Longinius, have learned of this priest and decided that he could help them further their plans for the birth of the Fourth Reich. They kidnap him and his family, trying to force him to aide them. But Donovan, the Vatican, and the Italian police are all in the hunt to rescue the priest.

The action is suspenseful and will keep you reading up until the ending – which I found a bit of a letdown. But the next book is supposed to continue the tale. I look forward to it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Giovonni, a young priest experiences bleeding where Christ was crucified on the cross. The story follows this priest and a Harvard professor, Cal Donovan who works to get to the bottom of the presenting stigmata in the backdrop of the Vatican and neo-Nazi groups seeking power through ancient Christian relics. Reminds me of Dan Brown writing. Enjoyable thriller.

I don’t know why, but any book with the Vatican, Nazis, and stigmata will always grab my attention.
Cal Donovan, a Harvard professor of religion, is summoned by the Vatican to assess the case of young Father Giovanni who is displaying four of the five wounds of Christ. He travels to Italy to interview the priest and investigate the circumstances surrounding the appearance of stigmata, but he soon finds himself caught up in a chase across Europe involving the Vatican, relics of Christ, and Nazis. Somehow, Cooper manages to add in some basic quantum physics and a possible romance with the priest’s sister.
What a ride.
The book is highly ridiculous – Constantine’s mother, explosive qualities of the Lance of Longinus, and the survival of a thorn from the Christ’s crucifixion crown – but if you can overlook the silliness, you’ll find yourself reading a highly entertaining thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the company of Donovan and I’m already casting the part in my head – Rufus Sewell, perhaps? I’d describe this as a less po-faced Dan Brown.
Does the plot make sense? No. Are the characters believable? Some are, some less so. But it was top tier entertainment and I will definitely read more by Mr. Cooper.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

One of my new favorite authors! I discovered Glenn Cooper's Cal Donovan series late in its inception and immediately got hooked. I have thoroughly enjoyed going back to the beginning with Sign of the Cross. Harvard professor, Cal Donavon is asked by the Vatican to investigate a young priest to determine if his stigmata, bleeding wrist wounds are real. When the young priest is kidnapped by neo-Nazi seeking to establish the 4th Reich, Cal feels compelled to come to his aid. What follows is a whirlwind ride through Italy, Austria, Germany and Israel as Cal seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding the source of the stigmata and its ties to the holy relics of the past all while trying to rescue the gentle priest.

Glenn has done a wonderful job of combining religious beliefs, science and historical facts into a fast moving, thought provoking high octane adventure. I look forward to the next book in the series! Thank you Glenn Cooper, Netgalley and Book Whisperer for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book is a gripping, fast-paced thriller that blends mystery, faith, and high-stakes danger. When Harvard professor Cal Donovan is called to investigate a young priest in Italy exhibiting the first signs of stigmata, he expects a rational explanation—but what he finds challenges everything he believes. The story escalates quickly as the priest, Giovanni, is kidnapped by a neo-Nazi cult obsessed with occult power, and Cal must race against time to uncover a deadly secret that could trigger catastrophic consequences. The tension, complex characters, and a relentless sense of suspense kept me hooked until the end.