AUTHOR: Davis Bunn
DATE: 2014
PUBLISHER: Bethany House
STARS: ****
An Ancient Island Holds an Ancient Secret . . .
Nick Hennessy, a young Texas journalist yearning for his big break, finds himself in Europe--his assignment, to investigate the alarming disappearance of invaluable Grecian antiquities. Nick has the credentials--and cover ID--to unearth the truth. And he knows just the researcher to help him...
Carey Mathers, fresh from her studies in forensic archeology, has accepted a job with the prestigious Athens Institute for Antiquities--a dream come true, really, particularly when the Greek isle of Patmos, where the Apostle John received his vision of the Apocalypse, was a particular focus of her research.
Dimitri Rubinos, for whom the Greek islands represent his life, holds on by his fingernails to the family charter boat business. But his country's economic chaos isn't the only thing that has turned his world on its head.
This story’s tension grabbed me right from the beginning, with Carey Mathers’ hope-fueled journey to Greece stalled by the economic crisis there – and possibly more. When Nick Hennessy re-enters her life, hope flares once more, only to become confused by the attentions of Dimitri Rubinos, the Greek hunk whose help they need. The characters are multi-layered and intriguing, and the storyline seems pulled from possible headlines. The plot excited me and kept me reading – right up to the terribly unsatisfactory end.
Because of that, what I’d expected to be a five-star rating became four stars. I don’t want to reveal too much, but I am of the opinion that a writer enters into an unwritten contract with his reader to wrap up the plot of the story by that story’s end, at least for the main characters and the main plot. When this does not happen, it leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and fewer stars to award.
Therefore, I give The Patmos Deception four stars. Bethany House gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.