Book Review: Glen Craney's The Virgin of the Wind Rose-A Christopher Columbus Story

The Virgin of the Wind Rose is set up with two story lines that eventually merge.  The first story line is about a boy Pero from 15th century Portugal.  He and two other boys get caught up with a Templar-esque secret society.  The boys have different talents and learn the ways of sea navigation.  Cristobal Colon or Christopher Columbus enters the story at the end.  Without giving anything away, the author writes about how Queen Isabella tries to usher in the Apocalypse herself so that she can meet Jesus.

The second story line's main character Jaq Quartermane works for the state department.  Her fiance Paul is killed in Lalibela for sketchy reasons.  She takes matters into her own hands, and finds out Paul wasn't telling her the whole truth about why he was even in Lalibela.  Jaq visits the place for answers and then gets swept up into a mystery involving the Ark of the Covenant while meeting Elymas, a Jewish treasure hunter.  Their travels take them around the world.

My Review: Glen's tale has a lot to do with the SATOR square.  The square spells SATOR, ROTAS, AREPO, OPERA, and TENET.  Glen spoon feeds the reader about the significance of the square which is really a puzzle or hidden message.

S A T O R A R E P O T E N E T O P E R A R O T A S
The square is believed to be the key to finding ancient treasures such as the Ark of the Covenant around the world.  How Glen took this square and created an amazing historical mystery out of it is an amazing feat.  But he doesn't stop there.  Conspiracies and theories about the Templars, Freemasons, Oak Island, Islamic Mehti, Notre Dame churches, Lalibela, Christopher Columbus, star constellations, and much, much more are weaved into the plot.  The characters are realistic as they find clues and unravel the many details to this intricate story.  

It's just about impossible to not compare Glen to Dan Brown's DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons.  He's got a similar style of a fast paced mystery that is jam-packed with research.  Throughout the book, I kept Googling all of the places and things Glen writes. learning more with each chapter.  This is a must read for history fans who are sure to learn something new.  I loved this book and am an instant fan of Glen Craney.  5/5 Star No-Brainer!