This was a fast paced novel, reminiscent of James Rollins or Clive Cussler. I enjoyed the story, and was surprised by the ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I have enjoyed books by Dan Brown with their thrilling chases in search of mysterious items against a background of religious beliefs and facts and it seemed that this book is written in a similar vein. I have not read the first book in the series, and was disappointed to read so many references to events and behaviours in the past which were not fully explained, it seemed I had missed out huge chunks of meaning. There were irritating abbreviations such as 'mercs' instead of mercenaries and words which were a poor choice such as the reference to a burial niche - a niche is a recess, not an opening / entry point. Inaccuracies included mention of the Professor's gravestone at his funeral but a gravestone is not laid for several months, until after the grave has settled. Partway through the 'secret' is being explained but we are told many people studied the information - how secret was it supposed to be?
I appreciate the need to provide detail for characterisation but the excessive gratuitous violence used by Daga and Ivana did not need to be described so vividly.
I gave up reading this just under halfway through, and wouldn't read any more of this author's books.

Action packed thriller which sometimes verges on the unbelievable. Second in this series,with good characters.

The Demon Code picks up the story where The Vatican Secret left off, with Joe Mason and his team once again trying to prevent the Amori from destroying the reputation of the Catholic church.
As they travel around the world, searching for clues that will lead them to The Creed, they constantly find themselves under attack. The Amori have people loyal to them embedded in all the law enforcement agencies, tentacles everywhere, just like in the Bond films, which makes it very hard to stay one step ahead.
The characters are well drawn and believable, with Joe, Roxy, Hassell, Quaid and Sally all bringing different skills that make the team function as an effective unit. We get to know them better in this second outing. I also enjoyed the clue-solving element of the story that involved them travelling here, there and everywhere (without ever seeming to get any sleep). I was not so keen on the religious theme and tended to skip over the detail. With this in mind, I am not sure I want to carry on with this series which is a shame as they are well written and I really like the characters. I may try one of David Leadbeater’s other series instead.
Although the author fills in the gaps, I recommend you read The Vatican Secret first as that would help you to better understand the story. Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Second book in a series, could be read as a stand-alone but would recommend the first one is read first so you get the full picture of main characters. Enjoyable read

The first book I read from David Leadbeater and enjoyed this book a lot. It was very easy to follow along with all the characters. Wish I had read the first book before this one but I feel this book holds its own very well. Shall be keeping my eye out for more books in the future.

I really wanted to like this book. It has a quick pace and clearly has been researched well, but the storyline just seemed very superficial, with limited development or understanding of the characters. If I had read the earlier book in the series then this may have unlocked greater understanding, but I found myself confused about the relationship between the main characters all too often as i made my way through the book. My enjoyment of the book was also spoiled by one plot move that was eye raising by its level of non believability (which I wont share so as not to spoil the plot). My frustration is that the book could have been so much more than it turned out to be - I didn’t dislike it, I just was frustrated by it.

Exciting, thrilling and oh, so good!!
I absolutely loved the first book in the Joe Mason series; The Vatican Secret, and this was just as great. I thought the story was exciting and engaging, it's great to see the team back again with a new adventure and this one is just as thrilling and fats paced as the one before.
I am looking forward to seeing where this series will go next!

This was fast paced with non stop action. A well constructed tale filled with history, fabulous character and a great story. Overall I really enjoyed it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another action packed and highly entertaining read in the Joe Mason series. We pick up from where we left off in book one and this time Joe and gang are trying to stop the Amori from getting their hands on something (I won't say what) that could destroy the Vatican and all they stand for. This type of read is like literary crack for me, so it is a no brainer that I enjoyed the heck out of it. If I had to be picky about anything, I will say it did drag a bit towards the end. That said, i cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in this series! 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

Another edge of the seat thriller.
I thought it would be hard to top the Vatican secret but I think I actually prefer the demon code as the characters are now established this gives the author full power to run with the plot and I loved every second .

I've read many books by David Leadbeater and have enjoyed them all. This one was no different. Fast paced, and easy to follow along with characters I've come to know and love. His books grab you and keep you wanting to read more. I highly recommend this book.

This is my first book from this author. The tittle of the book promised a "Dan Brown" feel and since I am a big fan of that type of reads I simply could not resist. This book did not disappoint although I wished I started the series from the beginning (which I will rectify promptly).
I am also delighted to discover this author that written another series called "The relic Hunters" and the first of the series has also been promptly purchased.
If you like that genre, you will not be disappointed.

Absolutely cracking thriller with a pulse racingly brilliant opening chapter and the pace just doesn’t let up. I think this is hook two in the series but just enough back story woven into the plot not to detract and works perfectly as a stand alone thriller. Loved everything about the lead protagonist Joe Mason. This is the Da Vinci Code meets Jack Reacher quality of thriller.

A fast-paced, action-packed quest thriller reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code. Ex MI-5 operative Joe Mason and his team are dispatched to a monastery in the Italian Alps, alas, too late to stop the theft of a highly valuable object kept there. The Amori have stolen the item in order to bring about the downfall of Christianity by revealing the Vatican's secret. Joe Mason and his team are off following clues around the world to track the bad guys and recover the treasure. A fun romp.

Fast paced, full of action and quite twisty! Everything I like from a book, which kept my head down in the book until the end.

My thanks to Avon Books U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Demon Code’ by David Leadbeater.

This is Book 2 in his Joe Mason series of action adventures with a religious conspiracy theme. While I hadn’t read Book 1, ‘The Vatican Secret’, the author provides a comprehensive recap.

As for its plot, avoiding spoilers: the Amori, a group of violent Illuminati types, are intending to destroy the reputation of the Catholic Church and discredit Christianity as a whole by revealing the Vatican’s greatest secret. Opposing them is a small group led by former MI5 operative turned security expert, Joe Mason.

After the events of Book 1, Mason is contacted by the Vatican and asked that he and his select team prevent the Amori from stealing something very secret (no spoilers) hidden in a remote alpine monastery protected by monks. However, they arrive too late. No details were spared regarding the Amori raid and the fate of said monks.

Mason and company are quickly on the trail of the baddies to retrieve said treasure. Later their quest is expanded to locate a demonic book titled ‘The Creed’. Still, somehow the baddies were always one step ahead of them. The body count of baddie mercenaries along with collateral damage was high.

This race against time given the Amori’s countdown to the worldwide reveal pretty much continued all the way through the novel. It was high octane action but so frenetic..

Somehow Mason and team managed to quip their way through one dangerous situation after another. On this tendency he reflects “the best way to handle danger, death and trauma was by remaining upbeat through camaraderie and bad jokes.” Well, there certainly was plenty of all these things.

I will admit that the central premise of the Vatican’s bombshell secret made little sense to me. I also found the level of ultra violence off putting.

Clearly, given the high ratings, ‘The Demon Code’ appeals to plenty of readers but it just wasn’t my cup of tea when it comes to religious conspiracy thrillers. I was left unengaged and felt little connection to its plot and characters.

A perfect book for armchair detectives, really satisfying when you manage to solve a clue ahead of the narrative!!
This book follows on from the first in this series, The Vatican Code, which I haven’t read, but , there is enough explanation for the reader to follow and enjoy this rather compelling thriller.
Set in the Italian Alps initially, there is a plot to steal the bones of Christ, hidden away in a remote monastery. This would have catastrophic effects upon the Church faithful , world wide.
Joe Mason and his team, Roxy, Sally, Quaid and Hassell, join forces to prevent this event. Their opponents are members of the Amori, who have an alternative truth in their book, The Creed, and by exposing the truth about the established view of religion, this will put their beliefs to the fore.
I loved the treasure hunt aspect of this story. Who doesn’t love solving clues, I was so excited to guess right on a couple of occasions, that really was so satisfying! Using old legends and historical facts, this treasure hunt leads around the world, and is really the stand out part of the story for me
I wasn’t really too sure about the characters, they seemed lacking in relationship skills , very self centred, I only really related to Sally, the historian, a strong role there..
If you like books by Scott Mariani, Dan Brown and Steve Berry, then this is a welcome addition to your bookshelf. I have already ordered the Vatican Secret on the strength of this novel.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Avon books UK, for my advance digital copy, in exchange for my honest review. A five star read.

Luckily I had read the first book, The Vatican Secret, prior to reading this as it is a follow on and a worthy one at that. The story picks up immediately from the end of the first book and gels the team and background as it unfolds, continuing the mission against a worldwide enemy of Christianity and in particular, The Vatican. I can see why this book and author are compared favourably with some of the better known characters and authors of this genre and I personally agree. A “gripper not just a reader”.

I wish I had read the first book before I started this one. It was enjoyable but was obviously a sequel. It reminded me of the Ben Hope series by Scott Mariani which were great. I would read more in this series .