Very Dan Brown!

When predictions, in an obscure document held deep within the Vatican, manifest 2 disparate, amateur heroes will find themselves in the crosshairs!

Ben & Angelina are experts in the ancient Sumerian language of Akkadian, two of the few people on the planet who could decipher the text on the document. Is it coincidence that they both find themselves near to the Tiber when it begins to flow red like blood. Or that they are then shot at?

But is an apocalypse on the horizon or is something all together less esoteric afoot?

Very entertaining and even from view point as a non religious person, I still find the history of religion, iconography and the newly emerging hunt for the real stories behind the Bible are very interesting.

When reading this type of adventure story with a historical & religious backgound it is hard not to compare it to The Da Vinci Code.
Angelina Calla is an expert in Mesopotamian Language and Ben Verdyx in Vatican history. They are sought after to help solves a mystery within the Catholic Church. There is action - rather Indiana Jones - some of which is quite unbelievable and plenty of clues.
On the whole I did enjoy this book. It is rather wordy in places and a bit more editing would have helped. However, it never got so bogged under than I stopped totally. The characters are quite basic with Angelina being a bit cardboard.
On the whole, however, the story flowed well enough to keep me reading. It was entertaining and seemed to be well researched. You do need to believable the incrediably unlikely on more than one occasion. As a light action thriller, ideal holiday read, this was a good enough read.

When the River Tiber starts to flow red, the people of Rome are fascinated and scared. When two individuals find themselves shot at, chased and eventually rescued by the Swiss Guard they realise that something is drastically wrong. Ben Verdyx and Angelina Calla are two of the few experts in the ancient Sumerian language, Akkadian, and a tablet has been found in Rome written in Akkadian and predicting a series of events that will befall the city. As the second and then third predictions come to pass, it seems that the prophecies are true but maybe they are just a cover for something a little more prosaic.

Tom Fox is an expert in Church history and is now hitting his stride as a writer of conspiracy thrillers in the mode of Dan Brown. That is no bad thing as, derided as Brown's work is, they are hugely entertaining, fast-moving stories. Far superior to his first book, Dominus, this story has a couple of engaging leads, a convoluted but clever plot and a real sense of knowledge about Rome, the Catholic Church and ancient civilisations.

The Seventh Commandment by Tom Fox

Angelina Calla is one of those rare things – an expert in the ancient Mesopotamian language of Akkadian. But finding a job in such a rarified field isn’t easy and so Angelina spends her days as a tour guide in Rome. Ben Verdyx, on the other hand, has a job that Angelina craves. He works in the Vatican archives and has access to their most secret and valuable documents and objects. Little connects these two beyond a shared love of history, until the day when gunmen pursue them separately through Rome’s streets. Against all odds, the two are saved thanks to agents of the Vatican Swiss Guard who also want Angelina and Ben in their control, albeit alive.

Angelina and Ben are in demand on all sides. A new Akkadian text has just been discovered. It is an astonishing find. And its text reveals a series of prophecies. The first one has already come true – the death of the person who uncovers it – but more are imminent, threatening the very heart and soul of Rome. Angelina and Ben must uncover the truth about the text before it is too late. And then Rome’s mighty river, the Tiber, runs red…

We’re told that the author Tom Fox is an expert in the history of the Christian Church, an interest which has already been put to good use in his 2015 enigmatic religious thriller Dominus. Although The Seventh Commandment is also set in Rome and is again focused around the Vatican, the two thrillers aren’t connected and so you can enjoy them both in whichever order you please.

As with Dominus, the thriller revolves around a mystery that goes to the heart of the Catholic Church, although its ramifications extend beyond the Vatican and across the city of Rome. This time the mystery focuses on a series of prophecies which the Charismatic Catholic Church in particular is adamant will come true in the next few days revealing the presence of God in our midst. But it’s clear to us all from the beginning of the novel that it’s unlikely God is working alone without human help as a series of astonishing calamities stun the people of Rome.

Although this is less of a religious mystery than Dominus, once again I loved the strong sense of place that Tom Fox evokes. This isn’t the Vatican of Dan Brown. It’s much more business-like and more ‘normal’, despite its wealth. It’s rich but it isn’t sinister. And the baddie’s motivation is also down to earth, albeit elaborate. The beauty and the charisma comes from Rome’s stunning churches and its glorious history, which surrounds this novel and fills it with atmosphere. Tom Fox clearly has a strong love and appreciation for history and, as someone who shares this completely, I love how this influences The Seventh Commandment. The Rome setting is a real bonus.

As with most mystery thrillers, you’ve got to be prepared to accept and believe the unexpected and the unlikely, and some characters are more developed than others. I did find some parts of the novel a little wordy and, while Angelina isn’t as three-dimensional as I’d have hoped, I really liked the villain of the piece, and there is also something unusual and curious about Ben. With The Seventh Commandment, Tom Fox has produced another fine mystery thriller that is both well-written and as intriguing as it is exciting, and its Rome setting is excellent. I look forward to the next!