Shadow Ritual

I received this ARC ebook free from Le French Book, the publisher, in return for an honest review. I found it to be a pleasant read and hard to put down. I read it in 5 days. It is a thriller, set mostly in present day France. It concerns the efforts of a secret society, called Thule, to gain possession of a secret formula. The society goes back several hundred years and hates another society, Freemasons.
Thule members are willing to murder and torture to get what they want.. French police Inspector Antoine Maracas and a diplomatic security officer, Jade Zewinski, are on the trail of the murderers.

An interesting thriller in the same mould as you would come to expect from Dan Brown. Set in modern day France the book follows Detective Antoine Marcas and special Ops trained security officer Jade Zewinski as they find answers to the reason for two deaths. To complicate their efforts a secret society that originated in Nazi Germany and is completely opposed to Free Masonry is determined that they cannot succeed.
Marcas a devout Free Mason is continually hampered by Zewinshi’s intense dislike of the order. For the uninitiated the book guides the reader through some of the mysteries associated to freemasonry. During their investigation they are slowly drawn together in spite of their differences as they uncover the involvement of the Third Reich’s handling of confiscated Masonic documents in the latter stages of World War 2.
An interesting fast paced novel that deserves every praise that it has received.

Excellent story, with just the right amount of Masonic Ritual to feel authentic.

Characters develop well and the book has the feel of a Dan Brown story, so if you like a slightly over the top adventure yarn, you will love this story. Some nice cold blooded torture scenes as well, just to get the heart beating!

As always, the translation is flawless and you would never realise it was a translated story

Nazis, Freemasons, secret societies and mystic symbols abound in this book. It took a while for me to get into the story because there were just so many threads but once it started to weave together, it was a beautiful tapestry.
Two ritualistic murders bring our hero and heroine together. Since they immediately despise each other, you know sparks will fly. She is the head of Security in the French Embassy where one of her childhood friends is murdered. He is brought on board as a policeman as much for his knowledge of Freemasonry as his skills as a cop.
Together they uncover the nefarious plot but at the moment of revelation, they are trapped by the wicked organization at the centre of it.
The action is non-stop. The final third of the book was a real page turner partly to get to the bottom of the mystery and partly because the reader cares what happens to the characters, That, to me, is the most telling component. No matter how brilliant the writing, if you do not care what happens to your characters, the book is empty.
This is definitely one where I would love to know the story after the story ends.

In this book, every Secret Society has arcane knowledge of its own, which includes being unique in supremacy. To say it simply, none of them like the others. If you believe YOUR way is the only way, then the others are all fakes and enemies. Modern day, a murder of a woman ignites a powerful chess game pitting these Societies against one another.

Shadow Ritual is reminiscent of the early Robert Ludlum books. Those early conspiracy thrillers were my favorites, before his work became Bourne-centric or other authors extended his 'brand'. The authors have constructed an elaborate tale that spans two secret societies, multiple religions, failed and flourishing states and ultimately, vast swaths of time. As always with tales of this magnitude, there are conspiracy theories and all involved search for a key that yields something fantastic, awful and amazing. Much like Ludlum, the authors create protagonists adept at solving puzzles across borders and eras. And the villains are truly awful, lest you think they might be difficult to recognize. The book is fast and the action taut. Recently translated from the French, there is no awkwardness in the translation.

Freemasons, Templers, Nazis and a mysterious organization called Thule all play a role in this intense thriller. A police investigator who is an expert on the Freemasons and an embassy security chief who hates the Freemasons make a highly unlikely pair when they are assigned to investigate a ritual murder at the French Embassy in Rome. The story is compelling, and is fleshed out with a variety of very different and interesting characters. The interactions between the characters make for truly great reading.

So the blurb for this title caught my attention. I'm a big reader of thrillers, and in particular stories of this type. Having read of the big authors: Dan Brown, James Rollins, Steve Berry, among others so it would have been easy to spot the typical stereotypes that can appear in this type of thriller. I was happily surprised to find that throughout my reading of Shadow Ritual I didn't get the feeling that I had already read this book. While the Thule, Masons, Templars, and nazis weren't new to me, they way Giacometti & Ravenne put everything together was new and interesting. I enjoyed the tension between the main characters and was satisfied with the outcome of the story. It was interesting to see the Masons portrayed in an if not positive light at least a more neutral light. I look forward to booktalking this title to my patrons.

Shadow Ritual is a fast-paced thriller about the rise of extremism and the ruthless people that would do anything to gain power. Add in interesting characters and esoteric secrets and you get a compelling read.

For me, the absolute favorite part of the novel were the two protagonists and their relationship. They were complex and intriguing and I kept wanting to know more about them. The fact that they started off their partnership on the wrong foot only added an extra dimension to their interaction. Despite the tense relationship, the attraction between them was noticeable from the very beginning. The villains, however, appeared a bit too simplistic and I wished for more complexity in their characterization.

I liked how, unlike with other similar books, with Shadow Ritual we got to know the Freemasons from an insider’s perspective. I felt that gave the story more credibility, because the investigators weren’t going on guessing and hearsay but one of them was actually initiated into the lodge’s secrets and rituals. Although, on occasion, there was perhaps a bit too much backstory and history interwoven into the current storyline.

However, the plot was intense and suspenseful and kept me riveted till the very end and now I want to read the rest of the novels in the Antoine Marcas series.

If you like thrillers à la The Da Vinci Code, Shadow Ritual is ideal for you. It’s filled with compelling characters and intense action and you won’t be able to put it down until the very satisfying resolution.

In Berlin 1945 Martin Borman gives valuable cargo to a Frenchman turned SS officer Francois Le Guermand who then escapes the Red Army. Fast forward 60 years into the future where Detective Marcus gives a speech on Freemason ancient rituals while a Dachu survivor researches ancient relics. Two people are killed. Detective Antoine Marcus and Special Agent Jade Zewinski are paired up together after a firiend of Jade's is killed. Her friend had discovered an ancient secret. What secret was worth killing for? Does the secret have any relation to Freemason rituals or what? Marcus and Zewinski searching takes them through Nazis diaries, secrets of Freemasons and a series of captures and narrow escapes.

Ritual murders, ancient enemies and a powerful secret makes this an intriguing novel. With well thought out characters, descriptive locales, and secret societies, I couldn't help but get involved with the story. It's an excellent read that one shouldn't miss.

"Flesh falls from the bones"

SHADOW RITUAL is an action-packed thriller that follows two separate secret societies - the Freemasons and the Thule - on a deadly quest.

The book started out a bit slow for me but was soon barreling along non-stop, alternating between societies. A lot of history was included in this tale and it was interesting to me especially to see where the Freemasons began.

The synopsis of the book on Goodreads says this is actually based on a true story. Hmm...seems farfetched to me but then truth can be stranger than fiction.

I liked the male and female protagonists of the story that were at each other's throats throughout the book.

And there were some truly evil people in the book. If you have a weak stomach, this might not be the tale for you.

If you like thrillers or historical fiction especially World War II era, try this one out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

NOTE: I received this book from Le French Book through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

Review: SHADOW RITUAL

This is the first of a nine-installment series, already published in Europe. Readers like me who devoured Baigent & Lincoln's HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL and Dan Brown's novels will rave over the exciting, illuminating, and fast-paced thriller SHADOW RITUAL. So will armchair historians of World War II, and conspiracy theorists intrigued by the "secrets" of Freemasonry, and the occult underpinnings of the Third Reich. A lot to sink one's teeth into here, and simultaneously a page-turning thriller.

Loved it, cannot recommend this book highly enough!

If you like thrillers with a historical flavour but with an overlay of Freemasons then this is definitely the book for you, and even if you aren't normally drawn to books like you will still enjoy it. It really is that good!

This thriller engages you from the first page, it's really hard to put it down: it's full of action, twists and unsolved mysteries, three spectacular places such as Rome, Jerusalem and Berlin where everything takes place, and let's not forget the main characters, a French detective really good and a brave girl. It 's a really intriguing mystery to solve: two murders, a Masonic sect and a secret society who seek to dominate the world.
The secret society Thule had tried to dominate the world with Hitler. When Germany was about to be finally defeated they tried to save the sect putting some members to safety and making them guard the precious documents of their society. But one of them is killed and documents end up in Russian hands. After sixty years, everything seems to resurface because of two murders so far apart from each other geographically but very close: one in Rome and one in Jerusalem. The way to hit is the same: three shots at the same points, shoulder, neck and head. The inspector Marcas is an expert in this type of murder, is investigating the Freemasons for years and tries to solve the case with the help of Jade Zewenski, the head of security at the Embassy in Rome. Initially the relations between the two are not great, Jade does not trust the ability of Marcas but must learn to work together and trust each other because the Masons are acting very quickly and need to be faster than them for not to be defeated.
This is the first of a new series on the Detective Marcas, should be nine in all. This book has also an Italian edition, the title is "Il rituale dell'ombra".
It's must-read for those who love thrillers I received a free copy from LeFrench through Netgalley for an honest review.

This is an exciting and well written archeological thriller involving two different sects, the Freemasons and the Thule and numerous religions; the novel includes a lot of history about all of them as the mystery unfolds. I found it slow at first, but I'm glad I continued reading as it definitely picked up. The story alternates between the two sects, which can make it a little confusing until you realize that there is more than one faction involved. There is a lot of action in this book and the details from a horrific torture scene is nor for the feint at heart.

4.25 STARS **Receiving a digital ARC from the publisher, Le French Book, via NetGalley did not influence my rating or review of this book; all opinions are my own.**

This is the second book in the series featuring Antoine Marcas, and based on this entry in the series, I hope that the publisher gets the rest of the series translated tout de suite. Meaning, as fast as the translator Anne Trager can get them out.

Shadow Ritual is edge-of-the-seat thrilling, very much in the vein of The Da Vinci Code but with much better editing. The pace is taut, and the story, even the parts about rituals and history and the secret society background of this mess, moves along at a rapid clip.

Just enough to feel the horror (at the appropriate points), but not so long as to dwell on it.

The prologue takes place at the end of Nazi Germany. One young French SS officer, along with a cadre of fellow fanatics, is tasked with smuggling important papers out of Germany and setting himself up as a sleeper agent in a sympathetic country to wait until his masters need him again. His masters are not exactly the Nazis – but a philosophical splinter group called the Thule. Who manage, in their own evil, world-domination type ways, to be even worse than the Nazis.

Without the extra-terrestrial power boost, the Thule remind me a bit of Red Skull in the first Captain America movie. I know this is just slightly off topic, but the brands of megalomaniacal pure-Aryan BS feel surprisingly similar..

The story in Shadow Ritual moves to the 21st century, and a sudden string of ritual murders. The ritual murders are tied into Freemasonry, a subject that sets more than a few of the investigators as well as the perpetrators into absolute fits, but only the Thule actually foam at the mouth.

The string of murders imitates and corrupts a big piece of Masonic ritual. Someone is killing people, not just Freemasons but anyone connected with the secret being pursued, in a way that sends a calling card to any Masons who see the victims or read about the results.

Antoine Marcas, a detective in the Paris Police, is a Freemason with an interest in Masonic history and documents. When a Masonic researcher is killed at the French Embassy in Italy, Marcas is paired with a hard-boiled Embassy security officer who hates the Masonic Order and anything connected with it.

As partnerships go, this is not a happy one.

But Jade Zewinski’s Foreign Service bosses don’t all love the Masons either, so they are happy to have someone in charge of the investigation who will not report to the Order first. At the same time, they need Marcas because all the clues are steeped in Masonic ritual and don’t make much sense to anyone who is not intimately familiar with the Order.

Their uneasy but ultimately productive partnership unearths a trail of dead bodies – and puts them squarely in the sights of an underground society that blames the Masons, the Jews, and anyone they just plain don’t like for what they see as the suppression of the true World Order – one that puts the Nazi Thule back on top of empire – with everyone else crushed under their heel.

Starting with Marcas and Zewinski.

Escape Rating A: This is one of those books that just grabbed me. I loved the deep dive into unfamiliar history – especially because that exploration was encapsulated into a thriller that kept me enthralled up to the very end.

Part of what made this story work was the two protagonists. They don’t like each other at all. Zewinski is openly hostile about everything that Marcas believes in. And we don’t know why until the very end – just that she acts like a bitch at every turn.

At the same time, they definitely respect each other. Even though she often treats Marcas like dirt, she also respects his abilities as a detective. Likewise, even though Marcas is often infuriated by Zewinski’s attitude and hostility, he also respects her ability to get the job done. He sometimes questions whether she wants to leave him behind, or is hoping that he won’t measure up in some way, but there is certainly mutual respect.

They manage to rely on each other as partners even though they drive each other crazy.

Also, Zewinski is in some ways the stand-in for the audience. The history and mystery that is driving the action is deeply embedded in the Masonic rituals and history. Marcas knows those secrets intimately, and Zewinski has spent her life actively avoiding anything to do with Freemasonry. In order to them to solve the crimes together, he has to explain the mysteries to her, and that provides a logical way to explain them to us.

For most of us, Freemasonry is shrouded in secrets and legends, and it was fascinating to get a glimpse behind the curtain. Lots of stories have exploited this desire to find those secrets, including The Da Vinci Code and the movie National Treasure. Mixing the secrets of the Freemasons with their persecution by the Nazis makes for a chilling read.

Like The DaVinci Code, Shadow Ritual is the second book in the series featuring its code-breaking detective. Also like The DaVinci Code, you don’t need to have read the first book about Antoine Marcas to enjoy the second.

Not that I don’t want the first book. And the rest of the series. ASAP.

of course, everyone thinks of Dan Brown, but honestly, this book is a lot b better than the illuminati's stories. I will not say this one is totally believable, but it doe not ask you to accept delusional fantasies like Dan Brown's books!
Here, freemasons and descendants of Nazis struggle to find secrets leading to the philosophal stone. After two ritualistic murders, a French detective, free mason himself, must team with a very skeptical woman, Jade and try to solve the mysteries. It's a pleasant read, with enough surprises to keep your attention. It seems to be the beginning of a series. Let's see what the other books will be like.

‘Designed to last a thousand years, the bunker’s foundations were showing signs of weakness.’

Two slayings - one in Rome and the other in Jerusalem - rekindle an ancient rivalry between two separate secret societies. The two are in competition for information lost when the Third Reich fell, and will do whatever it takes to achieve their objectives.

‘There was no longer any room for doubt. It had all started in Germany and had continued over the course of centuries.’

Detective Antoine Marcas is reluctantly teamed with Jade Zewinski and tasked with tracking down Neo-Nazi assassins in Europe. To do this, they need to make sense of an arcane Freemason mystery, assisted by some information newly available from KGB files. Trying to stop the extremists, trying to get one step ahead of them while working out what they are after provides Antoine Marcas and Jade Zewinski with a number of challenges.

This is a fast paced and intriguing mystery, suitably peopled with likeable heroes and despicable villains. There are plenty of novels focussed on secret societies, usually with a focus on religious arcana. This novel held my attention: extremism (of whatever motivation) is sufficiently current, raw and real to feed contemporary concerns. It’s difficult to say more without introducing spoilers (and I’m very keen not to do that). If you are after a fast-moving novel that provides an historical context for its events and actions, if you are intrigued by secret societies, their rituals and arcana, then you may well enjoy ‘Shadow Ritual’. Recently translated from French, this is the first novel in a series. I’ll certainly be looking to read the others if they become available in English.

‘The flesh falls from the bones.’

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Le French Book for an opportunity to read this novel.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Two murders, one in Rome and one in Jerusalem brings detective Antoine Marcas and special agent Jade Zewenski, the head of security of the embassy in Rome together. Jade's friend Sophie is killed by three blows to her upper body. Her shoulder, her neck and her head. In the same day a man is killed in the same way in Jerusalem.

Zewinski is in no way pleased about working on the case with Marcas. She doesn't like anything that has to do with Freemason and Marcas is a member of the group. But as they work together they slowly starting to open up to each other.

They discover that the sect Thule is the ones behind the killings, and the sect has a deep hatred for anything Freemason and it seems that Thule is after an ancient Freemason secret.

This is my kind of book. A fast-paced adventure with secrets and mysteries and of course an evil old sect. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was especially nice to have the main characters non-Americans. It feels like the hero in adventure's books often are American and it was nice to have both main characters French. It was also great to have a female character that's tough and capable to take care of herself. Even when she's about to be tortured. By the way, this book has a really nasty torture scene. It was also very fascinating learning more about the Freemasons, I didn't know they accepted female member, I thought it was an all boys club.

This was book two in a series of ten books and I'm looking forward to reading the rest if they get translated to English.

A suspenseful novel revolving around Germany, Paris, and Jerusalem including Nazi's, Freemasons, and the Thule. Some history in this book regarding Freemasons (since I do not know enough about them, I am not sure if it is accurate or not), with some underpinnings of conspiracy surrounding the Nazi hierarchy. Some of the scenes could be pretty gruesome, ritualistic murders and tortures, with intriguing twists and turns, turn-paging adventure and even a hint of love thrown in. Certainly a thriller.

For fans of strong plot and a complex story with many characters, this is for you. Reminiscent of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, the backdrop of the story is set within the Free Masons and their secrets and rituals. Let's see what Hollywood does with this one. I would go see it!

This book told the story of two secret societies, the Freemason's and the Thule, one evil and one well known. Inspector Marcus and Jade Zewinski are on the trail of some very sadistic people to try and solve the murders of many people. Then Thule date back to Germany and has some savage rituals. I hope to read the other installments of this series. It had a fine storyline and excellent characters.

**This book was given to me in return for a honest review***.

Thanks to the Author Eric Giancometti and Jacques Ravenne, Publisher Le French Book and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Copy of the book for review purposes. I in no way make any profit from my reviews and all the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and genuine.
I quote this from the publisher "When this book was first released in France, it sold 250,000 copies and was translated into 17 languages. Now it is finally in English. The nine-book series has gone on to sell 2 million copies worldwide."
Now that's a boast and an inherent confidence in the book. This looks intriguing enough to request an ARC from NetGalley for reading...
Having sold a quarter million copies in 17 languages, the English edition of this book is here. I did some searching on GoodReads and discovered that this is the 2nd book in a series of 9 books, but the first released in English.
The book opens in 1945 Berlin, Germany. Hitler's Nazis are about to be overwhelmed by invading Russians. Officers from SS are pulled out for a special mission by the Thule the organization dedicated to the Aryan race within the German Reich, to E&E and then become sleeper agents, waiting for further instructions. Hitler and Nazi Germany is about to be vanquished, but the mind that fuelled the growth of this Reich is being preserved and mutated in a new form for greater purposes.
This is first book that I have read in the series and I am intrigued by the concept. The author weaves together various estoric and cult groups like Knight Templars, Freemasons and the Thule-Gellescahft into a very fast paced and speedy story that races through France. The repartee between the two lead characters Detective Marcas and Special Agent Zewinski is good, they contrast and balance each other effectively and the chemistry between them gives me hope for the upcoming books in the series. A great debut and very fast paced thriller. A breezy read.

A very solid, fast-paced thriller.

effective well plotted and I learned something - good dynamic between two investigators - and a paen to Freemasonry, which is, in itelf, unusual. the plotting begins back in the final days in Hitler's bunker when some young obsessed young men are sent on a deeply committing mission - highly trained killers mix with a well connected network. murders are committed in a ritual way that scares those in the know. History and a conspiracy dating back decades are unravelled by the odd couple of a private investigator and a cop - there are intimations of a genuine connection right from their first meeting - cruel deaths and sadism ramp up the stakes, and while sometimes it feels a bit gratuitous, it comes with the territory. the defence of freemasonry is intriguing. very entertaining and professional.

Yes, it may seem like there are so authors writing about the same thing sometimes, as with this book. But when the book is so well written, as is Shadow Ritual, that's alright. This was definitely a page turner that will keep me coming back for more if possible. Abosolutely loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free review copy.

The good guys are right and the bad guys are evil personified. They are chasing an ancient secret that had been lost to humanity. We all know the good guys win. In typical good guy fashion saved at the last minute by a minor character that proves to be a valued friend. The bad guys were brutal and the good guys were philosophical. I didn't really buy their philosophy, but that didn't detract from the overall book. The overt effort to make Freemasons into knowledge gathering heroes was a bit odd. However if you look at it like a superhero story, then it fits the pattern. Not a favorite, but not a regret in reading it either.