A mysterious book with a dangerous secret.
An evil brotherhood out to conquer the world.
One man stands between them . . . with his family in the balance.
In the twelfth century, Henry the Lion collected the rarest relics in Christendom. And to protect his most precious acquisitions, he encoded the whereabouts in a gorgeous illuminated manuscript called The Gospels of Henry the Lion.
The manuscript has been showing up and disappearing ever since. No one knows where the relic has been hidden... or its ultimate power.
Only one man holds the key to the mystery.
He's carrying it in his briefcase at his son's school for show-and-tell, and he thinks it's a fake. But he's about to find out just how real it is.
Because the wolves are rapidly closing in. And if August Adams can't decode the secret in time, the world's balance of power will forever be altered.
Inside flap copy;
Yesterday was August Adams's birthday. It didn't go well.
Today is worse. He's being chased, slashed, lied to, knocked out, shot at... and tied up with his ex-wife and young son in the freezing belly of a plane on the way to the bottom of the world.
All because of a very rare book with a secret, a Nazi plan that's been in deep freeze for half a century, and an ancient, power-hungry underground organization with eyes on a holy - and possibly deadly - prize.
The implications are both global and intensely personal. Because unless August Adams figures it all out soon, no one near him will live to see tomorrow.
Pages:
320 Format:
N/A EAN/ISBN:
9781595542502 Publisher:
Thomas Nelson Publishers
Another fine thriller from Bronleewe| Posted September 29, 2008
In Matt Bronleewe’s Illuminated sequel, House of Wolves, we find archeobibliologist August Adams’s life seemingly returning to more mundane matters after his wild ride in Illuminated. House of Wolves opens with August filling in for a wayward speaker on career day at his son’s school. For today’s stint, August has brought along an exquisite copy of the historic book, The Gospels of Henry the Lion. Certain the book is a copy sent from his father, August has no qualms about displaying it among the children.
This opening is an endearing scene that ends with August suspecting the book is not a copy but the twelfth century original. The realization is not hard to reach when a school security guard is murdered and members of the secret society, the Black Vehm try to run down August and Charlie to steal the book. This is the first of many chases through the streets to capture not only Charlie and August, but August’s ex-wife April and his father as well. Couple this action with Nazi secrets buried in the Antarctic ice, a family effort to solve a hidden puzzle, and you have a larger than life thriller. I have specifically withheld more details to keep from spoiling the plot for you.
Like Illuminated, House of Wolves is a fast moving read. But in House of Wolves, Bronlewee has fleshed out his main characters, and I found the family dynamics irresistible. The chemistry between father and son is engaging and charming, and of course, we read eagerly to see if August and April will ever get back together.
The writing is crisp with unique descriptions. The many action scenes are tight and fast moving, keeping the story racing forward. Bronleewe’s historical details are very complete and proof of his tireless research.
August Adams is Back!,| Posted October 28, 2008
Matt Bronleewe does it again in this second book in the August Adams series. This one is even better than the first which was a good book. Adams is back to fight secret societies and find hidden secrets in a rare book. I know the action in the book takes place in a few days time but it is still interesting and it makes the book that much more enjoyable. The book reminds me of the movie National treasure. You can really tell how Bronleewe has grown since the first book and I cant wait to see what mysteries August Adams tackles next. A great read that I couldnt put down after starting.
audio book| Posted October 18, 2008
i found this book as a free audio book online. i have also read illuminated. i'm glad that this one is on audio because i love audio books. house of wolves is a good adventure book, and i love a good adventure!
Step aside Indiana Jones, there’s a new adventurer in town.| Posted August 16, 2008
I have been waiting a year, an agonizingly long year, for the follow-up to last summer’s debut novel from Matt Bronleewe, Illuminated. With it’s fast-paced, thrill-a-minute, mystery-infused, action-packed plot and a cast of characters who literally seemed to jump off the pages, I was enthralled immediately - thus the long and agonizing wait for Bronleewe to bring us the next installment in this series.
Well, House of Wolves is here, and if there was ever a concern that this second novel might not be able to live up to the first, page 1 resoundingly silenced that worry. From the first paragraph of the prologue set in AD 1181 Germany, the recount of Henry the Lion’s meeting with the Black Vehm, the secret society that will play a pivotal role in this tale, I was captivated and hooked.
August Adams, the principal character of the series, an unlikely adventurer and unwitting hero, becomes entangled in the schemes of the Black Vehm as they seek to find an ancient prize - one so powerful that Hitler himself searched for it half a century ago with the knowledge that possessing it would shift the world’s balance of power in his favor.
Bronleewe shows marked growth as a novelist, proven by his ability to create a truly complex yet enthralling plot while also continuing to develop further the characters that we grew to know and love in Illuminated. There are also new additions to the cast of characters who, through surprising twists and unexpected turns, add to the mystery of just who exactly is on who’s side in this wild ride of intrigue.
Bronleewe has truly outdone himself here, setting himself up as a master of the literary adventure/mystery thriller. August Adams is the new Indiana Jones... and I cannot wait to delve into whatever treasure-hunting, clandestine-revealing, secrecy-unraveling, clock-beating predicament he finds himself in next summer in, The Deadly Hours. The countdown has begun....
