3 out of 4 stars
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The Royal Secret written by John Bentley sets a suspense thriller in both present times and an Elizabethan world unbeknownst to historical text. The death of a bioscience billionaire puts his spouse, Mrs. G, into motion in pursuit of the reasoning behind his death and the project that was of utmost importance that he had been working on. This search indicates that there was much more to the rule of the Virgin Queen that history has presented, which in turn will bring into light the ties to an occult in search for the elixir of life.
At the beginning of The Royal Secret Mrs. G familiarizes her step-grandchildren to the stories of the Knights Templar, Tudor Royals, back in time all the way to the life of Christ. In doing so imparting upon them the knowledge that there is much more than meets the eye to the mysteries of history. She explains that there are connections between current events to the long ago departed and that of their newly departed grandfather. Mrs. G’s quest to discover the answers behind the death of her spouse takes her through time to that of Queen Elizabeth I. In doing so she discovers ties to an occult that has control over many aspects of the modern world, which in turn brings criticism to modern science and its link to such occults.
Through out the novel one is taken on time jumps between our modern day world and that of the rein of Queen Elizabeth I. While the parallel Elizabethan universe tying into modern events is incredibly interesting the modern characters especially seem to go into tangents, rambling more often than they should: giving a halting quality to the narration. The occult aspect of the novel was also unclear until the very end, leaving me a little confused as to where exactly it had come from.
The author, however, does an exquisite job detailing life in the Elizabethan age; creating such imagery that one may envision the parallel universe as authentic history. I felt as if I were living life through the eyes of Queen Elizabeth I and her devoted subjects. I have been left with the deepest desire to pursue my own research of this time period to discover the truth behind these illusions.
Because of the rambling tangents and occasional halting quality of the narration, I give The Royal Secret 3 out of 4 stars. There were a few confusing sections of the novel that caused me to go back to figure out if I had somehow missed a certain detail or tidbit of information. However, the intrigue and deception through out the time jumps definitely made up for the lulls and confusions. I believe history buffs and lovers of good books alike will find this novel interesting, albeit leaving them hungering for more.
******
The Royal Secret
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