Crucified, The Special X Thrillers

“As far as historical, Vatican-connected occult thrillers go, this is a fun one, with the various timelines balanced to play off each other with verve.” —Kirkus Reviews

When a World War II bomber is excavated fifty years after disappearing during a secret mission, the pilot’s granddaughter, Liz Hannah, hires Wyatt Rook to investigate. A lawyer, historian, and detective, Rook is well-suited to follow a trail of clues that will take him from Germany, where he confronts the Third Reich’s dark history, to another site just outside of Jerusalem shrouded in sinister shadows: the crucifixion of Christ. 

What Rook uncovers is a web of religious mystery surrounding a cryptic secret that, if deciphered, could destroy the very foundation of Christianity: the question of how Jesus escaped from his tomb. Using paintings and maps as clues, Rook steps deeper into a world where his enemy is none other than a modern Crusader, the Legionary of Christ, who will stop at nothing to keep the Judas puzzle—one of the most vulnerable mysteries of the Bible—from being solved.

A Fangoria Book of the Month

“If you want a series of mysteries better than the puzzles in The Da Vinci Code, Crucified is your book. Slade has all the hot buttons punched.” —The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“There are twists aplenty, scenes of gruesome torture and murder (with Inquisition tools, of course), and a series of small mysteries leading up to the larger mystery at the center of the book. It leaves one wanting more.” —Quill & Quire

“A walloping murder mystery that cuts throats and shows no quarter. Ambitiously dark, sophisticated, and complex. Enjoy.” —Fangoria