Matt McAvoy Book Review

When you read Gary McAvoy, you are reading quality.  This incredibly conscientious fiction author clearly has a passion for theology, and every page – almost every line – seems a showcase for the sheer amount of hard work and research he has put into his writing.  I don’t know the cultural or historical accuracy of what he writes, but I am absolutely going to take his every word for it.  Whether it is geo-politics, theology, military organizations or papal administration, McAvoy presents as an expert in the subject and, if we’re being frank, this factual minutiae is always the real star of his work, more so even than the mystery stories he weaves – which are themselves pretty impressive.

McAvoy has a formula: present the artefact, introduce the antagonists, tangle together a mystery then throw his beloved protagonists into intrigue and danger – and the danger is perhaps greater in this book than any other in the series to date, as our heroes look as close to breaking point as they have ever been.  There is, to some degree, a slightly darker aspect to The Jerusalem Scrolls, as Father Michael Dominic and his friends are pushed to their breaking point, facing brutality previously reserved for more peripheral characters.  Whilst the artefact – ancient silver scrolls containing a phenomenal legacy, as well as a well-hidden religious secret – is more valuable than ever before, the book is perhaps not the best in the series.  But, as always with my namesake, it is pretty damn good.  McAvoy weaves mystery and intellect like few other authors; if you like Dan Brown, you’ll love this.  And he is certainly no lesser quality as an author; his attention to detail and writing proficiency are as good as it gets.

I highly recommend the entire series, to be honest, if rousing, action-packed mystery suspense thrillers are your cup of tea, and, whilst not essentially important, they are best read in order.  Whilst this isn’t the most gung-ho, it is as worthy an entry into the series as any others.  And, as for Gary, he just gets more and more hands-on, as if trying to outdo and better his own work ethic and knowledge with every instalment.  Perhaps it has reached the point where the occasional tweak in t the formula would be welcomed, and maybe even kill off a major character or two in a major series shock, for I feel that he has plenty of these globetrotting, swashbuckling, academic-based stories left in him; indeed, as many as there are priceless artefacts in the world.