Book #83 The Devil's Prayer

The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I approached The Devil’s Prayer with a great deal of anticipation. So many 5 Star reviews. “If you liked ‘The DaVinci Code you will love ‘The Devil’s Prayer’” said one. I loved ‘The DaVinci Code’ but I cannot say the same about ‘The Devil’s Prayer’. It starts so well: the suicide of a nun in Spain. Her daughter living in Australia recognises the nun from a news report as her mother, who disappeared suddenly, and without trace twelve years ago. She travels to Spain in search of answers. She discovers her mother’s ‘confession’, a betrayal, a deal with the Devil. A confession full of graphic detail about revenge taken against those who betrayed her. So far so good. The first half kept me swiftly page turning. The second half however became tedious. Well it did for me. Page after page, chapter after chapter recounting details of a 13th century conspiracy between the Mongols and the Papal Legate, that although it has a direct bearing on current events, became more of a history lesson that went into far too much detail and again, for me, became monotonous.

I expected so much from this book and when the ending did finally arrive, well, something of a damp squib. It has its moments. Enjoy the first half and be prepared to endure the second. Who knows - you might think differently….

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