- ASIN: B09WYW2Q2V
- Publication date: May 12, 2022
- Language: English
- Print length: 404 pages
- Genre: Historical Thriller
The BookViral Review:
A sophisticatedly crafted and exhilarating read, the intrigue and thrills begin from the very first page and don’t stop till the end as Keating delivers an absolute corker of a Historical Thriller!
Blending historical fact and fiction tending towards the filmic it’s a masterfully paced telling with Keating quick to build a visually complex tale with gathering momentum whilst ensuring the definitive devices of the genre are ever-present.
From concept to execution Keating’s plot is flawless, confidently navigating multiple threads with an abundance of detail to create a delightfully dark dance of danger. Delivering a genuinely disquieting sense of time and place where the momentum never flags and the stakes grow ever higher in a clandestine battle between opposing ideologies.
Clever and inventive, another author might have left us adrift in a sea of coincidences, auspicious breaks, contrived leads and fudged plot twists, but here the pitch and momentum hold our focus to deliver pure entertainment as well as being a genre model for superb storytelling. To this end, Keating has certainly done his homework and it’s to his credit that his plot stands in contrast to many of today’s thrillers which often seem simple-minded and lacking in genuine depth.
With characters like The Reverend Doctor Eric Meyer, Pat O’Riley, Helen Pomeroy and Leon Mirsky, Keating confidently conveys the emotionally charged interplay of his eclectic cast. Giving us backstories woven through disparate timelines whilst persuasive well-rounded characterization and superb descriptive prose render scenes that are compelling and immersive. Action scenes that are thrilling, and a final standoff between the Alliance of Saint Michael and Mirsky that will have you on the edge of your seat.
A powerhouse introduction to Keating’s Alliance of Saint Michael series that, at the same time, encourages us to consider how deeply the violence of ideology has scarred our past, Cathedral proves an addictively entertaining five-star read and is unreservedly recommended.
