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IN TONGUES OF THE DEAD
by Brad Kelln
ECW Press, April 2009
257 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 1550228307


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Five hundred years is a long time for a manuscript to lie around without being read, particularly because nobody CAN read it. The Vatican is so interested in this manuscript that it places a mole at Yale just to keep an eye on it. One day, that mole has something to report. An autistic child seems to be able to read the manuscript.

The Vatican is not the only group watching the manuscript. There seem to be at least two other concerned parties, and everyone is far more interested in the child and his ability than in what the manuscript actually has to say.

The mole, Father Ronald McCallum, and the Vatican rep, Father Benicio Valori, become concerned about what it is exactly that the Vatican has in store for the child, Matthew Younger. They decide to spirit Matthew away for a while. This doesn't sit well with any of the people trying to get their hands on Matthew. People are injured and killed over this child.

Valori decides that his old buddy Dr Jake Tunnel is the best man to deal with Matthew, and heads for Jake. This isn't a good time for Jake; his son is in the hospital with a rare and deadly brain tumor. Still, he agrees to see what he can do for Matthew. This does not bode well for Jake and his family, considering all the people trying to get Matthew.

There are certain obvious parallels that can be drawn between TONGUES and THE DAVINCI CODE. Both have some basis in artifacts that actually do exist. Both keep the reader interested, wanting to know what happens next. Both rely, to some degree, on a very willing and elastic suspension of disbelief by the reader. The obvious conclusion is that fans of TDC will probably enjoy TONGUES. Those who found much to dislike in TDC might still want to give TONGUES a try. The time frame is much more believable, the abilities of the characters are not so farfetched, and the basic plot structure seems a little bit more plausible. The ending is still a stretch but not totally out of the ballpark given the rest of the book.

Reviewed by P.J. Coldren, April 2009

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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