The Phoenix Apostles by Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore

by Michael Haskins

If ThrillerFest doesn’t have a Dynamic Duo category, it ought to, and Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore should be the winners. This writing team has once again produced a thriller that will excite conspiracy theorists, while the rest of us can sit back, enjoy the many surprises of the well-crafted plot, and be thrilled by the fast-paced action.

At a dig site in Mexico City, magazine journalist Seneca Hunt is reporting on the opening of Montezuma’s tomb when it’s discovered that the remains of the Aztec emperor are missing. Before she can investigate further, what appears to be a terrorist attack kills the dig team including her fiancé. Seneca barely escapes the carnage not knowing that a passing glimpse of an out-of-place object in the tomb may have sealed her fate. She soon learns that someone is stealing the burial remains of the most infamous mass murderers in history. Seeing a story in the making, her research uncovers a plot to slaughter millions in the name of an ancient cult. Seneca teams up with a bestselling novelist to prove the threat really exists while staying one-step ahead of those who want her dead. As time is running out, she must follow a 2000-year-old trail leading back to the death of Jesus Christ.

Sholes and Moore use the media hype of the Aztec calendar possibly predicting the end of the world on 12.21.12 for the background of The Phoenix Apostles. The challenge to see that the prophecy of the calendar doesn’t come true, no matter what the costs, drives the story and not in the way you might expect.

The book’s heroine, Seneca Hunt, whose journalist’s curiosity from the very beginning leads to her a scheduled and unwilling involvement in a bloody Aztec ritual, uncovers more than even she could have expected when beginning her search for the reasons behind the supposed terrorist’s bombing in Mexico. Her search takes her from the pyramids of Mexico to the opulence of the Bahamas, backward in time, and forward toward the calendar’s last days.

As the Aztec calendar date approaches, speculation of its meaning might fill newspapers and blogs with the same sensationalism the preceded the arrival of Y2000, but nothing to come will be as exciting and thrilling as The Phoenix Apostles. Reading the book might keep you up at night and have you biting your nails, but then a good thriller should.

The Phoenix Apostles is Sholes’ and Moore’s fifth thriller and arrives in bookstores this month from Midnight Ink.

Sholes’ and Moore’s four other books have been published in more than twenty languages.

*****

“Sholes and Moore have been writing stellar thrillers that use religious themes for some time, and their fifth effort is their best yet. Fans of historical thrillers and mysteries with a religious tint will devour this one.” — Booklist

“Fast-paced, exciting story . . . that grips the audience.” — The Mystery Gazette

“Once again, Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore have produced a novel that is as revelatory as it is packed with action and suspense.  The Phoenix Apostles takes their talent to new heights in a story that will leave readers breathless and wanting more. Bold, taut, and masterfully told, here is a book that demands to be read in one sitting.” — James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Doomsday Key

“A fascinating, compelling page-turner. Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore hit all the right notes with The Phoenix Apostles!” — Carla Neggers, New York Times bestselling author of Cold Dawn

“Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore have created a knockout apocalyptic thriller with The Phoenix Apostles. An epic tale of gold, archaeology, mass murder, ancient prophecy and terrorism, it propels the reader at light speed from its opening chapters to its stunning climax. An outstanding read!” — Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling author of Impact and The Monster of Florence

“What do you get when you cross Indiana Jones with THE DA VINCI CODE?  The Phoenix Apostles, a rollicking thrill ride with so many twists and turns that you won’t have time to catch your breath!” — Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of Ice Cold

*****

Lynn Sholes and Joe Moore are the co-authors of the international bestselling Cotten Stone thrillers The Grail Conspiracy, The Last Secret, The Hades Project, and The 731 Legacy. Their novels have been translated into over 20 languages. Their latest thriller, The Phoenix Apostles, is in stores and online June 8.

To learn more about Lynn and Joe, please visit their website.