The Inquisitor's Key

A Body Farm Novel, Book 7

By: Jefferson Bass

Narrated by: Tom Stechschulte

Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Miranda Lovelady, Dr. Bill Brockton's protégé, is spending the summer helping excavate a newly discovered chamber beneath the spectacular Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France. There she discovers a stone chest inscribed with a stunning claim: Inside lie the bones of none other than Jesus of Nazareth.

Faced with a case of unimaginable proportions, Miranda summons Brockton for help proving or refuting the claim. Both scientists are skeptical - after all, fake relics abounded during the Middle Ages - but evidence for authenticity looks strong initially, and soon grows stronger.

Brockton and Miranda link the bones to the haunting image on the Shroud of Turin, revered by millions as the burial cloth of Christ, and then a laboratory test finds the bones to be 2,000 years old. The finding triggers a deadly tug-of-war between the anthropologists, the Vatican, and a deadly zealot who hopes to use the bones to bring about the Second Coming - and trigger the end of time.

Set against an international landscape and weaving a rich tapestry of religion, history, art, and science, The Inquisitor's Key takes Jefferson Bass' work to an exciting new level of suspense.

©2012 Jefferson Bass, LLC (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Technically spot on, but voice is too depressing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

so-so. I love a good series and was hoping this would do it for me. I purchased the book from a kindle special, so it is the first from this series I've read. After reading a chapter I was hooked on the great writing style and content, so purchased the audio book. The narrator is spot on with regard to technical and quality issues (hence 4 stars), but sounds too depressed for me to move on to the first book and commit to the series. That said, it has a good pace, twists towards the end and at the end, and unfulfilled relationships that make an intro into the next book welcome. So if you like the narrators voice the book is solid and the story is as described.

LOVE this series.

Where does The Inquisitor's Key rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I love this author, and this was probably one of my favorites of the series.

Any additional comments?

The author provides additional information at the end of the book so that the reader can further investigate the historical references.

good book

I enjoyed the book struggled through the back and forth past and present. I did think in the end the going back and forth helped understand what everything ment as far at the clues in the story. overall I really liked it.

The Inquisitor's Key

What made the experience of listening to The Inquisitor's Key the most enjoyable?

It was great having it read to me,

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dr. Brockton, he is very interesting,the places and things he has gone through.

Which character – as performed by Tom Stechschulte – was your favorite?

Dr. Brockton and Miranda

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The end when Miranda and Dr. Brockton told each other that the loved each other. It was about time.

The plot was good, but the book dragged!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The book went off into a tangent about the relationship between the doctor and his assistant. Then there were the tourist descriptions of Vatican City. I almost forgot what the book was supposed to be about. I hope other novels by this author are better!!

Body Farm doc goes to France and back in time.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Inquisitor's Key to be better than the print version?

I don't know. I don't usually read a book I've listened to or vise versa!

If you’ve listened to books by Jefferson Bass before, how does this one compare?

I enjoyed the last third as much as the other audio books, but it was not as engaging as others. Too much history and the story of the distant past does not seem very interesting or relevant until the end of the book.

Which character – as performed by Tom Stechschulte – was your favorite?

Main Character, Bill Brockton. I enjoy the way the book sounds as if Bill is telling the story, with his wry sense of humor and sense of humor coming through.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. The history of the Catholic Church in France is not a particularly interesting topic to me.

Any additional comments?

If you like Jefferson Bass, stick with it even though it gets off to a confusing start. A little too much like DaVinci code crossed with Michael Crighton's Timeline. If you have not listed to these books before, listen to them in the order in which they were written.

Great performance of a great story!

I loved hearing Tom Stechschulte read this great Jefferson Bass tale every day to and from work. There were several times I just sat in my car in the parking lot listening until I just HAD to get out to be at work on time. I recommend this book! My book club picked it and I am glad they did!

Wow!

Where does The Inquisitor's Key rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Towards the top. Couldn't stop listening.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Absolutely!

Have you listened to any of Tom Stechschulte’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I think he does the Body Farm books, if not he sounds like the original guy-so he's good.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The Mystery of the Shroud.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. I really like all his books but this one was so interesting and edge-of-your-seat from the first chapter. I had a difficult time not listening to it constantly. It stayed with me for a couple of days after too.

Fascinating History, Fabulous Suspense

The Body Farm staff goes to Europe - Avignon, France - to be exact. In the process, they analyze old bones (whose?), deal with current problems (drugs and smuggling), art history, and church history. I enjoyed it because I really like gathering more information about hitherto un-investigated questions. Bass does a masterful job of mingling a plot line with all the other factors.

This is an enjoyable listen and kept me raptly occupied for quite a while.

Best listen to on a long road trip…

I’m in and out of my car all day so this book was the hardest to follow of previous books in the series (which are 5 stars in my opinion) I love the story line of Bill and Miranda but this was too much art, relics and accents. I like theology or biblical history but I’m not catholic so much of the story line was lost on me.