The Painted Messiah

The painted messiah is an intelligent and superior example of a genre whose popularity shows no signs of abating it combines a blistering action thriller set in the streets of zurich and on the lakes and wooded slopes of switzerland with a compulsive and convincing account of first century romano-judaean politics and the real reason for pontius pilates condemnation and execution of christ a legend persists that, after the scourging, pilate commanded that his victim be painted from life somewhere, the painting survives, the only true image of christ, granting the gift of everlasting life to whoever possesses it kate kenyon, the wealthy young widow of an english aristocrat killed on a swiss mountain, has an addiction to mortal risk she feeds it by engaging in the armed robbery of priceless artefacts with her accomplice and lover ethan brand, a tennessean who owns a bookshop in zurich their latest target is a priceless byzantine icon hidden in the tower of a chateau by lake lucerne so far they have never had to shoot anyone this time will be different thomas malloy is a retired cia man looking for his first lucrative freelance assignment his chance comes with a presidential favour to a rich but ailing televangelist malloys task seems simple enough: pick up the preachers newly acquired painting from a zurich bank and get it to the airport but, once in switzerland, malloys old friend, the enigmatic contessa claudia de medici tries to warn him off his mission sir julian corbeau is an international criminal holed up in switzerland to avoid us extradition proceedings he is also the sadistic head of the modern knights templar he had the painting and now he desperately wants it back as well as to wreak a bloody revenge upon those who stole it as the contenders vie for possession the bullets fly, the body count rises and the secrets of the portrait gradually unfold