This is a prototypical high concept thriller.  When thirty year old Father Peter Carenza seemingly wields lightning in fending off a mugger in Brooklyn, he is summoned to the Vatican.  There we discover that, three decades ago, forces within the Vatican secured a DNA sample from the Shroud of Turin and decided to try to clone Christ.  Now their dream is approaching fruition but they quickly discover that they can not control their own creation.  And when Peter's behavior starts to become somewhat odd, there's little anyone can do to stop him, not even the Vatican's own ruthless assassin.

It's all exactly as contrived as it sounds, but Mr. Monteleone has fun with his premise.  My main objection is that he's entirely too cynical and the portraits of religion and the religious border on bigotry.  But taken on its own terms, its fairly entertaining.

(Reviewed:)

Grade: (C) Orrin C. Judd

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