Praised by critics and readers alike for his international bestseller The Stonehenge Legacy, Sam Christer continues to weave an irresistible plot of conspiracies and sudden death in one of the world's most mysterious ancient sites. When ex-priest Tom Shaman, jaded from years in the Los Angeles ghetto, decides on a last-minute trip to Venice, he gets much more than he expected. A brutal killer is on the loose and Tom finds himself in the midst of a series of ritualistic killings unlike anything Venice has ever seen. Enlisted by the Italian police, Tom teams up with young investigator Valentina Morassi to dig deep into the city's darkest history, stretching from an ancient civilization to the sexual decadence of eighteenth-century Italy to the gritty underworld of modern-day Venice. As Valentina and Tom trace the killings through the centuries, they uncover a deadly secret that generations have killed to protect: a priceless mosaic known as the Gates of Hell. As the clock counts down, Tom and Valentina's adventure builds to an astonishing and satisfying end. Exotic and well-researched, The Venice Conspiracy will continue to build Christer's name in the hit-thriller genre. From BooklistSuspend your disbelief, and immerse yourself in Venetian history, secret societies, Satanism, symbolism, art, and the Etruscans. Since this purports to be a thriller, there are also lots of gruesome ritualistic killings as well as plenty of short chapters. The main protagonist is a former priest, Tom Shaman, whose very name is a symbol. After accidentally killing a man while defending a woman’s honor, Tom feels the need to get away and goes to Venice. There he finds the body of a young woman who was ritualistically murdered, and the local police want his priestly help in solving the case. Despite the fact that Tom speaks no Italian, and the Italian cop he spends the most time with freely admits that her English is subpar, they communicate beautifully. The story constantly jumps back and forth in time from the symbolically important 666 BCE to the late eighteenth century to the present day, with the dramatic ending neatly tying up all the loose ends. Fans of Dan Brown and Steve Berry will be enamored. --Stacy Alesi ReviewPraise for The Stonehenge Legacy: **"A self-assured first novel."(-Wall Street Journal ) "A creepily compelling tale . . . This is one of those very rare books that is capable of both thrilling and chilling the reader."(-James Becker, The Moses Stone ) "British author Christer follows his 2011 debut (The Stonehenge Legacy) with a leisurely paced yet suspenseful religious conspiracy thriller…The story of a young priest and his pregnant wife in Etruria in 666 B.C. that alternates with the contemporary action adds historical depth. A beautiful silver relic passed down over the centuries that holds evil mystical powers, modern-day satanic rituals, and Vatican intrigue all help propel the plot of this solid entry in the post–Da Vinci Code subgenre."(Publishers Weekly )

SUMMARY:Eight days before the summer solstice, a man is butchered in a blood-freezing sacrifice on the ancient site of Stonehenge before a congregation of robed worhsippers. Within hours, one of the world's foremost treasure hunters has shot himself in his country mansion. And to his estranged son, young archaeologist Gideon Chase, he leaves a cryptic letter . . . Teaming up with an intrepid Wiltshire policewoman, Gideon soon exposes a secret society - an ancient international legion devoted for thousands of years to Stonehenge. With a charismatic and ruthless new leader at the helm, the cult is now performing ritual human sacrifices in a terrifying bid to unlock the secret of the stones. Packed with codes, symbology, relentless suspense, and fascinating detail about the history of one of the world's most mysterious places, The Stonehenge Legacy is a blockbuster thriller to rival the very best of Dan Brown.

What if King Arthur was more than a myth? On a starlit summer's night in the Welsh mountains, an old man is torn from sleep as an ancient prophecy unfolds. On the other side of the Atlantic, an American antiques dealer lies dying on the floor of his shop, blood ebbing from a fatal stab wound. In San Francisco, Mitzi Fallon begins her new job as lead investigator for the FBI's Historical, Religious and Unsolved Crimes Unit. When it emerges that a priceless Celtic relic has been stolen from the murdered antiques dealer, Mitzi finds herself drawn into a mystery that reaches from the heart of the modern US government back to a man once dismissed as myth: King Arthur. Sam Christer, author of the international smash hit, The Stonehenge Legacy, returns with his most dramatic, race-against-time thriller yet. Packed with heart-stopping, addictive suspense and historical intrigue, The Camelot Code is a brand new thriller that is perfect for fans of Dan Brown and Simon Toyne. The King Arthur legend is about to come to life...