Product Description

An ancient secret society. The Vatican. The lost tomb of Jesus--the King of Kings And an ancient scroll that unlocks the secret of the Goddess . CODIS-the FBI's Combined DNA Index System-has found a match. A link between the past and present. Between a royal bloodline and the world's foremost terrorist. On the anniversary of their downfall at the hands of the papacy, the Knights Templar vow revenge. The ultimate spies and the ultimate threat: Reunited lovers brought together by fate, Italian-born OSI agent Nick Rossi and beautiful Mossad agent, Josie Schulman, battle an al-Qaeda orchestrated wave of terrorist attacks directed against Rome, the Vatican, and the newly elected Pope. But the investigation means plunging into Rossi's own past and into the arms of Bast, the alluring stranger, who may be his downfall. The ultimate secret: Beneath the Dome of the Rock, in Solomon's Temple, an ancient scroll is found. It unlocks the Holy See's brutally suppressed truth concerning the divine feminine, Mary Magdalene's true identify and role-and the location of history's most important tomb. The ultimate deception: As world leaders converge on Rome for the Pope's funeral, Rossi and Josie race against time and follow a cryptic trail of symbols hidden within German Renaissance paintings: the keys to a mystery that points to a secret Masonic nexus of power, the secrets of the Widow's Son. What would you do for love? What would you do for honor and country? Two strong-willed women find themselves at opposing sides of a struggle for power. Josie a Mossad agent, who is battle weary and disillusioned, and the other-Bast a notorious al-Qaeda operative. But they share three things in common: they seek revenge for the murder of family members, and they both seek love and meaning in their lonesome existence. The third thing they share is the affection of the same man. The man is Nick Rossi intelligence operative stationed in Rome. Rossi seeks the advice of his uncle Professor Giovanni, a man versed in history and the schemes of secret societies. Together they must solve a riddle, clues left by a Masonic Nexus that has infiltrated the Vatican. Rossi knows that his uncle's and even the Pope's life depends upon his actions. And time is running out. Behind the veil of enigma lies the Eschatology Institute, a New Age pop culture Church, complete with Hollywood celebrity spokespersons, secret oaths, and dark agendas. Its leader is on a mad power trip and will kill anyone who stands in his way. And his sights are set on the Vatican.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67363 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 380 pages

Review
A smart, intelligent thriller with something for everyone. This new religious conspiracy genre created by Dan Brown has had many knock-offs. None, however, have the depth and scope of Weber's novel. He peels away the glossy finish you find in most spy thrillers, prying deeply into his two major female character's motivations, flaws, and past. The visceral action of Ludlum combined with the realism of John Le'Carre'. -- The Guardian S Duffy

The Vatican, movie star cult icons, secret cabals, spies and even a steamy love triangle all blend into a surprisingly tasty stew. More seasoned writers might have cut back on the complex recipe of spy thriller, romance, and religious history, offering less meat and more fluff. But this writer gives you your monies worth, hoping you'll come back for seconds. -- Daily Mirror

From the Publisher
This conspiracy thriller plunges you into a shadowy world of deceit and treachery. But don't look over your shoulder ... they could be after YOU!

From the Author
I wanted to take you deeper into the mysteries of Secret Societies, while at the same time, giving readers a fast-paced thriller, hopefully made all the more credible by my real-life experiences as a special agent. Like every thing else, there's a good and bad side to Gnosticism just as there is in the three major organized religions. Too many recent authors have whitewashed the dark side of alternative history and religious beliefs.

If you've ever wondered what the real esoteric meaning of those orgy scenes in the film Eyes Wide Shut meant; if you've ever wondered just what is the big, dark secret that Freemasonry has hidden from all but their highest-ranking members; if you've ever wondered if there truly are sinister forces behind the largest New Age cult on the planet, then this novel will give you the answers to these questions. Somewhat like author Raymond Khoury and his novel The Last Templar, publishers and editors to have nudged me to" drop the religious history stuff and just make it a straight spy thriller." I've stuck to my guns because I think the publishing world greatly underestimates their public's intelligence and search for new information. But I sincerely hope the action and intrigue will also satisfy the die-hard thriller fans among you.

Customer Reviews

decoding the past
Solomon's Key is extremely informative and holds your attention. It encourages you to pay closer attention as to what is going on around you. My favorite part of this book were the manipulations taking place in the current era that are directly connected to ancient mysteries. It may be mostly speculation, but it's quite convincing.

The ultimate value of reading this book is discovering your own reaction to the ideas in question. In other words, it's a way of understanding the depth that you might be buried within any religious deception or controlling agencies. With that being said, I must say I enjoyed this book very much, because it's entertaining as well as informative. I have long felt that religion is a hindrance that does not allow man to question. Do I believe in a world wide conspiracy, yes because all conspiracies have a level of truth to them, no matter how far fetched they are, there is a foundation for these ideas.

Weber is certainly "out there" in terms of his overall theory of the sad state of some of the world's most powerful religions and terrorist organizations. He takes the position that the terrible things that have happened throughout history and are happening today are the result of behind the scenes manipulation by sinister leaders. Weber pounds away at orthodox versions of history and religion and does so in an extraordinarily convincing and entertaining manner.

There is much that is good about this book, much that is truth, and much dialogue which springs from an esoteric level. The research is often scholarly and at other times it's nonexistant. Don't take everything in it as gospel, but let him lead you through a magical mystery tour of facts and connections that often have basis in truth. You won't think about the things you see or the news which you read the same way again.

This book handles different sciences to one overall science: the many hidden agendas connected to some of our latest archaeological discoveries and new understandings of ancient mysteries. Solomon's Key integrates history, biology, archaeology, politics, military tactics, psychology, occult sciences, and last but not least the art of manipulating the masses by hiding the truth. This book not only deals with the conspiracies in the world, it also opens the closed vaults of secret societies and their applications in world politics and mass control.

Great read!

Solomon's Key: The Codis Project
This book was not a fun book to read. The story jumped around so much that I'm still not sure what happened to whom. The premise of the novel is interesting, but the character development is seriously lacking.

Don't get me wrong, I can handle complicated plots, but the thread of the story gets completely lost with the overabundance of character names. The author also jumps from place to place and situation far too quickly to ever get his point across.

For those that said this book was challenging intellectually, I'm wondering if the challenge was just the effort to follow what was going on?

I would not recommend this book.

Breathtaking thriller
Barely halfway through this mind-puzzling story, that not only keeps me in suspense page by page, but also challenges my intellect and ability to think in new ways, I am already totally amazed and taken in by the story and the people in it.
It brings up so many questions that I have never thought of before, could this really be true? Have we been kept in the dark for hundreds of years?
The characters come through as real people, so very different from each other and yet so well described that I can actually see their image for my eyes and share their feelings regardless if they are one of the good guys or not.

I have read Dan Brown in the past, now I read Richard D. Weber...and I'm enjoying every word and every minute of it.
Cannot wait to turn the next pages and looking forward to new books in the future from this brilliant writer.


Marianne Petersen