“I was in awe how well the author handled the several different cultural worlds . He left the popular writers like Baldacci, Paterson……in the dust.”
~ Amazon Review
At present, this title is exclusively available from the Amazon Kindle Store.
“ Another Jack Rogan blockbuster hit!”
“This book brings a whole new level to Gabriel Farago’s mastery of storytelling. The plot intricacies, depth of historical research, nail-biting suspense on every page, and climactic conclusion are unparalleled..”
“Action packed page turner…reflecting current day events!! The great thing about Gabriel Farago and the Jack Rogan Mysteries is that “you never know where fact and fiction intersect.”
“Gabriel Farago – your blood’s worth bottling."
“If you like intriguing, action filed mysteries that you may not solve until the end of the book then this is for you. I am an old hat at solving mysteries and I usually solve them with no problem, but I didn't figure out all of the villains in this book.”
"I am definitely hooked on all of Gabriel Farago's books. Mystery, action, adventure and wonderful characters...what more could you ask for. I love melting into the world he creates and losing myself in his words.”
“Authors research what they want to write about. But what Gabriel Farago does goes so far above and beyond great research — and we are all the reading beneficiaries of his great niche!”
“Masterful Weaving of Fiction and of the Moment History Making Events!”
“What an epic adventure! I felt like I was living this as a dream. History, amazing detail, just too much to say. I took a week off to read this book. Nothing is better than reading a Farago adventure.”
Amazon Bestselling and Multi-Award-Winning Book
Readers' Favorite Gold Award Winner
#1 International Amazon Bestseller
Global Book Awards
Gold Medal Winner
Five-Star Readers' Favorite Review
A long-forgotten amulet. A holy relic. A stolen painting. One deadly geopolitical power-play.
When celebrated journalist and author Jack Rogan discovers a hidden letter reaching out of the past, he unwittingly embarks on a quest to find a holy relic that has the power to fight evil.
As he follows a web of intriguing clues that take him on a perilous journey to the Middle East, Rogan soon crosses swords with an old adversary, who is determined to destroy him and those he holds dear.
Soon, secrets buried in a famous stolen painting point to Russia and the threat of war in Ukraine. Joining forces with Tristan, a gifted psychic; Abbot Serapion, a Russian monk; and Sasha, the daughter of a Russian billionaire, Jack enters a dangerous geopolitical arena ruled by a deranged, corrupt man consumed by unbridled ambition and lust for power, who threatens to enslave a nation and destroy an entire country to satisfy his misguided vision of greatness.
Can Jack find a way to defeat the dark forces of evil and turn the tide of history before it’s too late, or will the horrors of war continue, and consume a people who dared to stand against tyranny and dream of freedom?
Topkapi Palace, Constantinople: 16 January 1596
Safiye Sultan, the mother of Mehmed III, was the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire. Since her son’s controversial accession to the throne a year earlier, she had lived in constant fear.
Upon the death of her husband, Murad III, she had ordered the execution of all of Mehmed’s nineteen brothers by strangulation to ensure that her son’s accession went unchallenged. All went well until it was discovered that one brother, Osman, had escaped the deadly net of the deaf-mutes who carried out the horrific murders during the night. While fratricidal succession was by no means uncommon, it caused huge animosity and unrest among the mothers of the murdered boys in the harem.
The reason Safiye had lived in constant fear had nothing to do the wrath of the women in the harem, but was due to something far more serious: her son, the sultan, was in constant danger as long as he didn’t have a male heir, and his brother Osman was alive. There was a simple explanation for this: if something happened to Mehmet, like an assassination for instance, Osman would become sultan. That was the law. By having murdered all the other brothers, Safiye had unwittingly made Osman the next in line to the throne after Mehmet. As long as there was no son, Mehmet wasn’t safe, and that presented a huge problem for Safiye who guarded her position at court with ruthless vigilance. Any opposition was instantly silenced, and rivals banished into exile.
One of those rivals was the beautiful Fatma Hatun, Osman’s mother, who had been Murad’s youngest consort. Safiye was well aware that Fatma had been behind the plot to save her son and facilitate his daring escape through one of the chimneys in the palace kitchens during the night his eighteen brothers had been brutally murdered. Despite rigorous questioning, Fatma had given nothing away, and Osman’s whereabouts had remained a mystery despite extensive enquiries by agents sent into every corner of the empire to find him.
On top of all that, Fatma was very popular at court and, Safiye suspected, had secret allies and followers in the harem which was a hotbed of intrigue at the best of times. The reason Safiye had kept Fatma at court was also simple. She had hoped that somehow, Fatma would lead her to Osman, but that had not eventuated. Osman had disappeared without a trace, and it was time to make his mother disappear as well. To harm her at court was far too dangerous, and to execute or assassinate a consort of the former sultan – especially one so popular – unthinkable. Something far more subtle and imaginative was needed.
Gabriel Farago’s The Stolen Altarpiece is a psychological and suspense-filled thriller. Connecting ancient and modern times, this is the riveting tale of a quest to find a painting, an amulet, and an artifact, each of great religious and historical significance. The novel takes its inspiration from historical figures, events, and places. I liked the Author’s Note, in which Gabriel Farago writes about current events, and how a Russian children’s poem inspired him to write The Stolen Altarpiece. Jack Rogan is an acclaimed journalist and novelist who is drawn into a dangerous quest by a powerful adversary from the past. His enemy is a psychopath who will not hesitate to murder and manipulate people for his nefarious ends. Jack follows a trail of cryptic clues from Venice and on to other European cities. He must defeat his archenemy to keep his family and friends safe. The story twists and turns to the very end!
I greatly enjoyed Gabriel Farago’s riveting The Stolen Altarpiece because of its remarkable character Jack Rogan and his extraordinary courage and love for his family and friends. I particularly liked the interweaving of the backstories of Jack and the other major characters into the quests. As I read the evocative and gripping descriptions, the characters sprang to life. I liked how Jack’s dilemmas, fears, and hopes emerge throughout the story as he faces challenge after challenge from his malevolent and manipulative adversary. At the same time, Jack is committed to protecting his family and friends. I loved this intriguing multilayered story and how the complexity of human nature emerges through different characters, their actions, settings, and dialogues. Equally, I loved the details as Jack tracks the “journeys” of the historical artifacts, the different owners through time and geography, and of incomplete or lost records. Some of the most powerful and emotional moments were when Jack finds significant pieces of the puzzle. The Stolen Altarpiece is a fascinating, compelling, and thought-provoking historical crime mystery with extraordinary characters!
~ Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers’ Favorite
