Review – Illuminated

Matt Bronleewe has taken on a very ambitious endeavor with the subject matter of his first novel, Illuminated. The premise; in the hand-painted illuminations of Johannes Gutenberg’s Bibles, lies centuries-old puzzles. A secret, that if properly deciphered, could lead to unimaginable wealth. And who better to decipher it than former archaeobibliologist, August Adams.

August, along with a recently procured Guttenberg original, boards flight 1213. He wants only to deliver the book to his client for a very lucrative fee and finally have enough money to reclaim his crumbling life. Unfortunately for August, Xandria, the charming woman seated next to him, wants the bible, too. She, however, won’t pay for it. Not in cash, anyway, but with the blood of August’s son if August doesn’t comply with her demands. She tasks August not only with giving her the book, but he must also decipher the hidden codes on her timetable.

Xandria, with a satellite phone in hand, controls the son’s kidnappers on the ground and August’s moves on the plane. While August flies high above and remains clueless to the activities on the ground, his son and ex-wife keep Xandria’s compatriots running in fast-paced suspenseful scenes.

Bronleewe succeeds in many aspects of his first novel. His action scenes are tight and fast moving. In fact, I found the first chapter written so well that it ensured I would read on. His bad guys, are the baddest. His plot is large and thrilling. His historical details are very complete, though, not an avid fan of history, I would have liked less historical detail of the bibles in the airplane scenes and more action involving August.

My favorite parts of the book were the action scenes. They kept me reading and riveted, but I will warn you that I found several of Bronleewe’s scenes with Stanley, The Cleaner, to be too gruesome and gory to read. I also particularly enjoyed the scenes near the end where I got to know each of the family members and came to care for them in a way that I had not until that point. Their chemistry and family dynamics were irresistible and I would love to see a sequel with August and his family reunited and working together to solve a mystery.