No Greater Sacrifice by John C. Stipa

I received a copy of this novel via the author this past Thursday.  I was surprised to see how thick it was being the first self-published work from this author.  I began reading the novel Friday night and have just finished.  If I wouldn't have had to stop reading to clean, cook dinner for the hubs and do other household chores, I would've read this book straight thru.  I cannot remember the last time a novel has drawn me into the story so much that I did not want to put it down.

The story is primarily set in present-day Europe.  The two main characters, Renee and David, are life-like and realistic.  Renee's love of archeology stems from her childhood.  Her parents have passed and she lives mainly off of a monthly allowance provided thru a trust fund from her father.  She has recently received detrimental news concerning her health and travels to Europe to confirm, or disprove, a possible health restoring myth.

David is a former Army man (Special Forces to be exact) who is now a college professor.  A tragic accident during his military days has left him emotionally scarred and skittish, especially with women.

There is so much I want to say about this novel, but I do not want to give away the story to those who have yet to read it.  So, let me say this ... This novel has the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, the mystery and suspense involving historical and mythological artifacts as in The DaVinci Code and the sexual tension as reflected in The Jewel of the Nile.  The characters are engaging and extremely realistic.

The plot is so believable that it causes you to wonder if such a thing is possible.  The clues are extremely well executed.  In the spirit of Paul Meehutch, I could go on and on pontificating about this novel all day.  =)

I encourage everyone who loves a good ... no, that's not good enough ... I encourage everyone who loves a stupendously written mystery/suspense novel to purchase this and read it.  You will not be disappointed.  This book is now on my list of favorites and I will read it multiple times over.

Oh, and when this novel gets written into a screen play and becomes a movie ... don't say I didn't try to tell you ahead of time!

Happy Reading! =)