Book Review: The Cana Mystery by David Beckett

  The story of Jesus turning water into wine, at the wedding at Cana, is one of the most iconic and theologically important Bible stories. The Cana Mystery, is a fictional thriller inspired by the story of Jesus and the miracles he performed during the wedding at Cana.

These days, readers are flooded with tons of "treasure hunt thrillers" inspired by Christian history or the Bible. I am a fan of this genre, and I love books written by authors such as James Rollins and Matthew Reilly. However, the most notable best seller of the genre, is Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. In some ways, The Cana Mystery probably belong to the same genre, with one major difference. In The Cana Mystery, the story actually portrays Christianity, and the history of the Bible more fairly than Dan Brown's depiction. In fact, The Cana Mystery is an excellent good read. Let's take a closer look.

Synopsis:

Ava Fischer is a brilliant graduate school student studying in Boston. One day, she is summed by her friend to provide assistance, to solve an ancient secret, hidden in some most profound artifacts which were unearthed during an archaeological dig. These artifacts are directly linked to Jesus Christ, where legend speaks of a hidden code that no mortal man can read.

In the meantime, Ava and her friend became the target of ruthless criminals and terrorists, being pursued and chased at every turn, can Ava and her friend prevail, and survive to solve the Cana mystery?

What I think about the book:

The Cana Mystery is a very good read, it is difficult to put it down once you start reading it. Some have compared this book with The Da Vinci Code, but I think it is more similar to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Having said this, I did some search on the historical facts mentioned in this book, and they all turned out to be accurate, and by reading this book, I've learnt a fair bit of history, and I think the quality of this book is far superior than The Da Vinci Code.

Furthermore, this book portrays the history of the Bible and Christianity in a fair way. It is refreshing, to see this book does not seek to thrill the readers with sensationalist, conspiracy theory such as the one found in Dan Brown's book. In this book, the distinction between the good guys, and the bad guys are clear, it is a story of good vs. evil. The characters are well portrayed, the story is very well written, and the plot moves at a very fast pace. What I really appreciate, is that everything in this story is based on historical facts, it truly is an educational experience, this author knows his history. The plot is interesting, and has some surprising twists and turns.

This book is recommend by various Catholic reviews, and is categorized as Catholic fictions. Yet, it does not seek to preach like a broken record player. Instead, the story, and the central characters displayed core Christian virtues. This is the first time I am reading Catholic fictions, and I am impressed. I hope David Beckett will write a sequel to this book, because this stuff is truly great.