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Chris Kuzneski

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Sign of the Cross (Payne & Jones) Mass Market Paperback – September 26, 2006

by Chris Kuzneski (Author)

4.4 1,012 ratings

Book 2 of 9: Payne & Jones

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Book 2 of 9

Payne & Jones
Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Berkley
Publication date

September 26, 2006
Dimensions

4.25 x 1.13 x 6.88 inches
ISBN-10

9780515142112
ISBN-13

978-0515142112
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kuzneski elbows his way into the overcrowded field of the papal thriller with his sophomore effort (after 2002's racially charged The Plantation), combining the requisite plot twists and Da Vinci-esque secret histories with a Passion of the Christ-like attention to gore. And there's plenty of opportunity for gore: Kuzneski kicks off the action with a nasty crucifixion in modern-day Denmark. It turns out the victim is a Vatican priest, and his murder is just the first. Meanwhile, maverick archeologist Dr. Charles Boyd and his assistant Maria Pelati discover a 2000-year-old scroll underneath the Italian town of Orvieto that contains "a secret that would change... the history of the world—forever." Instantly, the two become the most wanted people in Europe, pursued by the Vatican, a large measure of Western European law enforcement and two freelance CIA agents. As the chase begins, more crucified priests are turning up across the globe, and the head of Interpol's new homicide division, Nick Dial, finds himself edging closer to the heart of a centuries-old coverup. Cat and mouse games accelerate and alliances shuffle as the overstuffed plot brings its numerous players together, but excessive detail and exposition-heavy dialogue slow the action. Despite its flaws, Kuzneski knows what fans of the genre want: compelling and well-researched history, high-tech 21st-century sleuthing and a lot of action. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A remarkable new writer." — Nelson DeMille
"A fast-moving adventure of sins and secrets loaded with atmosphere, intrigue, and suspense." — Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The Templar Legacy
"Like The Da Vinci Code on steroids." — USA Today Bestselling Author Thom Racina

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0515142115
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley; First Edition (September 26, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780515142112
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0515142112
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.01 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 1.13 x 6.88 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #852,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,900 in Mystery Action & Adventure
- #9,049 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #14,087 in Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.4 1,012 ratings

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Chris Kuzneski

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CHRIS KUZNESKI is the New York Times bestselling author of twelve novels, including his latest, THE MALTA ESCAPE. His thrillers have been translated into more than twenty languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. One of his books (THE HUNTERS) is currently being made into a major motion picture, and another (THE PRISONER’S GOLD) won the ITW Thriller Award for Book of the Year. He is the first (and only) action/adventure author to win a prestigious Thriller Award.

Armed with witty prose, a unique narrative voice, and a penchant for blackmail, Kuzneski has garnered praise from many of the top authors in the world, including: James Patterson, Nelson DeMille, Lee Child, Vince Flynn, James Rollins, Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lisa Gardner, Steve Berry, Scott Mariani, Allison Brennan, W.E.B. Griffin, Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, John Gilstrap, Raymond Khoury, David Morrell, Andrew Gross, Joseph Finder, Jeremy Robinson, Jon Land, and—last, but not least—his writing idol, Clive Cussler.

Although he grew up in western Pennsylvania, he currently lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida where he will probably die alone in a hurricane because he spends way too much time watching movies and sports. For more details, please visit his website at: www.chriskuzneski.com.

Praise for the novels of CHRIS KUZNESKI:

JAMES PATTERSON: "Chris Kuzneski's writing has the same raw power as the early Stephen King."

CLIVE CUSSLER: "Chris Kuzneski writes as forcefully as his tough characters act."

LEE CHILD: "Excellent! High stakes, fast action, vibrant characters. Not to be missed!"

NELSON DeMILLE: "Chris Kuzneski is a remarkable writer, who completely understands what makes for a good story. I can't wait for the next Payne & Jones adventure!"

JAMES ROLLINS: “Chris Kuzneski writes with an energy that is contagious! Action, suspense, mystery, and a biting thread of humor. What more can you ask from an author?”

VINCE FLYNN: "Chris Kuzneski is a master in the making."

LISA GARDNER: "Chris Kuzneski has mastered the art of the quest novel."

GRAHAM BROWN: “Chris Kuzneski is such a good writer that I asked him to write this for me.”

BOYD MORRISON: “Chris Kuzneski knows what thriller readers crave—nonstop action, ancient mysteries, twisted villains, and memorable heroes. Kuzneski's books have got it all!”

JEREMY ROBINSON: “Nobody blends fascinating history and pulse-pounding action like Chris Kuzneski.”

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

1,012 global ratings

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Nikki Ashendorf

Excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

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I enjoy anything that is about alternative beliefs or that makes you question the beliefs you have.

Payne and Jones are two of my favorite characters as well as Ulster. Its always a fun ride reading about anything they are involved in.

I definitely recommend this book if you love wit, action and fun snippets of history.

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Robert E. Robins

Another excellent Payne and Jones adventure!

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2014

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I was not quite as captivated by this particular adventure, as it did not involve quite as many trips to interesting locations. Having done a bit of European travel, some of the other stories have been of greater appeal to me. However, Kuzneski's story-telling is wonderful! His technique of moving from events in one location to those in another keeps the interest rate at a very high level, but did not seem to be called for as much in this story. Nevertheless, he is the most exciting writer that I have found in a number of years. Let's encourage him to keep finding subjects to completely captivate us!

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2008

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Ever since I read the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown I have been trying to find books that are somewhat like it. I actually found this book while looking through a bookstore and read the reviews on it. I was amazed that there were reviews from Steve Berry (who is currently my favorite writer), and James Rollins (2nd favorite) wrote some great reviews on it, so I decided what the hell I would try it out.

Well I was not disappointed at all. Wow!! I have to say I liked it better than the Da Vinci Code. Now I know a lot of people might disagree with me but the way it is written was fantastic. It kept me wanting to keep reading it and not put it down. And the way that he left little hints about what was going to happen at the end of some of the chapters, I loved it. Loved the characters and really didn't want the book to end. Great contraversial subject just loved it. There's not much more I c an say but if you like Steve Berry, Dan Brown, or James Rollins, try this book. You won't be disappointed!!!

6 people found this helpful

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Lee

Book review- Sign of the Cross

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2012

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Sign of the Cross Fast paced which helped keep my attention. The characters Payne and Jones are balanced with good and bad traits. Chris Kuneski's characters Payne and Jones have a well developed sense of humor which makes the story fun to read. The major flaw of SIGN OF THE CROSS is the characterization and dialogue. There are too many characters in this book, and Kuzneski keeps switching the perspective from character to character. As a result, no single character is fully fleshed out, and many characters comes across as little more than cardboard cutouts that rush from one action scene to another. Some of the supporting characters seem like cartoon characters kids would watch on TV. Also, much of the dialogue in this novel is rather stilted. Overall, I was impressed enough with the plot of this novel to recommend it. I think Kuzneski has exceptional plotting and research skills, but he needs to work more on his dialogue and characterization. If he does that, he could become the next Dan Brown or Steve Berry.

2 people found this helpful

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munish kalia

archaeology beautifully and you feel as if you are living the ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2014

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Its my second book by Chris after The Forbidden Tomb and I must say that he has absolutely nailed it. I wouldnt divulge even 1 percent of the plot, only thing i must say that Chris blends fact, fiction, history, archaeology beautifully and you feel as if you are living the history. The research done is fantastic. Three cheers to him for creating a fascinating and believable story. I am going to grab my next Chris book today..

One person found this helpful

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Graham Brown

Intrigue and Adventure.

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2022

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One of my favorite Chris Kuzneski books. The plot unfolds with one stunning reveal after another. The humor and friendship between Payne and Jones is terrific. Definitely 5 stars.

One person found this helpful

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mrliteral

Mildly entertaining but basically flawed

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2006

Although he claims in the Author's Note to have first come up with the idea for Sign of the Cross back in 1998, it is clear that Chris Kuzneski's novel owes more than a little to The Da Vinci Code. Both books deal with millennia-old conspiracies that, if revealed, threaten the existence of Christianity by calling into question the nature of Jesus. There is also at least one direct reference to Dan Brown in Kuzneski's book.

From a publisher's standpoint, distributing a novel like this makes clear sense, as it exploits the popularity of the hottest fictional work in the last decade or more. And in ways, Sign of the Cross delivers, as it is an action-filled novel much in the same vein as Brown's book.

The story starts off with three separate plot lines that only slowly converge. In one, Nick Dial, an American homicide detective working for Interpol investigates the murder of a priest in Denmark; the victim has been crucified and there are a number of clues that point to a religious nature of the murder; soon, other, similar killings will occur.. In the second storyline, archaeologist Charles Boyd and his beautiful assistant Maria Pelati unearth a hidden catacomb in the Italian town of Orvieto; among the artifacts they find is a scroll about Jesus and how the Roman emperor Tiberius intended to deal with him. No sooner do they make their discovery than they are ambushed and almost killed by assassins; while they do escape, they are suddenly fugitives. In the third storyline, Jonathon Payne and his sidekick David Jones, two heroic characters from a previous Kuzneski book called The Plantation are forcibly recruited by the CIA to track down Boyd. Payne and Jones are your stereotypical ex-superspy sorts, formerly members of a secret government agency (called MANIAC of all things) who now do private adventuring.

This is not a great book; it is actually subpar. It is fast-moving and somewhat fun, and Kuzneski is a good plotter. Unfortunately, he is not a very good writer. At times, he seems to forget some of the fundamentals of writing: for example, when Nick Dial makes a phone call - and the narration is clearly from his point of view - we cannot be told that the person on the other end is rolling his eyes. Kuzneski also has an annoying habit of ending his chapters not with mini-cliffhangers but rather teasers, such as "Of course, that was nothing compared to the evidence that Frankie was about to uncover next." Once or twice, such teasers might be okay, but in multitude, they are just unpleasant. In general, his dialogue is flat and his characterization is rather superficial.

There is an epilogue that seems like Kuzneski's wishy-washy attempt to avoid angering Christians (at least Brown doesn't shy from controversy). Despite the many problems, however, I was actually entertained much of the time, so as I wavered between two and three stars, I will favor this book with the higher rating. Nonetheless, it is not a book I can really recommend; if you enjoy Dan Brown, you're better off looking elsewhere.

13 people found this helpful

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Lydiarode

Great book, makes you think

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2018

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I’m not a religious person so I was not real enthused about reading this book, but after reading ‘The Plantation’, previous book to this one, I enjoyed the author so much I decided to give this book a try and loved it and it really made me think. I like that. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action with reality.

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suziefloozie

Love this author

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2022

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Great book and love the characters. Have read all of his books at least twice as they are so easy and exciting to read. You get dragged in fron the start.

2 people found this helpful

J Cruz

Great author, lots of thrill

Reviewed in Spain on September 15, 2019

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I discovered this author years ago and enjoy every book I buy. Lots of adventures and lots of thrill

Amazon Customer

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2016

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not my favorite author but decent

Nardelli Jiri

Historischer Roman mit Tiefgang

Reviewed in Germany on September 27, 2013

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Aktion, Verwirrung, Tiefgang, Humor, Religion, Verschwörung
Chris Kuzneski weiss wie er seine Leser fesseln kann.
Für alle die Dan Brown lieben ist dies ein Lekerbissen.

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