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Jonathan Mark

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The Last Messenger (The Barnabas Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Jonathan Mark (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 119 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Barnabas Trilogy

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CRETE 1941 - A LOST SECRET IS DISCOVERED

During the German invasion of Crete, an air raid destroys a church revealing an ancient Christian scroll buried under its foundations. It is discovered by Callidora, a young Cretan shepherdess. She meets Hans, a German paratrooper who helps her understand the significance of the scroll. Callidora’s family accuse her of collaboration with the enemy and disown her. While Hans’ commanding officer, Captain Wolfgang Kohlenz, will stop at nothing to force Callidora to reveal the scroll’s secret.

LONDON 2005 - A GLOBAL CONSPIRACY

Richard Helford, an MI6 analyst caught up in the London bombings, helps Masood, a Muslim dying from injuries sustained by the bomb on the Piccadilly line. Masood appears to recognise Richard, who wonders whether they’d met in Iraq when he’d worked there during the occupation by Allied forces. Richard had returned to London, traumatised after his SAS bodyguard was killed by a suicide attack. The London bomb begins to trigger his recollection of the incident in Iraq which had previously been lost in his memory. As Richard searches for answers he discovers a family secret which draws him into a conspiracy of global significance.

What is the connection?

If its secret is revealed, it will invoke the terrifying predictions of the Book of Revelations. The book that predicts the end of the world. Arab terrorists want the prophecy revealed but the CIA, Mossad and MI6 want it destroyed.

What is the conspiracy of The Last Messenger?

Book 1 of 2

The Barnabas Trilogy
Print length

435 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

April 21, 2017
File size

612 KB
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Word Wise

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Enhanced typesetting

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Total Price: $7.98

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is the rare novel that seamlessly weaves together strands of a conspiracy thriller, drama, with biblical themes of Armageddon. Jonathan Marks hits the nail on the head with this one.

I was surprised to read in the notes that this is Mark's first novel, actually a revised version of his MA thesis for creative writing. It's a work of tremendous detail, research, and imagination.

The protagonist of The Last Messenger is an MI6 agent named Richard Helford, a not altogether likable character - at least early on - and yet he struggles with problems and emotions that we all can relate to. I think this is Mark's greatest achievement in this book - bringing this character to life on the page. Mark does a superb job of conveying what makes Richard tick.

All in all, this is a suspenseful and entertaining read. It will have you staying up to all hours of the night - you can't put it down. Highly Recommended. Sky Rae Amazon Verified Purchase

From the Author

Check out my Website for more info on the Background behind the novel.jonathanmarkwriter.com You can find me on Twitter on @jonmark1956

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071H58G8V
Publisher ‏ : ‎ ; 2nd edition (April 21, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 21, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 612 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 435 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,802,633 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #272 in Religious Biblical Fiction
- #313 in Historical Middle Eastern Fiction
- #5,666 in Christian Historical Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 119 ratings

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Jonathan Mark

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Jonathan Mark is writing a three book trilogy of fast moving adventure thrillers. The theme of the series explores religious conflicts which result in atrocities such as 9/11, questioning why the religions are in dispute when they share so many beliefs. The second novel - The Lies of Our Fathers will be published in September 2020. The third - The Wilderness of Truth will be out in early 2021 and follows the protagonist Richard Helford to India. A country which the writer also visited to assist his research.

You can read his blog and learn more about the series at

https://jonathanmarkwriter.com and follow him on Twitter @jonmark1956

After nearly forty years working in finance in the City of London, he retired early to pursue his long-held ambition to write novels. He lives in Essex and Cornwall but also spends his free time travelling the world. He recently visited Iran for two weeks to research the second novel in the series- The Lies of Our Fathers.

To kick start his writing career he completed an MA in Crime and Thriller writing at City University London. At the time, this course was the only creative writing MA in the country which focused on commercial crime fiction. The Last Messenger was the novel submitted to complete the MA.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

119 global ratings

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Sky Rae

Top-Notch Conspiracy Thriller

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is the rare novel that seamlessly weaves together strands of a conspiracy thriller, drama, with biblical themes of Armageddon. Jonathan Marks hits the nail on the head with this one.

I was surprised to read in the notes that this is Mark’s first novel, actually a revised version of his MA thesis for creative writing. It’s a work of tremendous detail, research, and imagination.

The protagonist of The Last Messenger is an MI6 agent named Richard Helford, a not altogether likable character – at least early on – and yet he struggles with problems and emotions that we all can relate to. I think this is Mark’s greatest achievement in this book – bringing this character to life on the page. Mark does a superb job of conveying what makes Richard tick.

All in all, this is a suspenseful and entertaining read. It will have you staying up to all hours of the night – you can’t put it down. Highly Recommended.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Vigilant Reader

A fast paced suspense thriller.

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Title – The Last Messenger
Author – Jonathan Mark
Genre – Action Adventure, Historical
482 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5 Posted 8/3/2017
No. 53 - 2017

My impressions: fast paced, sometimes incredulous, sometimes intriguing, violent, convoluted.
Main Characters:
Richard Helford – ex soldier, M-16 analyst
Rowena – Richard’s boss
Mohammed Abdul Alim – Mujahedeen terrorist.
Lenny Helford – Richard’s grandfather.
David Helford – Richard’s father.
Callidora – Village girl who discovers the parchment scrolls.

The Last Messenger takes place in Crete, Turkey and Great Britain, primarily in 1941 and 2005, a sixty-four year span. The plot centers on St. John of Patmos who (among several others) is reputed to be the author of the Book of Revelation, the final chapter in the New Testament. This story focuses on the discovery of scrolls attributed to St. John of Patmos that are reputed to prove Islam is the true word of God and came before Christianity. These scrolls are thought to change the balance of power in the world by elevating Islam above all other religions. Not being anti-religious or fervently religious I had difficulty caring about the outcome on that basis.
The story was interesting as action adventure as the Resistance Fighters of Crete fought a losing battle against the might of the German Army occupying their country. The Germans were unduly harsh to the villager’s due to the losses incurred as their troops parachuted during the initial invasion.
The story is well told and flips back and forth between the primary locations and time frames. Richard Helford searches for his father who reportedly died in the collapse of the twin towers on 9/11/2001. Richard soon begins to doubt his father is dead. At the same time, he learns his great grandfather, Lenny Helford played a roll with the resistance fighters on Crete and also was involved with the scrolls being found and later hidden.
The cast of characters is large and the story is long and involved. At times it is exciting and captivating and at others the plot is hard to swallow.
Overall it is a good story with conflict, double crosses and triple crosses.

Now for the faults I feel seriously affect the story.
There are several times when continuity is affected by statement made in one scene then contradicted several lines or scenes later.
When a woman is stabbed in the stomach and then in the heart, she continued to hold her stomach and stumble around instead of falling to the ground and dying like a good little victim of a vicious knife attack.
Several of the action scenes felt contrived; the actions didn’t match the outcome.
A Glock 18 is a semiautomatic pistol, not a machine pistol. The Glock does not have a safety switch.
I’ve never heard of a Mossad Special Forces team using AK47 rifles. Apparently, the author thinks that is the only military weapon made because everyone had them.

The editing is poor, not terrible, but there are far too many missing, misspelled, extra and wrong words used.
Character development is good although a few acted out of character at times. There are many sub-characters.
Details are good though sometimes muddled and unclear.
Research on the religious aspects I assume is good due to its complexity, I did not check that aspect. Research on weapons is seriously lacking.
The plot is intriguing but at times felt far-fetched.

If the negative issues I’ve highlighted bother you give the rating a 3 star. If they won’t affect your reading pleasure rate it a 4.0 +.

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

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The Serial Reader

It’s a brilliant work of thrilling fiction

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

The Last Messenger by Jonathan Mark is the opening into the Barnabas Trilogy a story that combines historical elements and elements of fiction to create a conspiracy that will have readers hugely entertained and gripped by the ears. During the German invasion of Crete, a young lady discovers a scroll dug up after an air raid that destroys a Chruch. She is accused of conspiring with the enemy and disowned by her own family.

In 2005, an MI6 helps a dying Muslim hurt after a bombing and gets spiraled into a search that will unravel a global conspiracy of great magnitude.

Here is a story that is intelligently plotted and masterfully written with great characters and wonderful plotlines. The readers will be stunned at the author’s ability to show a powerful link between events taking place in Crete in 1941 and those happening in London in 2005. It’s a brilliant work of thrilling fiction.

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Ursula Tillmann

Just started reading you fine novel. A wonderful suspense

Reviewed in Canada on July 16, 2017

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Just started reading you fine novel. A wonderful suspense, paired with history and very well researched. Jonathan Mark, you don't have to apologize for self-publishing. Literary agents are a disaster for creative minds! They only criticize and blah, blah, without knowing what the public wants. Agents also lack the understanding what it means to write and finish a book. Dear authors, never get discouraged by literary agents who reject your work because they have their own agenda. Those suits are a bunch of onlookers without the feel for literature which goes under your skin.
Thanks to Amazon and kindle, we can do without those arrogant agents!
Ursula Tillmann - self-published author of Plato in the Mountains and Undressing Shadows on Amazon!

MARINA M.

Thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced thriller

Reviewed in France on July 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

The reason I've only given this book four stars is the editing, which could have been more polished (quite a few mistakes seem to have crept in) - but then, I'm a stickler in this regard. However, luckily it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the book. Jonathan Mark's debut novel is a real page-turner. A thriller set in present-day London, Crete and Istanbul, with flashbacks to events that happened in Crete during the war, it keeps up the pace to the very end. I will not attempt to describe the plot, as other readers have done so, but the book abounds in conspiracy theories, reversals, red herrings and action scenes. I thought the characters layered and interesting and the dialogue sharp. The switches from past to present meld well, there's a cliffhanger at the end of almost every chapter and a definite sting in the tail! I'm now looking forward to the sequel. I highly recommend this as an excellent read for the coming holidays, only don't expect it to be relaxing - you will definitely be kept on your toes!

Brigid P. Gallagher

A Well Crafted Thriller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

The Last Messenger is an excellent debut novel with a terrific cast of characters, from two separate eras, many of whom are fighting for survival.
We are introduced to a brave band of partisans on the island of Crete, who are forced into defending the island against the Germans during WW2. A church is bombed during the German invasion, and ancient treasures are disturbed that were once hidden under its floors. A young Greek woman becomes their caretaker, putting her own life at grave risk.
In 2005, an MI6 operative Richard Helford discovers that his father may not have died in the Twin Towers on 9/11. In his journey to unearth the truth about his fathers disappearance, he becomes embroiled in a terrorist plot, and is eventually led to the island of Crete...
The two stories collide in a series of unexpected twists and turns ending in a clash that includes the CIA, MI6, Mossad and a deadly group of terrorists.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Last Messenger and look forward to its sequel.

Kindle Customer

I especially enjoyed the characterization of the young Greek girl who was ...

Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

The Last Messenger is a fast-paced historical thriller linking events of WWII with modern day terrorist activity. The protagonist, Richard Helford is an unlikely hero who must man up and push himself out of his comfort zone to redeem his family's reputation and honor. I especially enjoyed the characterization of the young Greek girl who was key to the whole plot.

J. Knight

A pacy, well-plotted thriller that fairly zips along.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2017

Verified Purchase

A pacy, well-plotted thriller that fairly zips along and the twists and turns of the narrative held my attention to the very end. There are 2 plot lines - one centred around Lenny Helford, a British commando based in Crete during the German invasion of 1941 and the other involving his grandson Richard, an intelligence officer in 2005. What links the two stories is the discovery of a 2000 year old scroll that could ignite a holy war.
A lot happens in this book and it's a real edge-of-the-seat read but both strands of the story are handled well and there's never any confusion about what is happening. The characters, too, from the repressed decent Richard to the passionate and beautiful Callidora and sleazy German politician, Kleiner, are all distinct, well-drawn and believable. I only wish I'd read it on a beach in Crete.

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The Last Messenger (The Barnabas Trilogy Book 1) Kindle Edition

Editorial Reviews

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About the author

Jonathan Mark

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