Illuminated

Illuminated by Matt Bronleewe

Step aside Dan Brown! There's a new cat in town and he's definitely on your tail! Matt Bronleewe is a former member of Jars of Clay and an established music professional. I always enjoyed listening to Jars of Clay but this step by Matt blew me away.

Illuminated is a fictional thriller based around the mysterious life of Johannes Gutenberg. The theory is Gutenberg was involved in a secret society called The Orphans. Violently opposed by The Order of the Dragon, the struggle to hide a society changing secret has crossed several generations.

In the modern day, the Order of the Dragon and the Orphans are both searching passionately for certain Illuninations in the rare and priceless Gutenberg Bibles. August Adams is flying home with a copy he just discovered for a client. August looks forward to delivering the copy and taking home millions from the sale. This sale will enable him to settle down and be near his son Charlie, his ex-wife April and her mother Rose. Everything seems perfect until the stunning woman next to August named Xandria informs him his son's life is forfeit if August doesn't do exactly as she says.

The next few hours is an intense ride for August as he is forced to interpret the exquisit drawings in the Gutenberg Bibles for Xandria. Meanwhile, Charlie is at home with Grandma Rose when a stranger claiming to be FBI shows up and asks to search the house. Once inside, he looks around while Grandma Rose watches closely. She realizes that she left the front door open when another man is standing there with a gun pointed at her. He enters, kills the first man then ties up Grandma Rose. He then searches for Charlie and after a few exploits has Charlie captured as well.

April is working at the Library of Congress and giving a tour. After the tour is dismissed, a man from the FBI shows up and starts asking questions about the Gutenberg Bible. April gets suspicious as she is keenly aware of the value of the book. The FBI agent arrests her and she is taken away from the library. In the vehicle she was pushed into, she is interrogated by the agents and accused of belonging to the Orphans. April starts to realize the danger she is in.

Illuminated is fast paced and transitions smoothly between the protagonists. the reader can't help but sit on the edge of the seat watching the clues unfold. The villians are merciless. The heroes are human. This is story is definitely a ride for everyone to take!

I got the chance to ask Matt some questions. Find out more about Matt here!