The Lost Years

May 28, 2012
Jan Maxwell infuses Clark’s thriller with gravitas via her mellifluous narration and sensitive portrayal of protagonist Mariah Lyons, whose biblical scholar father is found dead after making a discovery (a letter written by Jesus Christ himself) that could upend modern Christianity. Jonathan Lyons is gunned down in his home office in New Jersey, and the culprit appears to be close to home: Mariah finds her mother next to the corpse, covered in blood, and holding what appears to be the murder weapon. Maxwell ably handles book’s third-person narration, while also capturing the spirit of its heroine, a woman traumatized by a tragedy that threatens to rob her of both her parents. A Simon & Schuster paperback.

May 7, 2012
In Clark's tedious new mystery-thriller (after I'll Walk Alone), Biblical scholar Jonathan Lyons discovers a lost manuscript believed to be the only letter written by Jesus Christ. He tries to verify its authenticity with several fellow experts, but is soon found murdered in his study. When the police arrive, they find Jonathan's wife, Kathleen, clutching the murder weapon. Though she suffers from dementia, Kathleen knew of Jonathan's affair with a woman 20 years his junior, Lily. Armed with a motive and damning evidence, the police arrest Kathleen, but authorities soon realize Lily and the manuscript are missing. Jonathan and Kathleen's 28-year-old daughter, Mariah, must now take it upon herself to find her father's real killer and exonerate her confused mother. Though the set-up is intriguing, the mystery falls flat under the weight of dull characters, myriad red herrings, and an excess of unnecessary subplots. Those looking for a fun religious thriller would do better to reread The DaVinci Code.