Percy St.-John and The Chronicle of Mysteries
Available At:
About
An unbreakable cipher, a dead priest with expensive shoes, a hermit who has conversations with saints, an angry French girl, a guardian angel with attitude, a murderous master criminal, and a gaggle of angry demons might stop the ordinary fifteen-year-old safe-cracking genius, but not Percy St.-John. He’s out to prove he did not steal a mysterious ancient manuscript – a book that may hold the key to mankind’s greatest hope and greatest danger.
Praise for this book
https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/book-review-percy-st-john-and-the-chronicle-of-secrets-thieves-and-monks-angels-and-demons-make-for-a-fun-ya-novel-4655457
PERCY ST.-JOHN AND THE CHRONICLE OF SECRETS
BY E.A. ALLEN ‧ RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2, 2021A fast-paced and engaging historical mystery.
Ahistorical mystery set in a remote monastery and featuring supernatural elements, a cheeky thief, and an earnest monk.
In 1911, Gabriel is a monk at the Benedictine Monastery of St. Ambrose in Switzerland who knows very little of the outside world, having been left in their care a decade earlier when he was about 4. His closest friend is fellow teen Percy St.-John, a lay-brother and temporary addition to their monastery, sent there as an attempt to reform his wicked, thieving ways. When a precious, ancient, and mysterious book goes missing, suspicion falls on Percy, who must use his skills to uncover the mystery and uses all the help he can get, including that of Gabriel and Elizabeth, a French pilgrim recently arrived at the monastery with her parents, who hope for a cure for her disability. But who is the real culprit: a monk or one of the many pilgrims currently visiting? Perhaps the answer lies in the occult, since Gabriel knows full well that guardian angels and demons do exist. Told in Gabriel’s first-person narration, this short novel is reminiscent of literary classics, with a healthy dose of supernatural elements, endearing characters, and an intriguing, well-devised mystery at its core. All characters are assumed White. The depiction of Elizabeth’s changing feelings about her disability is positive, but repeated use of the descriptor lame strikes an unfortunate note for contemporary audiences.
A fast-paced and engaging historical mystery. (glossary) (Paranormal mystery. 14-18)
Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets
WRITTEN BY E. A. ALLEN
REVIEW BY THOMAS J. HOWLEYPercy St.-John, son of an Anglican vicar, is tragically orphaned at a young age in England in 1906. With no family members willing to claim him, Percy’s future looks dim. Five years later, at the age of 15, he finds himself as a lay-brother in a Benedictine monastery in Switzerland. His best friend, also an orphan, is Gabriel, a young monk, who has a delightfully eccentric guardian angel named Timothy.
The monastery, which is widely regarded as a holy place, attracts many pilgrims who visit to gain solace. One of these is Elizabeth, a teenage French girl with a crippled leg and a formidable personality. Even at fifteen, Percy has numerous skills, although some of them are acquired through dubious means. He, like the monastery itself, also holds a few mysterious secrets. When Percy finds himself accused of stealing an ancient and legendary book hidden in the monastery, he must prove his innocence. The three young people and the guardian angel undertake a dangerous and cryptic mission to find the book and learn its secret.
This young adult novel is a highly intriguing mystical detective story. Thematically similar to Harry Potter, Percy’s story is more interesting, humorous, and intelligent. Suspense abounds, and the reader must decide which of the numerous peripheral characters might be saints, demons, or simple brigands in disguise. Supernatural creatures appear here and there along with medieval and ancient historical anecdotes, enhancing what is already a great tale. Strongly recommended.