Review
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Title: The Arthurian Omen
Author: G.G. Vandagriff
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Genre: Fiction
Year Published: 2008
Number of Pages: 322
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-59038-863-1
Price: $15.95

Reviewed by Jaymie Reynolds

Maren Southcott is a woman on a crusade. Since her husband Patrick's death a year and a half ago, she has been driven by the overwhelming need to bring those who killed him to justice. In an unsuccessful attempt to ease her pain, Maren has since remarried. The only bright spot in this nightmare of a situation is her daughter, Claire.

While Maren is struggling to restore sanity to her disordered world, she receives a phone call from her estranged sister Rachael. In an attempt to mend the rift between them, Maren flies off to England to help Rachael search for a lost Arthurian manuscript long since thought to contain proof of King Arthur's existence. When she arrives at Somerville College, it is to find that Rachael has been murdered. With this new loss in her life, Maren is off on a new hunt. Before she leaves, Maren overhears her new husband, Ian, making threats against Claire. To protect her daughter, Maren creates a new will naming Patrick's brother, Robert, as the guardian for Claire.

With her daughter safe in Robert's care, Maren sets off on a chaotic hunt to find the manuscript and the man who murdered her sister. Throughout her journey, she collects a string of single men and is soon surrounded by her own small band of traveling companions. Among these are two members of the Scotland Yard and a couple of college professors. It soon becomes apparent that one of them already has Rachael's blood on his hands and is seeking to add a member of English Royalty to his list of victims. At the same time, he has taken to secretly courting Maren.

Thus begins a race to the death seeking an ancient Arthurian manuscript, while avoiding multiple hitmen from a Columbian drug cartel, tracking down a kidnapping victim and more.

The Arthurian Omen, by G.G. Vandagriff is a well written, action packed book. As the story unfolds, the reader is pulled in and dragged willy-nilly through Wales on the journey of a lifetime. While this book is exciting and easy to read, there are a couple of loose ends when all is said and done. It would have been nice to see the relationship between Maren and Dr. Anthony Jones develop a little further. Because this development didn't take place, the book feels unfinished. Also, Dr. Jones makes two small references to the Lord and His atonement. This was done in a fairly obscure manner and doesn't really fit. The presentation of these thoughts seems very random. Especially since the ending is centered around the more vague of these comments. Both these references and his relationship with Maren needed to be more fully included and detailed in the story line for them to be an effective part of this book.

Overall, this book makes a wonderful addition to the reader's personal library. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery or suspense novel will thoroughly enjoy reading The Arthurian Omen. While slightly unbelievable, it has twists and turns aplenty. The storyline is not obscured by blood and gore but is enhanced by its tasteful presentation.