The Last Messenger: Action, historical thriller. Crete 1941- A lost secret discovered. London 2005- A global conspiracy. An MI6 agent must stop Arab ... the secret.: Volume 1 (The Barnabas Trilogy) Paperback – 22 April 2017

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.

Lovers of conspiracy and action thrillers will devour this book in a few sittings. It’s a pacy, complex and thoroughly entertaining read but will also inform - anyone interested in the history of Crete will find it fascinating. All in all a great debut with an intricate plot that will have the reader on their toes right until the end.

This book was recommended to me by a golfing chum and I'm very glad it was. Despite it being a fairly long book I read it in 3 sittings. The action flows from the first page and does not let up. I see a few of the other reviews make references to Dan Brown which is a bit unfair on this new author. The subject matter certainly conjures up the spirit of Dan Brown but it is much better written: I'd say it was as if Dan Brown had a brilliant plot idea but got Gerald Seymour to write it for him. Although the book is a stand alone novel in its own right there is one outstanding question at the end that makes you want to go straight to Kindle store to buy the second in the series - a bit like the missing wife of Roy Grace in the Peter James books - a very clever technique for keeping the reader hooked. Bring on volume 2 please Mr Mark!

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.

This book centres around real events and historical facts and events are woven into the storyline, which essentially follows two separate strands: one coinciding with the Battle of Crete in May 1941, and the other coinciding with the 7 July 2005 London bombings. The book alternates between these two strands of the with each new chapter. This helps add a sense of pace as well as an element of suspense.There are enough clues to how the two strands are connected in the earlier chapters. This means that following the two different timelines never feels messy or confusing – in fact, if anything, it enhances the story.The author’s style of writing is very pleasant and enjoyable to read, and the pace of the book complements the style of writing. While the pace of the book never feels ‘pedestrian’ the pace does – entirely in keeping with the storyline – pick up noticeably as the book starts to ramp up to the ending.All in all, a very enjoyable read with a simple but engaging plot which seamlessly manages to fuse fact, fiction, religion, and mythology into one coherent story.

A creditable first attempt at a thriller with a historical backbone. My main criticism of the book is that it is too long, by maybe 25% - 30%. The author splits the action between 1941 and 2005. That sort of thing can be useful, but taken to extremes it becomes irritating. It really was like reading two books, like two decks of cards shuffled together. Overall, I would question the role of the structural editor. The premise was weak, and the storyline wasn’t strong enough, in my opinion, for a book of that length. The writing style is relaxed, confident, and the story rattles along with pace and kept my attention throughout. 4 stars. JJ Toner

This novel of two stories will keep you gripped till the last page masterfully linking war torn Crete in WW2 to the terrorist atrocities of today. You will meet characters such as Callidora and her family where family and honour are everything, Kohlenz a murderous power crazed German Captain and Lenny Helford a British commando based in Crete during the German invasion of 1941who will sweep you along with them in their fight for protecting and preserving holy treasures losing their homes, loved ones and lives along the way. Then you read of Richard an intelligence officer will go on to walk in the footsteps his heroic grandfather Lenny Helford in his quest for truth.You will also meet characters who are out for revenge, glory, riches and raising the game in a holy war. This novel is packed with treachery, betrayal, heartbreak. I'm sure I'm not alone in looking forward to book two in this trilogy.

The novel crosses time and locale, linked together by three generations of a family searching for a biblical scroll that would change the world. The novel moves back and forth mostly between 1941 and 2005. With each page, a bit more of the interconnects between the many, many characters and their actions and motives are provided.It reads well. The novel draws the reader in so one cares about the main protagonist, Richard Helford, and what he is trying to do. What I liked best about the novel, though, was the tenseness I felt reading it. I wasn't always sure where it was going to take me and that was good. The back and forth between time, location, and character focused, which could have been confusing, worked extremely well.Well researched, very interesting premise,

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!

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!

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.

Title – The Last MessengerAuthor – Jonathan MarkGenre – Action Adventure, Historical482 Amazon PagesRating 4 stars out of 5 Posted 8/3/2017No. 53 - 2017 My impressions: fast paced, sometimes incredulous, sometimes intriguing, violent, convoluted.Main Characters:Richard Helford – ex soldier, M-16 analystRowena – Richard’s bossMohammed 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.