Official Review: Vatican Protocol by Brian M Gallagher

Post by **bookowlie** » 13 Jun 2016, 21:52

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Vatican Protocol" by Brian M Gallagher.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Vatican Protocol by Brian Gallagher is a novel about an aspiring author’s present-day investigation into two UFO crashes in 1930’s Germany and Poland. Add in the possibility of a massive cover-up by the Nazis and the Vatican and you have all the makings of an engrossing thriller.

Financially strapped due to the housing crisis, family man Sean O'Shea becomes interested in writing an investigative book about UFO’s and aliens. His friend Alan Rockenbach tells him that there were rumors of a UFO crash in the Black Forest area in Germany where he grew up, and a similar event in Poland. There were signs of a cover-up by the Nazis at the time. Sean organizes a team to investigate the decades-old incidents, including Alan, CIA contacts referred by Sean’s vacation home caretaker, and Alan’s German cousins. It quickly becomes clear that they are in danger; over the years, four people have turned up dead after asking too many questions about these UFO sightings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this plot-driven book. The author has created a set of puzzle pieces that interconnect seamlessly. There is a large cast of interesting characters. However, I found it difficult at times to keep track of the minor characters, particularly in the first half of the story.

The story moves smoothly across multiple settings, including Wisconsin, Oregon, Germany, France, Amsterdam, and the Vatican. Each setting had a distinct feel and I felt like I was right there in each place. There are many details that connect to the main plot, but I was easily able to follow along. The team frequently gets together to discuss their findings and plan their next move. This is a nice plot device that keeps the reader on track.

While the first half of the story is interesting, there is a “hurry up and wait” pacing, with different members of the group interviewing people on several fronts. The tension builds in the second half and the storyline roars full steam ahead to a dazzling ending.

One thing I found incongruous was the fact that Sean travelled to Europe and stayed in nice hotels, even though it is stated that he has serious financial problems. There are various technical errors throughout the book, including missing or extra words, incorrectly placed or missing apostrophes, separate words that should be one, and spelling errors. Also, there are two or three odd instances where the main character is referred to in the narrative as Sean and then O'Shea within the same paragraph.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I struggled with the rating due to the errors. Since the rating system doesn’t allow for half-stars, I feel the higher rating is deserved. The story was very creative and kept me guessing every step of the way. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys international thrillers with a historical angle. I look forward to reading future books by this debut author.

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Vatican Protocol
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gali · Post by **gali** » 14 Jun 2016, 10:19

Great review! I am glad you enjoyed the book.

A book about UFO crashes that is based on real and documented events sounds interesting. I am glad you were able to follow the plot despite the many details and the large cast. Too bad about the technical errors. I like thrillers with a historical angle, but I am not sure this one for me. Congratulations to the author for getting a good review!

Post by **bookowlie** » 14 Jun 2016, 11:17

Thanks for the kind words. I haven't read a book with this type of theme before, so it was a real treat.

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 14 Jun 2016, 16:01

Great review! This sounds like an interesting story! I wonder how much of this book was inspired by actual urban legends? When I lived in Germany, I think I heard something about UFOs in the Black Forest! I'll have to Google it!

Post by **bookowlie** » 14 Jun 2016, 16:59

LivreAmour217 wrote:Great review! This sounds like an interesting story! I wonder how much of this book was inspired by actual urban legends? When I lived in Germany, I think I heard something about UFOs in the Black Forest! I'll have to Google it!

Thanks Livre! I am glad you mentioned the rumors about UFO's in the Black Forest. While reading the book, I wonder how much of the content was inspired by real-life rumors. The story really makes you wonder how many things might be covered up. I also want to look up this issue online.

gallo6072 · Post by **gallo6072** » 15 Jun 2016, 14:00

To: bookowlie

Thank you for the 4 star rating for Vatican Protocol.

There is an error that needs correction in your review. You've shown the main character as Sean O'Hara and it should be Sean O'Shea.

Thank you,

Brian M. Gallagher

Post by **bookowlie** » 15 Jun 2016, 16:30

Oh my, I am so sorry about that! Thank you so much for bringing this error to my attention - I see I made the same mistake in two places in the review. I will have an admin make the correction.

-- 16 Jun 2016, 00:00 --

gallo6072 wrote:To: bookowlie

Thank you for the 4 star rating for Vatican Protocol.

There is an error that needs correction in your review. You've shown the main character as Sean O'Hara and it should be Sean O'Shea.

Thank you,

Brian M. Gallagher

Update - an admin has been kind enough to correct the two instances of the mistake I made in the character's last name. I proofread the review about 6 times prior to submission, but I must have had a blind spot when it came to Sean's last name. Sorry about that!

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 21 Jun 2016, 23:04

Excellent review, bookowlie! Your description pulled me into the plot of the story very nicely as I read along with the review. You definitely make it sound like a good book to pick up and read. Well done!

Post by **bookowlie** » 22 Jun 2016, 08:52

Thanks Rssllue! The story was very absorbing and a nice change of pace for me. The most interesting thing is that I found out after the fact that there had been real-life UFO rumors in the Black Forest area in Germany.

ananya92 · Post by **ananya92** » 23 Jun 2016, 02:36

Great review! I think I'll check out this one since the plot sounds so interesting.

Congratulations to the author on a positive review

Post by **bookowlie** » 23 Jun 2016, 09:12

Thanks Ananya. I liked how the plot unfolded from Sean wanting to write a book about UFO's to investigating these old incidents in Europe.

GreenBookworm · Post by **GreenBookworm** » 26 Jun 2016, 22:57

It is great review and the story of the book sounds good. I always found interesting urban legends and old rumors, and it makes me more curious at the book, that the story is based on a real urban legend. I have not heard about these UFO rumors in the Black Forest before, but I will check it out now on the internet, to see what articles or other information I can find about them.

gallo6072 · Post by **gallo6072** » 27 Jun 2016, 09:21

Hi GreenBookworm,

If you go to the Vatican Protocol web site, you'll see a links page. There are links to information about all the controversial subjects. This may save you some time.

Brian G.

Post by **bookowlie** » 27 Jun 2016, 12:19

gallo6072 wrote:Hi GreenBookworm,

If you go to the Vatican Protocol web site, you'll see a links page. There are links to information about all the controversial subjects. This may save you some time.

Brian G.

Thanks for the extra info. I googled the Black Forest UFO's topic last week, but I am also going to take a look at the links on your website.

Patrisyam · Post by **Patrisyam** » 18 Jul 2016, 05:02

Thanks for this great review. I have never been a big fan of UFO stories. However, the plot about Nazi Germany covering up the UFO crash makes this book fascinating. Definitely, I will add it to my wish list books.