Official Review: Mona Lisa's Secret by Phil Philips

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 28 Mar 2017, 13:46

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mona Lisa's Secret" by Phil Philips.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Reminiscent of both Da Vinci Code and National Treasure, Mona Lisa’s Secret by Phil Phillips is an amazing story from start to finish. Joey and his girlfriend Marie stumble across a hidden room in Joey’s estate containing what appears to be a copy of the Mona Lisa. It turns out that Joey’s great-grandfather was Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the original Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911. The official story given to the world was that Peruggia stole the painting, then later returned it to the Louvre. However, upon closer examination of the painting they found, Joey and Marie are shocked to realize the painting they found is actually the original! After some discussion, they decide the right thing to do is to return the priceless piece of art to the Louvre.

Coincidentally, Marie has connections to Pierre, curator at the Louvre. Maria makes contact with Pierre, and the adventure begins. Why did Joey’s great-grandfather steal the Mona Lisa? Why did he return a fake to the Louvre? Why does Pierre go back on his word to announce that the real Mona Lisa has been found? Why are Joey and Marie’s lives suddenly in danger? The answers apparently lie hidden in the original Mona Lisa painting, if only it can be decoded.

Betrayal, kidnapping, high-tech intrigue, and heroism are all involved in the search to discover whatever secret Leonardo da Vinci hid within the Mona Lisa. When Marie ends up in a cell hidden in the Louvre with no way out, Joey’s search becomes that much more urgent. The high-stakes hunt takes Joey to the point of unraveling secrets that date back to the time of Christ. The more Joey finds out, the more convinced he becomes that some secrets should remain secrets.

Action-packed and filled with danger, Mona Lisa’s Secret is thrilling. The characters are well-drawn and overall likable (except for the antagonist and his sidekicks, of course). In particular, Joey is of interest as a character. Although he was the family misfit in his childhood, he has recently found himself the heir to the family estate. Having spent much effort to distance himself from the family legacy, Joey sees the quest to return the Mona Lisa as a way to clear the reputation of his family and start over, so to speak. Joey wishes to become his own person, distinct from his heritage, but doesn’t entirely discover what that entails until he is at the end of himself.

As a story, Mona Lisa’s Secret is rich and entertaining. However, I was disappointed that foul language is liberally used and that the beginning includes an adults-only scene. These factors would hinder me from recommending this to a young audience. Additionally, devout Catholics as well as other groups that follow the Holy Scriptures may be offended at some of the outcomes unless they view this solely as fiction. With those caveats in mind, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

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Mona Lisa's Secret
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Shreyoshi Sen · Post by **Shreyoshi Sen** » 30 Mar 2017, 09:54

The review is interesting. Hope the book proves to be interesting too. I would love to know the secrets hidden in the painting. Thanks for the review.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 30 Mar 2017, 15:43

Having loved both The DaVinci Code and National Treasure, I'll have to add this one to my list. Love your review of it, especially sharing the caveats.

Donnavila Marie01 · Post by **Donnavila Marie01** » 30 Mar 2017, 23:27

I am always entrigued with Monalisa not because of her smile but because of her eternal faame. I will flip the oages of this book for it might enlighten me.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 31 Mar 2017, 07:28

Shreyoshi Sen wrote:The review is interesting. Hope the book proves to be interesting too. I would love to know the secrets hidden in the painting. Thanks for the review.

Thanks! I thought it was interesting

-- 31 Mar 2017, 07:29 --

CatInTheHat wrote:Having loved both The DaVinci Code and National Treasure, I'll have to add this one to my list. Love your review of it, especially sharing the caveats.

Thanks! I hope you like it as much as I did!

-- 31 Mar 2017, 07:30 --

Donnavila Marie01 wrote:I am always entrigued with Monalisa not because of her smile but because of her eternal faame. I will flip the oages of this book for it might enlighten me.

The book contains a good deal of historical information about Mona Lisa that is most likely true, but I don't know that the "secrets" are really accurate, but I can't tell you what I mean more than that, because spoilers.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 31 Mar 2017, 07:33

This does really sound a lot like Da Vinci code. It sounds like a thrilling ride from start to finish, but I don't know if it is really for me. Thanks for the review, though!

Post by **bookowlie** » 04 Apr 2017, 08:23

Great review! As the others already mentioned, the book reminds me a little of the DaVinci Code. I want to know the secrets in the painting!

kimmyschemy06 · Post by **kimmyschemy06** » 04 Apr 2017, 08:35

I like the book already. It seems like a great action-packed read. I read Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code and I'm so intrigued by the Mona Lisa's secrets. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Phil Philips on such an obviously well written book.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 04 Apr 2017, 11:57

bookowlie wrote:Great review! As the others already mentioned, the book reminds me a little of the DaVinci Code. I want to know the secrets in the painting!

Thanks!!! I'd have to say the secret was pretty astounding

-- 04 Apr 2017, 11:57 --

kimmyschemy06 wrote:I like the book already. It seems like a great action-packed read. I read Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code and I'm so intrigued by the Mona Lisa's secrets. Great job on the review. Congratulations to Phil Philips on such an obviously well written book.

Thanks =) It was definitely a fun read!

Kitkat3 · Post by **Kitkat3** » 09 Apr 2017, 00:48

Great review! This sounds like a fun read. It's not the most original story line, but I do like action-packed with good characters!

godreaujea · Post by **godreaujea** » 11 May 2017, 15:59

Wow this sounds kind of awesome! Great review, thank you!

Atabon Della · Post by **Atabon Della** » 26 Jul 2017, 11:24

Just your review is so thrilling. It got me thinking; this book must really be thrilling from start to finish. It seems to make one tensed all through the read. Thanks by the way for warning some of us of the foul language.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 26 Jul 2017, 13:24

Atabon Della wrote:Just your review is so thrilling. It got me thinking; this book must really be thrilling from start to finish. It seems to make one tensed all through the read. Thanks by the way for warning some of us of the foul language.

Thanks!

thesixthmonth · Post by **thesixthmonth** » 30 Jul 2017, 22:22

It`s sounds thrilling especially that it is like The Da Vinci Code. It is also exciting to learn the secrets behind this Mona Lisa:s smile. Thanks for the great review.

Joy Boudreau · Post by **Joy Boudreau** » 31 Jul 2017, 09:17

thesixthmonth wrote:It`s sounds thrilling especially that it is like The Da Vinci Code. It is also exciting to learn the secrets behind this Mona Lisa:s smile. Thanks for the great review.

Thank you for reading my review and for your kind comments!