The Sisterhood of the Rose: The Recollections of Celeste Levesque

Veteran journalist and conspiracy theorist Marrs (Rule by Secrecy) ropes up Nazis and ancient secret societies for his uneven fiction debut, set amidst the machinations of WWII. When the team of archeologist Giselle Tchaikovsky discovers a mysterious crystal skull near Belize, they're double-crossed by a murderous German colleague. Giselle vows revenge, journeying to Europe where the skull has been turned over to Hitler. Once in France, however, Giselle becomes involved with Resistance members, including university scholars and early Cathar devotees, and eventually widens her quest for the skull to a campaign for peace. True to form, Giselle's quest propels her along a convoluted path through Europe and Russia, ultimately leading her to resurrect an ancient sisterhood dedicated to peace and the preservation of ancient, sacred artifacts. With one-dimensional characters, stilted dialogue and lengthy ""instructional"" passages, this novel moves laboriously toward a predictable Nazi-foiling finale.