The Rose Conspiracy

The Rose Conspiracy
Author: Craig Parshall
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
ISBN: 978-0-7369-1514-4

This is the mystery that tops all mysteries. I have read. It holds within itself a mystery, a murder, a love story and a hint of spiritual awareness.

A hand-written note on a pad on the desk of Horace Langley, the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute begins the hunt for the true killer of Langley. It appeared to be something from the missing pages of John Wilkes Booth’s personal diary about the assassination of Lincoln. The killer stole the page, but the pad produced a copy of the handwriting and the words were later revealed and interpreted as to their meaning. So now we are off on a trip to find the man/woman responsible for this unnecessary death.

Vinnie Archmont happened to be in Langley’s office only minutes before he was killed. The police discovered Langley had given her the secret code to the back door, and it was decided that she was indeed the killer. She was there to persuade Langley to let her English benefactor see the pages, and he refused. This was the motive that the prosecution was using to indict her for the murder.

Archmont engaged J. D. Blackstone as her lawyer. As the story unfolds, we find that nothing that happens in the story is by chance. In my mind, I was jumping from one person to another, trying to piece together the pieces of the puzzle in this murder.

Blackstone had two people to decipher the meaning of the words in the note. It was believed this held the key to what was in the missing pages of the diary, but it led to information about the Freemasons. Was this a crime by one of them in order to cover up the secret held within?

As the story unfolds, Blackstone wants to believe his client is innocent, but has doubts about her relationship with her benefactor, Lord Dee. He is in contact with him throughout the investigation. He comes upon a bit of information that makes him realize what Lord Dee was after, and who really killed Langley, but would not reveal it to his client or others helping him. This was the clincher in the trial.

All through the story, it is thought that Blackstone knows who God is, but does he know him? There are hints of Christianity in the story and I would have loved to hear more. But it is such a well-written mystery/murder that I would recommend the book to any mystery lover. In fact, I will probably be reading it again soon!

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