What if 10 unelected people controlled the destiny of all of
us? What if they already do?
Since author Jeremy D. Holden introduced readers to
advertising executive Mal Thomas in 2016, the protagonist has gone on whirlwind
adventures that have dubbed him the “accidental spiritual guru”. The third book
in the series, Halo of Power, is no
exception.
The story begins in Tibet before backtracking to Mal and his
wife Mara’s anniversary trip to Venice, the place they first honeymooned 30
years ago. While there, a remarkable event happens: The Dalai Lama comes to
address the people, and personally invites Mal and his family. What he didn’t
anticipate was receiving a one-on-one session with the Dalai Lama and
ultimately being given the task to help find his successor. Within 48 hours,
The Dalai Lama is presumed dead.
Mal once again teams up with billionaire Huw Hudson and new
ally, Sri the Buddhist monk, to take on secret organization Halo and uncover
their secrets. They investigate the apparent assassination of the Dalai Lama. They search for his reincarnation. They take on a presumed mob boss who is looking to overrun Halo. They start a global movement to fight against human trafficking.
While it seems like multiple plot lines such as these are
hard to interweave, the story keeps the reader from misinterpreting where it’s going
and provides enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The story also
reads as a stand-alone novel, despite it being the third in the series. It
gives enough background of the first two novels to get a basic understanding
and doesn’t give the reader a sense of missing out on any major plot points.
Throughout the story, Mal’s journey takes him to Costa Rica,
Nepal, the Bahamas and the Bay of Naples; all while touching on topics that
could be considered ripped-from-the-headlines.
“Although a work of fiction, Halo of Power was shaped by the fascinating political events that
we’ve experiences in the U.S. and globally over the past couple of years,”
Holden said in a press release.
Topics discussed throughout the book include political
leaders, human trafficking and nationalism amongst democracies and religion. It
brings many questions to the forefront, and brings a different vibe to a
mystery novel.
“Hopefully reality will now follow fiction, and we’ll see a
global retrenchment against the dark forces that seem to have been in the
ascendency of late,” Holden said.
Halo of Power brings
all the great pieces of a mystery novel to today’s political climate for an
interesting take on the world. With surprises until the very end, the
adventures of Mal Thomas are sure to gain a captive audience.