A review by bookthia
The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

3.0

So this was written before Dan Brown made "religious history/mystery" a thing, so I can't accuse it of being a 'knock-off' but the similarities were strong. So, too, were the differences. Originally written in Spanish, this translated novel has a more serious tone, as it is set in the 15th century monastery. Dominican, no less. Those Dominicans do take their religion seriously. What I liked about this one was that the story focused on the conflict between Christianity and the Cathars, alleging that Leonardo di Vinci placed hidden messages in his Last Supper. In attempting to solve the riddle, there is murder and even a little mayhem. It's somewhat predictable, but still entertaining and occasionally informative. I did some extra reading on the Cathar faith after I finished to see how much of the author's descriptions of the Cathars were accurate. It was very accurate with a fairly good story wrapped around it, so I was pleased to have picked it up.