527 books
—
184 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Shadow Ritual (Antoine Marcas #2; Antoine Marcas - English Translation Order #1)” as Want to Read:
Shadow Ritual
(Antoine Marcas #2)
by
An electrifying thriller about the rise of extremism. Two slayings—one in Rome and one in Jerusalem—rekindle an ancient rivalry between modern-day secret societies for knowledge lost at the fall of the Third Reich. Detective Antoine Marcas unwillingly teams up with the strong-willed Jade Zewinski to chase Neo-Nazi assassins across Europe. They must unravel an arcane Freema
...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 270 pages
Published
March 25th 2015
by Le French Book
(first published 2005)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Shadow Ritual,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Shadow Ritual
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Shadow Ritual (Antoine Marcas #2; Antoine Marcas - English Translation Order #1)

Two murders, one in Rome and one in Jerusalem brings detective Antoine Marcas and special agent Jade Zewenski, the head of security of the embassy in Rome together. Jade's friend Sophie is killed by three blows to her upper body. Her shoulder, her neck and her head. In the same day a man is killed in the same way in Jerusalem.
Zewinski is in no way pleased about working on the case with Marcas. She doesn't like anything that has to do with Freemason and Marcas is a member of the group. But as the ...more
Zewinski is in no way pleased about working on the case with Marcas. She doesn't like anything that has to do with Freemason and Marcas is a member of the group. But as the ...more

A riveting conspiracy theory thriller loaded with history. Freemason’s vs. Thule society vying for power. With such extensive coverage of Freemasons, you will be well versed long after you close the cover. Plenty of esoteric secrets to pique your interest and curiosity.
Villains you will loathe, a hero and heroine savvy enough to solve the intricate puzzle, you will support them in their relentless pursuit.
Full of action, extremely fast paced, not to mention riveting. A story offering suspense, m ...more
Villains you will loathe, a hero and heroine savvy enough to solve the intricate puzzle, you will support them in their relentless pursuit.
Full of action, extremely fast paced, not to mention riveting. A story offering suspense, m ...more

I liked this enough to translate it into English. I had the honor of working with the French authors to pare it down and adapt this first-in-series, making the adventure very exciting. I liked the action, the premise and the characters. Some favorite details: Inspector Antoine Marcas's total disregard for any mention of the Templars, the character Jade as a whole, the discussion about Le Procope, the final climatic scene (for the setting as much as anything else), and the bits and pieces of real
...more

Shadow Ritual is first in a projected series of nine books featuring Inspector Antoine Marcas. It is newly translated into English from the French, but the original series has already been published worldwide in French and 16 other languages.
I received an advance e-copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley and Le French Book.
A thriller that pits the secret societies of Thule, a precursor of the Nazi party, and the Freemasons, this novel begins with mysterious ritual killings in separate cities. The ...more
I received an advance e-copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley and Le French Book.
A thriller that pits the secret societies of Thule, a precursor of the Nazi party, and the Freemasons, this novel begins with mysterious ritual killings in separate cities. The ...more

‘Designed to last a thousand years, the bunker’s foundations were showing signs of weakness.’
Two slayings - one in Rome and the other in Jerusalem - rekindle an ancient rivalry between two separate secret societies. The two are in competition for information lost when the Third Reich fell, and will do whatever it takes to achieve their objectives.
‘There was no longer any room for doubt. It had all started in Germany and had continued over the course of centuries.’
Detective Antoine Marcas is relu ...more
Two slayings - one in Rome and the other in Jerusalem - rekindle an ancient rivalry between two separate secret societies. The two are in competition for information lost when the Third Reich fell, and will do whatever it takes to achieve their objectives.
‘There was no longer any room for doubt. It had all started in Germany and had continued over the course of centuries.’
Detective Antoine Marcas is relu ...more

Nazis, Freemasons, secret societies and mystic symbols abound in this book. It took a while for me to get into the story because there were just so many threads but once it started to weave together, it was a beautiful tapestry.
Two ritualistic murders bring our hero and heroine together. Since they immediately despise each other, you know sparks will fly. She is the head of Security in the French Embassy where one of her childhood friends is murdered. He is brought on board as a policeman as muc ...more
Two ritualistic murders bring our hero and heroine together. Since they immediately despise each other, you know sparks will fly. She is the head of Security in the French Embassy where one of her childhood friends is murdered. He is brought on board as a policeman as muc ...more

Chaos reins in Berlin as Russian forces near the city.The SS's convoy carrying plunder occupied countries is stopped except for lead vehicle. Present day in the French Embassy in Rone MURDERs and in Jerusalem occur. They are similar as both were kill by 3 strikes, one to shoulder, next to the neck and finnally a blow to head. This a thriller with good information about World War Two and Freemasons. Why the method of killing?The ending is a suprise.This book was translated from French into Englis
...more

Thanks to the Author Eric Giancometti and Jacques Ravenne, Publisher Le French Book and NetGalley for providing me with an Advanced Copy of the book for review purposes. I in no way make any profit from my reviews and all the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and genuine.
I quote this from the publisher "When this book was first released in France, it sold 250,000 copies and was translated into 17 languages. Now it is finally in English. The nine-book series has gone on to sell 2 ...more
I quote this from the publisher "When this book was first released in France, it sold 250,000 copies and was translated into 17 languages. Now it is finally in English. The nine-book series has gone on to sell 2 ...more

"Flesh falls from the bones"
SHADOW RITUAL is an action-packed thriller that follows two separate secret societies - the Freemasons and the Thule - on a deadly quest.
The book started out a bit slow for me but was soon barreling along non-stop, alternating between societies. A lot of history was included in this tale and it was interesting to me especially to see where the Freemasons began.
The synopsis of the book on Goodreads says this is actually based on a true story. Hmm...seems farfetched to ...more
SHADOW RITUAL is an action-packed thriller that follows two separate secret societies - the Freemasons and the Thule - on a deadly quest.
The book started out a bit slow for me but was soon barreling along non-stop, alternating between societies. A lot of history was included in this tale and it was interesting to me especially to see where the Freemasons began.
The synopsis of the book on Goodreads says this is actually based on a true story. Hmm...seems farfetched to ...more

Jump on the rollercoaster of a read with Parisian Detective Antoine Marcas and angry special ops Jade Zewinski as they race to unravel the meanings of strange inscriptions on a recently unearth ancient stone, Freemason papers once stolen by the Nazis, then by the victorious Russians following World War II before the terrorist Palestinian or the dark and violent group that helped give birth to the Nazi party and Adolf Hitler.
Jade Zewinski can hardly tolerate Marcas, ordered to work with her to di ...more
Jade Zewinski can hardly tolerate Marcas, ordered to work with her to di ...more

Tightly written thriller. Marcas is a Freemason and a cop. He is to help investigate a murder that happened in the French embassy in Rome which has Freemason ties. His partner for the case, Jade, has no use for Masons so he has an uphill battle dealing with her. She comes to rely on him as the case proceeds.
I loved this! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. It was a page turner. The characters are good. Marcas and Jade are fun to watch. I liked that Marcas explained different Mason ...more
I loved this! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. It was a page turner. The characters are good. Marcas and Jade are fun to watch. I liked that Marcas explained different Mason ...more

Sadly I was not impressed with Shadow Ritual. I was really disappointed with the overall plot and characters. It's hard for me to give 2/5 to an author when I realize, I personally am not talented enough to tell stories and put them into print for others to critique. However, I believe that as a series opener this book did not deliver. The plot was straightforward and plausible. The characters and some of the situations they escaped from were a bit over the top unbelievable. While I did not enjo
...more

I came across this book by chance, and am glad I did. I loved this from page one. Characters are sharp and real, tale reads well, no long drawn out sections that lag the flow.
I do not want to give too much away, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone who likes a good thriller loaded with mystery and suspense.
I do not want to give too much away, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone who likes a good thriller loaded with mystery and suspense.

Originally published at Reading Reality
This is the second book in the series featuring Antoine Marcas, and based on this entry in the series, I hope that the publisher gets the rest of the series translated tout de suite. Meaning, as fast as the translator Anne Trager can get them out.
Shadow Ritual is edge-of-the-seat thrilling, very much in the vein of The Da Vinci Code but with much better editing. The pace is taut, and the story, even the parts about rituals and history and the secret society ...more
This is the second book in the series featuring Antoine Marcas, and based on this entry in the series, I hope that the publisher gets the rest of the series translated tout de suite. Meaning, as fast as the translator Anne Trager can get them out.
Shadow Ritual is edge-of-the-seat thrilling, very much in the vein of The Da Vinci Code but with much better editing. The pace is taut, and the story, even the parts about rituals and history and the secret society ...more

Fast read...
Never knew much about Freemasons.... Now I'll have to read more. Fast paced and just enough narrative to keep the flow going and the interest high! ...more
Never knew much about Freemasons.... Now I'll have to read more. Fast paced and just enough narrative to keep the flow going and the interest high! ...more

Starting with a prologue in which François Le Guermand, originally from France, and now an SS officer is inducted into the rites of the Black Order, Thule, and includes an all too familiar incident of Nazi looting and finishes with the curious ritual murder of a delirious prisoner in Dachau, Shadow Ritual is a book filled with diverse secret orders, grizzly deaths and a thrilling hunt through Europe, the Middle East and France to prevent an ancient and powerful secret from falling into the hands
...more

Another good find from NetGalley, this book piqued my interest from its synopsis. I'm a sucker for symbols, mysteries and adventure. This book had all of that and more. There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn't expect and some that I knew were coming from having read other similar stories in the past. However, this book did a good job of stepping down other avenues while retelling familiar tales. It was refreshing to have another element added to the usual mystery or suspense type no
...more

Jun 23, 2015
Killer Nashville
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
killer-nashville-book-of-the-day
In Éric Giacometti and Jacques Ravenne’s international bestseller “Shadow Ritual”, the past leaks into the future as two murderers leave the Parisian government and an ancient society reeling.
Levelheaded Inspector Antione Marcas must begrudgingly team up with Special Agent Jade Zewinski—a hard-hitting, quick-tempered woman with a wit to match her physical stamina—to solve a crime that links together thousands of years of history and elitist societies that jockey for domination. But with Marcas’ ...more
Levelheaded Inspector Antione Marcas must begrudgingly team up with Special Agent Jade Zewinski—a hard-hitting, quick-tempered woman with a wit to match her physical stamina—to solve a crime that links together thousands of years of history and elitist societies that jockey for domination. But with Marcas’ ...more

“Shadow Ritual” was published in 2015 (March) and was written by Eric Giacometti and Jacques Ravenne. This is their first english language publication, though they have published more extensively in Europe.
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘R’ as there are instances of Violence and Mature Language. This Thriller novel is set in contemporary times and takes place primarily in France. The primary characters are Antoine ...more
I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘R’ as there are instances of Violence and Mature Language. This Thriller novel is set in contemporary times and takes place primarily in France. The primary characters are Antoine ...more

Blending historical fact with fast-paced, thrilling adventure, authors Jacques Ravenne & Eric Giacometti’s first entry in a nine book(!) series to be translated into English takes lovers of conspiracy theories and archaic mysteries on a roller coaster-like ride deep into the heart of competing secret societies. When two ritualistic murders occur on the same day, thousands of miles apart, a most unlikely pair of law enforcement officials will be forced to work together to crack the case, but can
...more

This thriller engages you from the first page, it's really hard to put it down: it's full of action, twists and unsolved mysteries, three spectacular places such as Rome, Jerusalem and Berlin where everything takes place, and let's not forget the main characters, a French detective really good and a brave girl. It 's a really intriguing mystery to solve: two murders, a Masonic sect and a secret society who seek to dominate the world.
The secret society Thule had tried to dominate the world with H ...more
The secret society Thule had tried to dominate the world with H ...more

An interesting premise and for the most part a fun read. The author does well for keeping the reader turning the pages. However the plot is somewhat fantastic and over the top which detracts. By the end of the book, while I found an interesting read, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at how things had developed.
...more

I was given this book as a Goodreads giveaway winner for MY personal opinion and review of it. And that is what I have left here.
This book is a full of action thrill ride! Mystery, dripping in hearty suspense offerings. It offers intrigue and fast paced action to keep the story flowing like a river cascading down a mountainous terrain. There are crossing of Nations and locations. Mystery unfolding at each to take you to the next piece of the puzzle. The easiest way to describe it would be Dan ...more
This book is a full of action thrill ride! Mystery, dripping in hearty suspense offerings. It offers intrigue and fast paced action to keep the story flowing like a river cascading down a mountainous terrain. There are crossing of Nations and locations. Mystery unfolding at each to take you to the next piece of the puzzle. The easiest way to describe it would be Dan ...more

Intense
Two very different secret societies drive the plot of The Shadow Ritual.
French police officer Antoine Marcas, who is also a Freemason, is investigating a murder at the French embassy in Rome. The cause of death is three blows. One blow to the shoulder blade, one to the back of the neck, and a finishing blow to the forehead. On the surface, the attack does not seem in any way special, but Marcas know differently. This is the exact way the founder of The Freemasons was murdered 1500 years a ...more
Two very different secret societies drive the plot of The Shadow Ritual.
French police officer Antoine Marcas, who is also a Freemason, is investigating a murder at the French embassy in Rome. The cause of death is three blows. One blow to the shoulder blade, one to the back of the neck, and a finishing blow to the forehead. On the surface, the attack does not seem in any way special, but Marcas know differently. This is the exact way the founder of The Freemasons was murdered 1500 years a ...more

In Berlin 1945 Martin Borman gives valuable cargo to a Frenchman turned SS officer Francois Le Guermand who then escapes the Red Army. Fast forward 60 years into the future where Detective Marcus gives a speech on Freemason ancient rituals while a Dachu survivor researches ancient relics. Two people are killed. Detective Antoine Marcus and Special Agent Jade Zewinski are paired up together after a firiend of Jade's is killed. Her friend had discovered an ancient secret. What secret was worth kil
...more

I received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Le French Book!
Le French Book has been doing a great job publishing interesting crime novels, but I wasn't impressed by Shadow Ritual. Part of a series that is a hit in France and which will finally be published in English., it is not the best book I've read about Masonic rites and Nazi conspiracies. I didn't like the characters: or the interactions amongst them. The heroes' bantering, which I assume shows how th ...more
Le French Book has been doing a great job publishing interesting crime novels, but I wasn't impressed by Shadow Ritual. Part of a series that is a hit in France and which will finally be published in English., it is not the best book I've read about Masonic rites and Nazi conspiracies. I didn't like the characters: or the interactions amongst them. The heroes' bantering, which I assume shows how th ...more

Shadow Ritual is reminiscent of the early Robert Ludlum books. Those early conspiracy thrillers were my favorites, before his work became Bourne-centric or other authors extended his 'brand'. The authors have constructed an elaborate tale that spans two secret societies, multiple religions, failed and flourishing states and ultimately, vast swaths of time. As always with tales of this magnitude, there are conspiracy theories and all involved search for a key that yields something fantastic, awfu
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Goodreads Librari...: Help with cover ++ | 6 | 22 | Jan 06, 2015 06:22AM |
Other books in the series
Antoine Marcas
(1 - 10 of 12 books)
Related Articles
If you ask us, it's always the perfect time to lose yourself in a page-turning mystery. To help you sleuth out a new read, we asked the...
80 likes · 70 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »