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Blood infernal by James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell
Book #3 in The Order of the Sanguines Trilogy
4.5★'s
From The Book:
As an escalating scourge of grisly murders sweeps the globe, archaeologist Erin Granger must decipher the truth behind an immortal prophecy foretold in the Blood Gospel, a tome written by Christ and lost for centuries: The shackles of Lucifer have been loosened, and his Chalice remains lost. It will take the light of all three to forge the Chalice anew and banish him again to his eternal darkness. With the Apocalypse looming, Erin must again join forces with Army Sergeant Jordan Stone and Father Rhun Korza to search for a treasure lost for millennia. But the prize has already fallen into the hands of their enemy, a demon named Legion, before whom even the walls of the Vatican will fall. The search for the key to salvation will take Erin and the others across centuries and around the world, from the dusty shelves of the Vatican's secret archives to lost medieval laboratories, where ancient alchemists were employed to horrific ends. All the while, they are hunted, besieged by creatures of uncanny skill and talent. As clues are dug free from ancient underground chapels and found frozen in icy mountain caverns, Erin will discover that the only hope for victory lies in an impossible act--one that will destroy not only her, but all she loves. To protect the world, Erin must walk through the very gates of Hell and face the darkest of enemies: Lucifer himself.
My Thoughts:
The first two books and this one are filled with fast paced action along with complex mysteries... good and bad vampires...(although the "V' word is never actually mentioned)...and no end to demons and other creatures literally straight out of Hell. It all makes for a strong series and a trilogy conclusion that reveals bitter betrayal and unexpected redemption. There is a mix of religion, history and supernatural events that puts a different yet effective spin on the apocalypse genre. The authors take some liberties with religion as most of us know it but if you just suspend your disbelief for awhile and don't rely a great deal on credibility you will thoroughly enjoy this trilogy.
