coolreads# The Omega Factor @definitelybooks

The Omega Factor
Author: Steve Berry
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781399706353

In this intriguing new standalone novel, The Omega Factor, Steve Berry introduces us to the resourceful Nick Lee, a Unesco investigator who, after heading to Belgium to meet up with his ex-fiance, art restorer and catholic nun Kelsey Deal, becomes swept up in the centuries-old conflict and mystery surrounding one of the world’s most important works of art from the early 15th century, the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert & Jan van Eyck.

Meanwhile, the Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world. Thirteen times it has been vandalised, dismantled, or stolen. Why? What secrets does it hold?

Nicholas works for the United Nations’ Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO) and whose job is to protect the world’s cultural artefacts - from countless lesser-known objects to national treasures.

When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with a woman from his past, he unwittingly stumbles on the trail of the 12th panel for the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934 under cover of night and never seen since.

Soon Nick is plunged into a bitter conflict, one that has been simmering for nearly two thousand years. On one side is the Maidens of Saint-Michael, les Vautour or Vultures, a secret order of nuns and the guardians of a great truth.

Pitted against them is the Vatican, which has wanted for centuries to both find and possess what the nuns guard. Because of Nick, the maidens have finally been compromised and exposed, their secret placed in dire jeopardy - a vulnerability that the Vatican swiftly moves to exploit in an ambitious cardinal and a corrupt archbishop, both with agendas of their own.

From the tranquil canals of Ghent, to the towering bastions of Carcassonne, and finally into an ancient abbey high in the French Pyrenees, Nick Lee must confront a modern-day religious crusade intent on eliminating a shocking truth from humanity’s past. Success or failure - life and death - all turn on the Omega Factor.

In The Omega Factor, Berry offers one of the most mysterious and fascinating works of art covered in the centuries-old conflict and the mystery surrounding it - considered one of the world’s most important works of art from the early 15th century, the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert & Jan van Eyck. From there, Berry weaves the dark secrets surrounding the masterpiece that evolves into The Omega Factor.

The writing is descriptive and rich. The characters are inquisitive, driven, and fearless. And the plot is an intricate tale that will have you contemplating the significance and importance of historical artefacts, Christian history, the dealings and scandals of the catholic church over the years, and the possible location of the final resting place of the Virgin Mary and the ashes of Joan of Arc.

Overall, The Omega Factor is a unique, mysterious, action-packed thrill ride that will grab the reader from the start. It does an excellent job of blending historical facts with compelling fiction. It’s thought-provoking, creative, and suspenseful.