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By the spring of 1931 a conspiracy is underway in Germany to assassinate President Hindenburg and restore the Kaiser's son to the throne, threatening the peace of Europe. At the behest of her godfather Winston Churchill, the adventurous journalist Mattie McGary, a rising star in William Randolph Hearst's press empire, and her lover, Bourke Cockran Jr., a New York law school professor and former Army counterintelligence agent, get involved.
A brutal struggle opposes the old Germany and the new; the reactionary industrialists backing Kaiser Wilhelm II versus the racist radicals behind the Nazis and their leader, Adolf Hitler. Winston Churchill is drawn into the fray.
An epic quest to recover an ancient Christian artifact, the Spear of Destiny, is underway! The spear was used by Roman centurion Longinus to pierce the side of Christ to end His suffering on the cross. But the spear—long on display at Vienna's Hofburg Museum—is suddenly missing. Hitler wants it every bit as much as the Kaiser and Winston Churchill.
Mattie travels to the Austrian Alps on a danger-filled search for the spear. When Cockran joins her, both their lives and their romance are in jeopardy because of the handsome and mysterious leader of her expedition who saves her life and seeks to seduce her. Will she find the spear and retain Cockran's love?
Michael McMenamin, a first amendment attorney from Cleveland, Ohio is an active writer and speaker on Churchill related topics and lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Patrick McMenamin is a producer at Fox-TV News and lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Anonymous
Posted May 11, 2013
Cockran would not have been a CIA agent since that organization was not formed til after WWII. Nor the OSS since it was only founded during the war. Also Hitler was not an Austrian general but a lowly corporal, albeit a recipient of the Iron Cross First Class. Himmler & his SS Ahnenerbe did scour the world for various "Aryan" artifacts, including the Spear of Destiny & the Holy Grail.
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Posted April 12, 2012
This is the second Winston Churchill thriller I've read from these authors and it is a story with many sub plots. Our hero's Mattie McGary and Bourke Cockran are reaching for the Spear of Destiny, the lance used to pierce christ with on the cross. The former Kaiser who wants to put him son into power and Hitlers SS is after the spear but the spear is protected by the "New Templers" who have watched over it for years and do not want either side to possess it.
Bourke is service as a lawyer for a young lady named Harmony whos company she has inherited is under attack from the SS who wants her to sell her company out to them. If you buy the third book in this series, many of the characters will show up there too (like Kurt Von Strum and "The Apostles"). I do not want to give away the whole plot, but I think this is a very entertaining book,with many twists to the plots involved and very worth reading
Becca71
Posted April 7, 2012
good Read ~~~In the book The Parsifal Pursuit which is the second installment of this Winston Churchill series we join photo journalist, Mattie McGary and her boyfriend, a law professor (and former CIA agent), Bourke Cochrane Jr. they are on a mission for Winston and are in search of a spear said to have pierced Christ heart on the cross. as they search for this stolen spear their are others also in search for it which leads to quite an adventure. I have to say when I first picked up this book I wasn't sure about it as I’m not very good with history but once I got into it I found it enjoyable and very captivating. I would definitely recommend this one.
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Posted April 6, 2012
An enthralling page turning adventure based around the most challenging and changing time in history, as to date, the unrest and turmoil of Europe in the early 1930's and the rise and influence of an Austrian General namely Adolf Hitler and his nemesis our own Winston Churchill.
Winston Churchill is out of politics and his information relating to the fact that the Spear of Destiny resting place has been located, he enlists the help of his god-daughter and her lover to find it before Hitler can. All parties believe who finds the Spear of Destiny, which is allegedly the spear that killed Christ, will have the ultimate power and rule the world. But who is the secret force who is killing anyone who threatens to remove the spear?
As this is one of my favourite times of history, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The rise of Nazism and the way Hitler got to power unchallenged, the hidden agenda and secrecy surrounding Germany, Britain and America to meet their own means are first rate. In a time of power struggle, the unrest and danger presented are conveyed excellently.
Reading this book was like travelling back in time, as you follow the characters through Europe you sense and feel the emotions they are feeling and you want to shout out to warn them or send them a message to help them with their quest. I found the book easy to read and each part describing the events happening to each character are short and sweet, giving the reader time to think reflect on what is happening and, in my opinion, making it more enjoyable. Being based loosely around historic events, the way the characters have been inter weaved is superb and show the level of care the authors have taken.
As this is the second book in a series, I cannot wait to read the third to find out what awaits the characters in the next instalment of the Gemini Agenda.
kim0712
Posted March 10, 2012
The Parsifal Pursuit, the 2nd in the Winston Churchill thrillers from the father and son McMenamin duo, is such a great book! I really, really wish I had been able to read the first one, The DeValera Deception, but that did not take away from this one. I love history and historical novels, but I’ve never been a huge fan of historical fiction. This is primarily due to them not staying true to the story and they are usually embellished way too much. So, I went into this book thinking I wouldn’t be “wowed” – I was wrong. Loved it!
Set in 1931, this book centers around a photo journalist, Mattie McGary and her boyfriend, a law professor (and former CIA agent), Bourke Cockran Jr. Each are on their own mission that has been commissioned by Winston Churchill. In search of a holy grail of sorts – a stolen spear that was said to be used to pierce Christ on the cross. Adolf Hitler and Kaiser Wilhelm II both want the spear as well so they can use it for their own purposes, so Mattie and Cockran are pulled into the dangerous search for the spear and also a plot to kill Germany President Hindenburg.
There are so many interesting stories going on in the book and this could sometimes prove confusing with any other book – not with this one though. The characters, plots and historical information is clearly explained and you buy into each character easily. Along with the danger and mystery of the book, there is a romantic back-story between Mattie, Bourke and a stranger that saves Matties life.
Fast paced and kept my attention from start to finish – I can’t wait to read the next one in the trilogy! Definitely a page turner!
Overview
By the spring of 1931 a conspiracy is underway in Germany to assassinate President Hindenburg and restore the Kaiser's son to the throne, threatening the peace of Europe. At the behest of her godfather Winston Churchill, the adventurous journalist Mattie McGary, a rising star in William Randolph Hearst's press empire, and her lover, Bourke Cockran Jr., a New York law school professor and former Army counterintelligence agent, get involved.
A brutal struggle opposes the old ...