THE IMMORTAL'S SECRET

A mysterious painting unlocks a world of secrets in Edmiston’s historical novel.

Benjamin Mann is a curator at the Louvre who is struggling with his colon cancer recovery. In the worst days of the disease, Benjamin was in a coma; when he woke, his eccentric, loving grandfather Josiah had vanished. (“He wasn’t sure what hurt more: the physical pain of the cancer or the emotional turmoil of not knowing where Josiah was.”) Desperate for answers, he turns to The Immortal, a Renaissance painting his grandfather treasured, and finds a golden book hidden in the back of the frame. It’s not just any book—it’s a magical object that can grant the suffering a wish for their heart’s desire, and it’s the one thing that will help Benjamin figure out where Josiah has gone. (“The media always called Josiah an eccentric mixture of captain of industry, billionaire, devout Catholic, devoted family man, philanthropist, and bushman. They never guessed alchemist/magician belonged on that list.”)  As the discovery of the book leads him on an international journey, Benjamin meets Cle Bernice, a friend of Josiah’s who knows a lot about the painting, and he is reunited with someone from his past who has haunted him since childhood. Meanwhile, a parallel plotline following an ancient Egyptian girl named Annacletica reveals the history of the golden book as Annacletica attempts to break her immortality curse by striking a bargain with the Christian God. This creative weaving of stories and mysteries makes for an engaging and fast-paced read throughout the novel’s first half, but large sections of exposition slow things down in the remainder of the narrative. There’s a lesson introduced to Benjamin in the third act meant to solve a problem that never quite feels sufficiently established. There’s also a plot twist of debatable effectiveness—but readers likely won’t see it coming.

A fun and captivating concept that loses some steam halfway through.