Book Review: The Passion of the Cross By Tony Lee Moral*

The Passion of the Cross By Tony Lee Moral

[Ad-gifted] In the Passion of the Cross by Tony Lee Moral, art curator Giovanni Montefiore is shockingly murdered at the Opera in Rome following his bold proclamation regarding the authenticity of the True Cross, there are many suspects, but suspicion falls heavily upon his nephew, Mario Montefiore.

With his American girlfriend, actress Catriona Benedict, by his side, they embark on a perilous quest for truth and to uncover the real killer, leading them through some of Italy’s most iconic and glamorous cities.

But as the body count rises and the relentless pursuit of both law enforcement and paparazzi intensifies, they find themselves fleeing to Florence in search of the True Cross, which they hope holds the answers they need. Amidst the ancient streets of Florence, Catriona assumes a daring new identity, delving into a world of shadows and deception. Keep on reading to find out more about this book which has been published by The Book Guild.

What I thought of the book

The Passion of the Cross is set in 1960s Italy and has a glamourous backdrop of culture, high fashion, and art, highlighting the lavish lifestyle of Rome’s elite.

The author successfully draws us into this world and immerses us in the main characters’ – Catriona and Mario – efforts to flee wrongful arrest and to discover who and why Mario’s uncle was murdered.

The Passion of the Cross is a sequel to Moral’s The Two Masks of Vendetta, and while they are two separate stand-alone novels – but with the same central characters – I would recommend reading them in order. I hadn’t read the first of the two novels and often felt that I was coming into the story half way through.

At times I struggled to care about the book’s two main characters, and I wonder whether this would be different had I read the other book first. Perhaps I am missing some of the character development achieved in The Two Masks of Vendetta?

As an Alfred Hitchcock fan, I was drawn to Moral’s novel when I read about his own fascination with the filmmaker and the books he has written on Hitchcock. I thought it was an interesting crime novel with plenty of plot twists and turns, but it lacked the suspense I was expecting, and I had already worked out who the killer was in the first few chapters.

The plot of the murder mystery is entangled in the Church and a search for the True Cross, a religious artefact that, according to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ was crucified on. It is evident that Moral researched the history of this powerful religious symbol, as he successfully weaves historical facts into his story.

Overall, a good crime novel, but maybe discover what Mario and Catriona got up to in New York before you follow their journey to Rome.

Where can you buy The Passion of the Cross?

You can buy it from Amazon, it currently costs £9.19 for the paperback and 99p for the e-book. Do check Amazon for the latest price as this might change.

About the author

Tony Lee Moral is an author and mystery and suspense writer from Bristol and London who has written four books on Alfred Hitchcock: Alfred Hitchcock Storyboards (2024) published by Titan Books, The Young Hitchcock’s Movie Making Masterclass (2022) published by Sabana/ MWP books; The Making of Hitchcock’s The Birds (2013) published by Kamera Books and Hitchcock and the Making of Marnie (2005) published by Rowman and Littlefield. He is also the author of three novels.

About the Book

Title: The Passion of the Cross
Author: Tony Lee Moral
Publisher: The Book Guild Publishing
Format: ‎ Paperback
ISBN: 9781835740491
Pages: 303

Review by Danielle Booker

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* Disclaimer: We were given a copy of the book in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.