| Monica Bettlheim is an American archaeologist, who, trying to recapture her former fame, has a mission to uncover prehistoric cultures that conventional archaeology and history both fear and deny. Her search is sponsored by an eccentric aristocrat, the larger-than-life Maltese billionaire Sebastian Pinto.
On an underwater expedition, Monica finds a mysterious golden pomegranate which opens vistas on an archaic world of religious cults that used mind-altering substances to give their followers a direct experience of God. As the consequences of the mission descend into blackmail and murder, Monica discovers a secret ritual right at the heart of Christianity itself; knowledge which was passed on underground by Gnostics and alchemists for centuries. At first reluctantly, Monica teams up with the elusive and troubled Rafael, Pinto’s son, who for some years has been deeply immersed in esoteric studies. Driven by the need to uncover the activities of an international crime syndicate they risk their lives by reviving the sacred ritual – and are confronted by the most terrifying revelation of all. |
| Forbidden Fruit |