The Eighth Day Brotherhood

by Alice M Phillips

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

Back in October I attended a reading hosted by Alice M. Phillips at ICON 41. I knew I had to purchase a copy of Alice’s book after the reading was done for two reasons.

It was set in Paris during the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
The book started on my birthday (August 1).
The Eighth Day Brotherhood is a quick, mysterious romp through 1888 Paris. Pulling in religious and mythological iconography, Phillips transports the reader to the streets of Paris filled with starving artists and crazed killers. With each day being a chapter and the weaving of Biblical and mythology stories, The Eighth Day Brotherhood reminded me of Dan Brown’s novels in both its style and pacing.

The characters and locales in Paris came alive in Phillips writing. Many times I felt as if I was walking the streets with Claude and Remy. I shivered when the mysterious Messenger made an appearance. And my heart ached for Finn as her journey was slowly told.

While the end of the story and the grand reveal felt a bit rushed as I don’t feel there were enough plot clues to connect at least one person to the murders, overall, I was satisfied with the pace of the story, the majesty of Paris and the believability of the characters. Phillips painted a taut mystery with a satisfying conclusion.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews