Fast Track to Glory (Nina Monte Mystery #1) By Tomasz Chrusciel Kindle Edition Mystery Fast Track to Glory (Nina Monte Mystery #1) “BEST ACTION / ADVENTURE BOOK OF 2016” by IndieReader FINALIST in the 2016 Readers Favorite International Book Awards Professor Nina Monte, an expert in ancient religious texts, is called into a secret meeting. A mystical object has been discovered in a 15th century galley, buried at the bottom of Lake Garda in Italy. At the recovery site, Monte makes a shocking revelation—the relic in her hands holds the power to change humanity’s perception of existence. But Monte soon finds herself trapped in an insidious intrigue, and is forced to abandon everything she knows and trusts. Joined by local hotelier, Alessandro Pini, she is determined to unravel the truth surrounding the discovery. A heart stopping race to decode the four thousand year old mystery leads Monte and Pini from Italy through the mighty Austrian Alps, right to the banks of the most sacred river in India. But the professor and her friend are not the only ones seeking answers, and it will take courage and cunning to outwit those who believe the truth is worth dying—or killing—for.

Such a powerful and exciting adventure I just had to keep reading until I was finished It kept me on the edge of my seat The traveling was wonderful Learning snippets of several cultures and locations Nina as strong brilliant and funny Alessandro was so human and caring The was a hero and a beautiful heart This book is an amazing read. There was imminent danger kidnappings deception and the search for the fast track I really enjoyed this book It has everything I like included If you love a good action packed book that takes you to amazing places and a search for artifacts you will love this book Well written and engrossing I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 Fast Track to Glory by Tomasz Chrusciel is an exceptional around the world quest for knowledge Technically this brilliant novel is a thriller though not quite like any other I ve read. The story begins in Germany before taking the reader on a whirlwind tour of Italy Austria and India Nina Monte an Italian professor teaching at the History of Religions and the Ancient Worlds department in Padua believes she s been asked by the Italian Ministry of Culture to verify the authenticity of a relic recovered from a fifteenth century shipwreck in Lake Garda She s consulted on antiquities cases before and has no reason to be suspicious of the request She arrives at the Heidelburg Castle in Germany to examine this mysterious object only to discover it has not yet been excavated from the maritime shipwreck She s sent to Italy to meet up with a member of the team responsible for recovering the artefact When her contact person tries to kidnap then kill her she realizes she s been lured into a trap But why The readers alongside Nina have to figure out why someone is prepared to murder and steal in order to obtain this relic as well as discover the truth behind its alleged hidden powers I m going to have to stop describing the specific details of the story now for fear of spoiling any of the many plots twists in this book which are what make it such an excellent and captivating read. In the beginning of the novel the villain seems to want the relic in order to achieve a higher spiritual power During train plane and automobile rides the two main characters Nina and Allessandro a young hotelier from Malcesine and Nina s unintentional partner on this journey often discuss the implications of deciphering this relic s supposed powers within the context of spirituality philosophy and religion I m not a new age type and the first few chapters in which characters discuss the various interpretations of the relics true powers had me concerned that this was going to get too spiritual for my tastes I m glad to say the author doesn t overdo it Rather he uses the relic as a way of sharing various points of view and leaves it up to the reader to decide what to think instead of shoving his perspective down your throat Funny enough the most popular highlighted passage in this book according to my Kindle copy is Every person wants to live in peace and abundance What is different is the meaning of those things to each of us Besides the villian s real reason for starting this quest is so smart and surprising down to earth when it was finally revealed I gained even respect for the author. Tomasz Chrusciel is a quite adept at misleading the reader From the first page onwards nothing is as it seems In some books this constant misdirection can be irritating Yet in Fast Track to Glory this technique works well adding tension to the story and helping to keep the reader continually engaged with the plotline. In contrast to most art history conspiracy novels there are no long codes to decipher a complex puzzle to solve or a lost language to learn it s of a race to obtain the relic and then decipher it Both the good and bad guys know who can read it they just have to find that person It s also unlike most thrillers and art conspiracy novels I ve read in that the spiritual quest and physical journey are almost important to the story than the race to decode the artefact. And what a quest it is The author s descriptions of architecture people manner of dress landscapes and even train stations transport the reader to a series of beautiful and interesting locations Once you get through with this book you ll be longing to pack your bags and visit the destinations the author so loving describes. The many cities the characters visit are described in much detail than your typical thriller or action oriented novel without slowing down the story or turning into a travelogue These are tight and well written using all five senses to make each place come to life You get the strong sense the author has spent time in all of the places he describes his eye for detail is incredible. Now onto our around the world journey The story starts out at Heidelberg Castle before moving to Milan Italy There he paints a clear picture of the main square and the Duomo di Milano a church in Milan in particular the white and pink marble exterior snap happy tourists religious iconography and stained glass windows. Next stop is the gorgeous Northern Italian town of Malcesine on Lake Garda In addition to describing the lovely villages that dot the wide lake the author also provides an interesting account of a character s dives among ship wrecks. Then we are off to Innsbruck Austria via train where the white peaks of the Alps dominate the skyline Old Town and its gothic and baroque facades Court Church the tombs of Emperor Maximilian I cuckoo clocks homemade liquors and even the smells of the strudels are recounted Last stop India where the characters are immediately thrown into the hustle and bustle of Jaipur The suburban metropolis is awash with overfull buses slow going lorries tuk tuks bicycles motorists mobile snack bars scooters and pedestrians all fighting for space on the narrow roadways the main characters travel on to reach their destination the location of the person who can decipher the object. As I already mentioned the author uses the context of a religious relic to take the reader on a search for enlightenment and the story aptly ends in Varanasi India on the Ganges River during a festival of light You can feel the water lapping at your feet hear thousands of chanting worshippers and smell the burning incense mixed with body odor wafting through the air. This is my favorite kind of novel one that takes me on a mental journey and travel adventure simultaneously It s also a real page turner for as much to see how the story develops as the desire to know where the author will take us next. This smart well written and highly enjoyable story will entertain lovers of thrillers art conspiracy novels and travel fiction alike I highly recommend it Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 Fast Track to Glory by Tomasz Chrusciel is a tautly woven thriller somewhat reminiscent of Dan Brown s The Da Vinci Code Very few people have the privilege of being called upon to offer their professional expertise and when Nina Monte Professor of History of Religions at the Department of Historical and Geographic Sciences and the Ancient World at the University of Padua is called upon to do so by the Ministry she feels hard pressed to refuse Nina is tasked with a top secret mission verifying the authenticity of an ancient artifact currently located inside an old sunken galley lying at the bottom of Lake Garda Sweetening the Ministry s request is the promise of a large gift to her university as well as a personal reward to her Heading up the underwater recovery of the artifact is Lammert van der Venn a wealthy collector and his crew However once Nina arrives at Lake Garda and before she even meets van der Venn she runs into a distraught local hotelier Alessandro Pini who wants a meeting with the wealthy collector in order to question him regarding the death of his chef and beloved friend Apparently van der Venn had been the last man to see his chef alive Before Nina or Alessandro fully understand what has happened they are both on the run leaving Italy behind as they head for India relentlessly pursued by a ruthless madman who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. Substitute Brown s suave symbologist Robert Langdon with Chrusciel s gutsy Nina Monte and you ve got a fully formed protagonist who can kick ass with the best of her male counterparts Like Langdon Monte knows her stuff and isn t the type to roll over in the face of adversity and the adversity comes fast and furious Monte s brain is tempered nicely at the beginning by her vulnerability that arises from her seeming inability to find the perfect mate Hotelier Alessandro Pini provides a good foil for the dedicated and mature Monte He is a little brash a little immature but in some respects has self confidence than the reticent Nina yet there s no denying the chemistry between the two which is important as the story progresses And what a story it is There s history religion plenty of action and rich descriptions of foreign places which keep the readers imaginations fertile and their interests engaged throughout While Chrusciel s prose is taut and succinct there s a bounty of adjectives which lend themselves to heightening an already top notch story worthy of an Indiana Jones adventure Exotic sights sounds and smells are described in sufficient detail such that they re almost tangible exporting readers to a special place where each new page heightens both the expectation and the odyssey Whether you buy into the artifact or the meaning behind it is immaterial Fast Track to Glory is a fast track to the afterglow that is sure to come from such a great read Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 Signora Nina Monte 36 U of Padua professor history of religions Dept of Historical Geographic Sciences the Ancient World had an invitation to attend a gala event at the Heidelberg Castle Signor Massimo Campana was the host. The other 2 guests were Herr Christoph Gerst German Ministry of Education Science Culture Monsieur Julien Traverse French Ministry of Culture Communication Defense She was explaining the history of the 15th Century galley Santa Lucia that sunk somewhere in Lake Garda Mr Lammert van der Venn 52 his crew of underwater exploration experts are quite sure they can locate salvage most of its belongings or treasures He had quite the resume Cardinal Vittorio Ermanno Esposito is also to be informed of the expedition Sean bartender had found Gianluigi 55 Chef bar patron dead. What happened to Alessandro What happened to Cardinal Esposito Who is behind this master mind scheme I did not receive any type of compensation for reading reviewing this book While I receive free books from publishers authors I am under no obligation to write a positive review only an honest one All thoughts opinions are entirely my own. A very awesome book cover great font writing style A very well written thriller book It was very easy for me to read follow from start finish never a dull moment There were no grammar typo errors nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences Lots of exciting scenarios with several twists turns a great set of unique characters to keep track of This could also make another great adventure movie or better yet a mini TV series A very easy rating of 5 stars Thank you for the free Goodreads Making Connections Agato House Author PDF book Tony Parsons MSW Washburn Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 This book was extremely well written There were unusual story developments that I ve never read in any other thrillers not that I read many which made the story believable and relatable to me It made me feel like how Nina reacted to her situation would be similar to how I would react if I were in her position That made this story much enjoyable for me It kept each character within their range of capabilities instead of having them rise to the occasion and push the limits of a person s endurance that seems to be the staple of the thriller genre The characters fear and exhaustion were almost palpable. There were some phrases that I would have worded differently but in other places I was impressed with the author s writing style There were details that were not needed to develop the story that I thought added extra depth to the characters like how Alessandro was a poor manager or van der Venn s back pain I would have liked description of the tablet and how its inscription affected the plot the author did a decent job but would have been better I loved the Kama s point of view chapters it was distinct from all the others Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1

Fast Track to Glory (Nina Monte Mystery #1) By Tomasz Chrusciel

English

372

Kindle Edition

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE BOOK OF 2016 by IndieReader FINALIST in the 2016 Readers Favorite International Book Awards Professor Nina Monte an expert in ancient religious texts is called into a secret meeting A mystical object has been discovered in a 15th century galley buried at the bottom of Lake Garda in Italy At the recovery site Monte makes a shocking revelation the relic in her hands holds the power to change humanity s perception of existence But Monte soon finds herself trapped in an insidious intrigue and is forced to abandon everything she knows and trusts Joined by local hotelier Alessandro Pini she is determined to unravel the truth surrounding the discovery A heart stopping race to decode the four thousand year old mystery leads Monte and Pini from Italy through the mighty Austrian Alps right to the banks of the most sacred river in India But the professor and her friend are not the only ones seeking answers and it will take courage and cunning to outwit those who believe the truth is worth dying or killing for Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 Tomasz Chrusciel wrote his first story at sixteen but it would take another twenty years for his love affair with writing to become the central focus in his life After obtaining a master s degree in Political Science International Relations in Poland Chrusciel found himself in the corporate sector The work stoked his passion for global politics but his imagination craved greater freedom After moving to Ireland and falling in love he finally left his job to become a full time fiction author His debut novel Illusive Intrusion was followed by Fast Track to Glory and The Vestals Conspiracy which have since earned Chrusciel a dedicated readership that continues to grow each day Wanderlust regularly draws the writer to extreme c Tomasz Chrusciel wrote his first story at sixteen but it would take another twenty years for his love affair with writing to become the central focus in his life After obtaining a master s degree in Political Science International Relations in Poland Chrusciel found himself in the corporate sector The work stoked his passion for global politics but his imagination craved greater freedom After moving to Ireland and falling in love he finally left his job to become a full time fiction author His debut novel Illusive Intrusion was followed by Fast Track to Glory and The Vestals Conspiracy which have since earned Chrusciel a dedicated readership that continues to grow each day Wanderlust regularly draws the writer to extreme corners of the globe seeking new settings personalities and historical events to inspire his next novel When he isn t researching destinations or convincing his cat loving fianc e to let him adopt a dog he s at his computer furiously typing his latest scene or chatting with his readers on social media Find him at tomaszchrusciel. com if you d like to join the conversation site_link Nina Monte is pre eminent in her field of religious history so an urgent request to consult with government representatives about a historically significant find discovered at the bottom of Lake Garda is nothing out of the ordinary However the oddities about this particular consultation begin to mount swiftly from the odd to the deadly and Nina finds herself fleeing Italy with a twenty year old boy under her care trying to stay one step ahead of an obsessed millionaire willing to do whatever it takes for a chance to live forever Fast Track to Glory is a fast paced thriller that takes the reader on an enthralling journey from Southern Europe to India woven with local colour and spiced with skillfully evoked desperation as the pursuit circles closer Nina Monte is a very relatable protagonist and her side kick is a young Italian man exactly the type that most people have spent time trying to either dodge or discourage at some point and their unlikely alliance adds a well written lighter thread to the story Tomasz Chrusciel s writing displays a depth of knowledge of the areas he locates his stories in that gives the settings a magic all their own and the historical background provides a solidly believable basis for the book This was a very readable story definitely something worth picking up for any thriller readers out there Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 Fast Track To Glory has a little bit of something for everyone Nina a stoic Italian university professor is drawn into a web of intrigue to face off with a ruthless treasure hunter over an ancient mystical artifact Along the way she crosses paths with Alessandro an Italian hotelier who fancies himself a ladies man The pace is steady from the outset and interest is piqued in the first few pages though the way in which Chrusciel unravels the tangled web is nothing short of creative genius The characters are well developed and show a depth not often seen in today s fiction writing Additionally Chrusciel s imagery is some of the most vivid I ve seen in a very long time I found myself able to clearly picture the people and landscapes smell the fragrances and taste the unique spices and cuisine Overall I found the characters believable and relatable and the storyline imaginative I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and the twists I also appreciated the lack of gory detail in the few instances of violence as well as the tasteful way intimate scenes were portrayed Whether one is looking for action adventure mystery romance or suspense Fast Track To Glory has it all Chrusciel s ability as a writer is on par with some of the best I can t wait to see what he comes up with next Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 I received a free download of this book from Story Cartel thank you I enjoyed this book a lot It kept my interest throughout the whole story I especially liked how the author balanced events with both scientific and spiritual explanations making them equally believable either way I would recommend this book to others and I would read from this author Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 BADLY WRITTEN SUBJECT INTRIGUING AND SHOWS PROMISE. I was drawn to the cover of this book And was very disappointed with the content This book needs a very good editor in order to give the writing some sheen Every page has a syntax error which made the reading cumbersome Unfortunately the book is also littered with irrelevant details that an experienced editor will catch Still although badly written the subject is intriguing and has potential Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 The male hero was a wimp and sort a immature but all worked out in the end Fast Track to Glory Nina Monte Mystery 1 .

. Alessandro Pini hotelier wanted Inspector Raffaele Lombardi Malcesine PD to arrest Mr Lammert van der Venn keep a very watchful eye on Nina. Alessandro Nina however were headed for Heidelberg Castle Heidelberg Germany, The question is is there a conspiracy Cardinal Esposito had spoken with Nina, The 2 were staying at the Innsbruck BB were to meet tomorrow at the Court Church Massimo Christoph Julien had a tablet they wanted Nina to authenticate