BooksChatter: ✉☄ Writing the Magdalene Deception by Gary McAvoy

Today author Gary McAvoy takes over our blog to tell us about his latest release, and his first fictional novel, The Magdalene Deception (25 May 2020, Literati Editions, 370 pages), a Suspense Thriller, book one of The Magdalene Chronicles series.

"A great thriller that weaves numerous storylines together effectively. Recommended to those who love a good thriller with historical implications, as well as the reader who enjoys Vatican and Catholic politics… McAvoy creates a wonderful story that never stops building throughout… [He] captures the secrecy and deep-rooted history of the Vatican and its politics throughout this piece, with a strong story and plot that moves in many directions." — MATT PECHEY, REEDSY DISCOVERY

"Exquisitely written and highly entertaining, The Magdalene Deception is an investigative mystery in a very similar vein to The DaVinci Code…The real quality to this book is the author himself – the writing is superb. There is an outstanding attention to detail in McAvoy, and the setpieces he weaves are vivid, colourful and authentic..." — MATT McAVOY BOOK REVIEWS (UK)

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Writing the Magdalene Deception

by Gary McAvoy

Growing up Catholic (though now fully lapsed), I’ve always found the rich history of the Vatican thoroughly engaging—and ripe grounds for fiction using actual historical events as the foundation for any number of possible stories. I actually started The Magdalene Deception, slowly but steadily, in 1997, with an entirely different plot involving the purported Holy Bloodline of Christ and the Magdalene that, sadly, was soon after written by a guy named Dan Brown—in what became The Da Vinci Code. So, I shelved that work for 20+ years and came back to it just last year with a new plot in mind, one that relied on much of the research and work I’d already put into the project, but this time with a different central theme. There seems to be no shortage of fans for this kind of intriguing material, and I have an entire series sketched out that should have legs for a long while.

From the time of the great Crusades to the present day scandals the Church is experiencing, the Vatican’s power to influence a billion souls worldwide has always held me spellbound. In The Magdalene Deception, I picked up the story of the legendary Cathars of southern France, fabled keepers of the Holy Grail in the 13th century. From there it was a simple leap to the well-known 19th-century story of Bérenger Saunière, the mysterious abbé of Rennes-le-Château, also in that area of southern France long-saturated with legends of the Holy Grail and Mary Magdalene.

Writing these kinds of stories requires a great deal of historical research. I like to base my books on actual history and real individuals, blending in fictional elements in a What-If motif. The reviews and other feedback I’ve gotten from readers leans heavily toward the “Could this be true?” mindset, and that thrills me tremendously, for it was those kinds of books I grew up with and which fed my imagination—which now fuels my eagerness to create my own versions of historical-based fiction.

A suspense novel with Vatican intrigue...