The Sounding by Carrie Salo

In the Book of Revelation, a man named John has a prophetic dream. He dreams of the final prophecies that will come to pass – and the seven archangels that guard them. Each angel waits to sound their trumpet at God’s appointed time, preparing humanity to fight and win the final battle.
2,000 years later, Father Chris Mognahan is a member of the Hetairia Melchizedek, a secret society within the Catholic Church that studies Biblical omens. The society asks Chris to investigate an unusually grotesque crime – a murder on a college campus where the killer's hand literally burned off the victim's face. While the killing seems isolated at first, the society ties the murder to the final Biblical prophecy and a terrifying omen that the order of the prophecies is about to be disrupted. The final battle is coming too soon – long before humanity is prepared to win it.
Suddenly, Chris finds himself fighting against time and hell to keep the prophecies in order and stop an early Armageddon. He is joined by a band of unlikely allies, and together they find themselves in Rome above the Vatican Necropolis – the city of the dead – where the future is revealed to them in ancient texts.
They are not alone, however; an evil as old as time itself hunts them. As they travel across continents on their mission, the demonic force follows relentlessly, waiting in every shadowed corner, and every dark place.
As Armageddon descends, Father Chris finds that his only hope lies in a young woman within the group who has a secret gift – and their belief that God Himself may have sent her to keep the final angelic trumpet from sounding out the early end of the Earth.
Goodreads Summary

Looking for a good horror/mystery with a tinge of romance?  This book is the one for you.  The main character, Father Chris, will engage the reader within the first chapter and the prologue starts the reader out with immediate action.  There is an undercurrent of suspense throughout the book, the tone of the novel is perfect for the plot.

The world may be heading towards an apocalypse.  Father Chris and several other characters including the enigma love interest work towards finding a solution.  The novel addresses several topics found in Christianity including free will and how much may be too much as well as the possibility that one's destiny and the destiny of many may rest on only one person.  There is so much action in this novel that it is hard to put down.  The subplot of a forbidden romance between Father Chris and the enigmatic young woman serves to enhance the reader's experience.

The book is very well-written and the chapters flow smoothly, no awkward or choppy transitions.  The author pulls together a great resolution at the end of the novel, leaving the reader satisfied.  This book is highly recommended to adult readers.

4 Stars

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