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Jed Mason #1
The Vatican Code: The brand-new, fast-paced, gripping action-adventure thriller
FOLLOWING HIS 2017 DEBUT IN 'THE RAIDERS', JED MASON RETURNS IN AN EPIC ACTION-THRILLER QUEST!
The Knights Templar. An Ancient Relic. An Epic Quest.
Ex-soldier and MI6 operative Jed Mason is on his final mission and looking forward to a new life when he is involved in a car crash with an American scholar in the Lazio countryside. Offering to drive her into Rome, Mason soon learns she is connected to an important Vatican announcement due later that evening, one that will shock the world forever.
But minutes into the event, sinister masked terrorists storm the Sistine Chapel and take everyone hostage before stealing an ancient Knights Templar document, one lost to the world for centuries until now. When Mason learns who the terrorists really are, and why they stole the document, he knows he must put his new life on hold and help his new friends in their quest, but is Mason prepared for the final, shocking revelation?
This fast-paced adrenaline-pumped action-adventure thriller is an explosive mix of Reacher, Langdon and Bond and will keep you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth to the very end.
Readers are gripped by Rob Jones
“If you like books by Ernest Dempsey or Dan Brown you should like this” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Similar type of adventures to Andy McDermott and Scott Mariani ” Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time , wondering what will happen next” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Exciting ride from page one ” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Top-notch action-adventure book ” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“If you love adventure, thrills and spills, mystery and being on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth , you will love these books” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“What a gripping read , didn’t want to put it down” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I couldn’t put the book down, lots of twists and turns and excitement ” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Fast paced, full of action . I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Knights Templar. An Ancient Relic. An Epic Quest.
Ex-soldier and MI6 operative Jed Mason is on his final mission and looking forward to a new life when he is involved in a car crash with an American scholar in the Lazio countryside. Offering to drive her into Rome, Mason soon learns she is connected to an important Vatican announcement due later that evening, one that will shock the world forever.
But minutes into the event, sinister masked terrorists storm the Sistine Chapel and take everyone hostage before stealing an ancient Knights Templar document, one lost to the world for centuries until now. When Mason learns who the terrorists really are, and why they stole the document, he knows he must put his new life on hold and help his new friends in their quest, but is Mason prepared for the final, shocking revelation?
This fast-paced adrenaline-pumped action-adventure thriller is an explosive mix of Reacher, Langdon and Bond and will keep you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth to the very end.
Readers are gripped by Rob Jones
“If you like books by Ernest Dempsey or Dan Brown you should like this” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Similar type of adventures to Andy McDermott and Scott Mariani ” Amazon reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“It keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time , wondering what will happen next” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Exciting ride from page one ” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Top-notch action-adventure book ” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“If you love adventure, thrills and spills, mystery and being on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth , you will love these books” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“What a gripping read , didn’t want to put it down” Amazon reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I couldn’t put the book down, lots of twists and turns and excitement ” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“ Fast paced, full of action . I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down” Goodreads reviewer. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
559 pages, Paperback
Published July 30, 2023
763 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Rob Jones
61 books79 followersInternational bestselling author of twenty-five thrillers, including fourteen in the Joe Hawke action-adventure series and The Hunter Files. All available for the Amazon Kindle.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 15, 2024
This is a decent thriller that doesn't reveal its true direction until almost halfway through the book. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it does get bogged down in having characters relay information that the reader is already aware of and its payoff is lacking.
A former British secret service agent gets drawn into helping a woman who had a flat tire, which leads him going to the Vatican City to accompany her as the Pope is going to reveal something revelatory to the world. Before that announcement can be made, terrorists storm the Sistine Chapel, killing many religious figures, and threatening the Pope at gunpoint to get the information they want.
This is when the action kicks in and its very well written. There's a lot of gunplay, running, and racing about and it is very thrilling. I was fully into this book.
And then the purpose was revealed and the book becomes formulaic: a lot of information about where they are going, something is found, the terrorists arrive, action ensues, terrorists leave with something, and the hunt is on for the next relic.
Again, this would have been fine if the payoff had been fine. It's not. The artifact is found and its usefulness is never revealed. Talk about hitting a brick wall. All the deaths that occurred were meaningless because the characters and the reader never learn what they were fighting for.
It's also ridiculous for how the group of heroes increases as the story progresses and what they bring to the team. It's mostly cliche dialogue.
This was solid of the action, but really needed an editor to tighten things up and insist on an ending.
A former British secret service agent gets drawn into helping a woman who had a flat tire, which leads him going to the Vatican City to accompany her as the Pope is going to reveal something revelatory to the world. Before that announcement can be made, terrorists storm the Sistine Chapel, killing many religious figures, and threatening the Pope at gunpoint to get the information they want.
This is when the action kicks in and its very well written. There's a lot of gunplay, running, and racing about and it is very thrilling. I was fully into this book.
And then the purpose was revealed and the book becomes formulaic: a lot of information about where they are going, something is found, the terrorists arrive, action ensues, terrorists leave with something, and the hunt is on for the next relic.
Again, this would have been fine if the payoff had been fine. It's not. The artifact is found and its usefulness is never revealed. Talk about hitting a brick wall. All the deaths that occurred were meaningless because the characters and the reader never learn what they were fighting for.
It's also ridiculous for how the group of heroes increases as the story progresses and what they bring to the team. It's mostly cliche dialogue.
This was solid of the action, but really needed an editor to tighten things up and insist on an ending.
November 14, 2023
Starting out, this novel seemed like a cross between a Gary McAvoy Vatican City novel and a Bruce Willis, Die-Hard story. There was an intriguing mystery as to what the stolen Vatican code could be and what it represented both to the church, to the thieves, and to the world at large. You would think that with this 5-star beginning that the principal characters’ laser focus would be directed toward organizing the retrieval of the stolen artifact.
Not exactly.
The initial response to Vatican turmoil seemed to have more energy directed toward bickering and finger-pointing among themselves than crime-solving or artifact retrieval. In the pursuit of the “mystery object” it felt like a stretched-out Indiana Jones / Keystone Cops adventure -- some characters blazed their own path, while others invited themselves onto the “caravan”.
Overall, I found the plot to be what kept me moving through the story. There were interesting bits of historical and archeological information scattered throughout the story as they moved from one locale to another.
Not exactly.
The initial response to Vatican turmoil seemed to have more energy directed toward bickering and finger-pointing among themselves than crime-solving or artifact retrieval. In the pursuit of the “mystery object” it felt like a stretched-out Indiana Jones / Keystone Cops adventure -- some characters blazed their own path, while others invited themselves onto the “caravan”.
Overall, I found the plot to be what kept me moving through the story. There were interesting bits of historical and archeological information scattered throughout the story as they moved from one locale to another.
August 21, 2023
What a great story! It is action packed, filled with history and strong characters. I enjoyed traveling from Rome to Jerusalem to Florence to France. There is a treasure that a cult is after but 5 people, one being a former agent in the British M-16, race to find it first. I loved the premise of this story and the way clues were unraveled. A strong story that kept me reading to see what was going to happen next. I loved this book!
August 7, 2025
This book gets a solid "meh" from me. A reasonable amount of action just didn't balance out the glaring plot holes, repetitive dialog, and an ending that was tied up in about 2 paragraphs and ended in a dull "thud" as far as I was concerned. I never got very interested in the story as the characters failed to resonate with me. So, would I read the next book in the series? Only if I get hard up for an archeological adventure, but there have got to be plenty of better series I've yet to discover.
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August 1, 2023An Amazing Thrill Ride
From start to finish, Jed Mason leads a "mostly crew in search for "The Ark of the Covenant." In each instance, the clues direct them onward until the encounter their goal only to learn that no human CAN possess the Ark, and the reasons are revealed to them. While the intrepid members dissipate, I believe we'll see them again... soon !!
From start to finish, Jed Mason leads a "mostly crew in search for "The Ark of the Covenant." In each instance, the clues direct them onward until the encounter their goal only to learn that no human CAN possess the Ark, and the reasons are revealed to them. While the intrepid members dissipate, I believe we'll see them again... soon !!
August 22, 2023
a fun read, well done, a bit slow at times but overall quite enjoyable
Well written. A rather persistent and e I’ll antagonist. Portrayal so the Vatican and its machinations mirrors the same by other offers. Kind of time for the church to join the present and leave behind its love affair with medieval garb, and all the irrelevant pomp, lace and medieval trappings.
Well written. A rather persistent and e I’ll antagonist. Portrayal so the Vatican and its machinations mirrors the same by other offers. Kind of time for the church to join the present and leave behind its love affair with medieval garb, and all the irrelevant pomp, lace and medieval trappings.
September 22, 2024
Dan Brown books are better
It has preposterous storyline, too much violence, impossible human interactions and big holes in the storyline. Otherwise, it was great ... Okay, just kidding. I hate abandoning a reading experience, but I'd never started it. Even so, I read the whole book so you don't need to.
It has preposterous storyline, too much violence, impossible human interactions and big holes in the storyline. Otherwise, it was great ... Okay, just kidding. I hate abandoning a reading experience, but I'd never started it. Even so, I read the whole book so you don't need to.
June 22, 2023
Take out the poseurs and add in the ragtag and what you got???
Jed Mason is up to the last minute from his exit from the organization to get to his olive grove when the gunfire erupts!!!
Jed Mason is up to the last minute from his exit from the organization to get to his olive grove when the gunfire erupts!!!
November 8, 2023
More intrigue on the source for the Arch of the Covenant
Super story. Kept my interest. Loved the twists and turns, especially the ending in searching for the Arch of the Covenant.
Super story. Kept my interest. Loved the twists and turns, especially the ending in searching for the Arch of the Covenant.
December 15, 2023
full of action
A fun story very James bondish. Jed never seems to get hurt and lots of bad guys die. Just what you need in a good story to counteract all the boring wimpy stuff on TV. Good guys win and bad guys lose.
A fun story very James bondish. Jed never seems to get hurt and lots of bad guys die. Just what you need in a good story to counteract all the boring wimpy stuff on TV. Good guys win and bad guys lose.
January 7, 2024
The plot is great but there is a lot of unnecessary fluff in this book. It could have been about 100 pages shorter and still been good. I will check out the next book in the series to see how it fairs.
February 28, 2024
What a great read!
I’ve been looking for new author that grabs my interest and Rob Jones has done just that. The Vatican Code has loads of twists and turns and keeps you guessing all story long. I can’t wait to read the next one.
I’ve been looking for new author that grabs my interest and Rob Jones has done just that. The Vatican Code has loads of twists and turns and keeps you guessing all story long. I can’t wait to read the next one.
March 3, 2024
Full of..
Excitement, car chases, gun battles, Hand-to-hand combat, deceit, mystery and a group of people that worked well together keeping evil at bay. Lots of information regarding Templar clues, whether true or the imagination of the writer, it was great. Thank you.
Excitement, car chases, gun battles, Hand-to-hand combat, deceit, mystery and a group of people that worked well together keeping evil at bay. Lots of information regarding Templar clues, whether true or the imagination of the writer, it was great. Thank you.
May 30, 2023
The Vatican Code
This is a most exciting novel which builds up to an amazing climax. It is well worth reading, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
This is a most exciting novel which builds up to an amazing climax. It is well worth reading, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.
June 13, 2023
The Vatican code
This was a great read.I totally enjoyed this book.The characters very entertaining.The plot fast paced kept me going .Great read.
This was a great read.I totally enjoyed this book.The characters very entertaining.The plot fast paced kept me going .Great read.
June 20, 2023
pretty good
I couldn’t put the book down. Very fast paced. I’m not sure about Jed’s past with different agencies but seemed like a long jump from the original one
I couldn’t put the book down. Very fast paced. I’m not sure about Jed’s past with different agencies but seemed like a long jump from the original one
July 10, 2023
Good read
This book is a good read within its genre. Some areas were a little predictible but the ending brought its own cleverness! Enjoy!
This book is a good read within its genre. Some areas were a little predictible but the ending brought its own cleverness! Enjoy!
September 17, 2023
Too much to believe
I would have appreciated at the end an explanation of what is true and what is fantasy and author’s liberty.
I would have appreciated at the end an explanation of what is true and what is fantasy and author’s liberty.
September 25, 2023
I loved this book! I liked how he
described the land, the tunnels
and the fighting. I’ll be reading
more of Rob Jones.
described the land, the tunnels
and the fighting. I’ll be reading
more of Rob Jones.
September 26, 2023
Blah
Maybe some interesting stuff about archaeology but overall just another shoot-‘em-up white guy hero story with enough repetitive action chapters to make a book.
Maybe some interesting stuff about archaeology but overall just another shoot-‘em-up white guy hero story with enough repetitive action chapters to make a book.
October 9, 2023
The Vatican CODE
Great story! Very well written and full of twist and turns. Lol one the characters and descriptions of the places they visited! Would recommend!!
Great story! Very well written and full of twist and turns. Lol one the characters and descriptions of the places they visited! Would recommend!!
October 20, 2023
Archaeological treasure hunting/history novels are my favourite genre
December 14, 2023
Stupid
What a stupid story. I kept hoping there was some point. But no. Nothing but a hallmark card for
Yuck
What a stupid story. I kept hoping there was some point. But no. Nothing but a hallmark card for
Yuck
February 14, 2024
Fantastic
A great read from start to finish loads of action lots of research must have went into this book with all the facts
A great read from start to finish loads of action lots of research must have went into this book with all the facts
February 23, 2024
Couldn’t put it down
Some interesting historical data here and learned a lot. Not sure what was fact and what was fiction but you can’t spoil a good story
Enjoyed it. Great read.
Some interesting historical data here and learned a lot. Not sure what was fact and what was fiction but you can’t spoil a good story
Enjoyed it. Great read.
May 3, 2024
good read
Great story line. Did not want to put the book down. Great characters and full of actual history. Highly recommend
Great story line. Did not want to put the book down. Great characters and full of actual history. Highly recommend
June 9, 2024
Average
Story was ok. Pretty back in plot and very predictable. Not a bad read though. Mason is a good hero.
Story was ok. Pretty back in plot and very predictable. Not a bad read though. Mason is a good hero.
August 1, 2024
Review
I thought the book was well written and kept you enthralled with the story the character was great
Looking forward to the next book
I thought the book was well written and kept you enthralled with the story the character was great
Looking forward to the next book
January 5, 2025
Not a bad story, very action packed. Personally did not like all the technical details, but that’s just me. Some typos that were distracting, but overall pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews