12/01/2024
Balthazar’s Casket by Cheryl O’Brien is now available on Amazon for readers worldwide
PRESS RELEASE
Published January 2024
“Balthazar’s Casket” takes readers on a thrilling and dangerous international modern day treasure hunt for the lost gift of gold once brought to baby Jesus by Balthazar the mage – a gift containing an incredible power!
Written by Cheryl O’Brien, Balthazar’s Casket has been launched on Amazon. This well-written, complex and riveting tale traces the origins of and the path taken by a fabulous golden artefact from time immemorial, down through thousands of years to modern day, when it is discovered to have vanished, inexplicably, launching an international, whirlwind treasure hunt for this priceless object.
In the mountain above Damascus, Syria, a French archaeologist discovers a rock tomb - that, inexplicably, appears to contain the remains of Jesus Christ - and is murdered immediately by the leader of a secret Syrian sect.
After her father, a British Earl, dies unexpectedly, young Lady Samantha Dexter is faced with an unwelcome puzzle of huge proportions. Her late father left a letter for her with his solicitor, which literally explodes her concept of reality. It speaks of an ancient gold casket holding the world’s greatest secret - an unimaginable power – and tells her she is now its designated keeper. Faced with documents she cannot translate, she calls in young professor, Oliver Kaye, to translate them. The golden casket that should be in Sam’s stately home is inexplicably missing, but Sam and Oliver agree to go looking for it, prompted by a match between the sun symbol on the casket, the symbol on a document Sam asked Oliver to translate – and the self-same symbol that is apparently carved on Christ’s tomb, according to the extraordinary archaeological discovery making headline news on the TV. Thus begins their extraordinary treasure hunt journey – to the Vatican in Rome, then to Christ’s tomb and on to Jerusalem, tracked all the way by an insane Vatican assassin and the murderous Syrian sect who believe their leader is The One who will be able to use the casket’s incredible power.
Pacing the modern-day treasure hunt, Balthazar’s Casket relates the extraordinary past travels of the casket on its 2,000 year journey from Israel to the Tower of London and then on to an Earl’s estate in the British countryside.
Will Sam and Oliver be able to solve the puzzle, work out the clues and be the first to find the location of this priceless object, even with help from Sam’s Indian factotum, Ghulam? Or will they be charmed into letting Sam’s distant relative, unknown to her, but in fact her arch enemy, accompany them on their quest and beat them to the golden prize? And how will the Syrian sect handle the flood of visitors to see Christ’s tomb, or find their way secretly from Syria into Israel, aiming to beat Sam’s group to the very heart of Jerusalem, where the casket they desire lies hidden in ancient passageways beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?
With a romance budding between Sam and Oliver, how will they cope when faced with imminent death, far below the bustle of church-goers? How will the Syrians fare, deep under the church catacombs, as they meet the traps set by Sam’s forebear when he hid the casket? Who will be victorious – and finally get to be the one person who can actually open the casket and use its unimaginable power?
Described as a cross between The Da Vinci Code and an Indiana Jones adventure, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves history, mystery, high adventure and a hint of magic. …Are you ready for an epic tale? …Are you prepared for The Day of Judgement?
Balthazar’s Casket is now available for sale on Amazon.
About the Author:
With a number of prizes for her literary work and with some winning short stories and poetry published, the author actually has a scientific background in genetics, but has always loved fantasy, magic and adventure stories, and has also travelled widely and internationally, learning something about world history, cultures and religions along the way. Because she, herself, is British, it seemed natural to base the true home of the fabulous casket central to her novel in the UK – but the bulk of Balthazar’s Casket takes place in Europe and the Middle East, with historical elements occurring as far away as India. Cheryl is now working on a sequel.
Learn more about Cheryl O’Brien at https://www,cheryl-obrien-author.co.uk
The author also has a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter and Instagram.
