I can usually complete 1 book a week (no kids and lots of plane time). I have been reading The Expected One by Kathleen McGowan for 3 weeks or so. Why so long, you ask? I made the mistake of looking up information about the book on the internet and came across this review:
http://www.theseekerbooks.com/articles/ExpectedOne.htm
When I thought the author intended this as fiction, I thought the book was ok. Not nearly as well paced as The De Vinci Code but it wasn’t horrible. After reading the review by Ms. Welsh (link above) I couldn’t help but find McGowan’s novel nothing short of pretentious. She claims to the be the decedent of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (notice the dedication in the beginning of the book – To Mary Magdalen, my muse, my ancestor” – my ass!). So far, I cannot find one drop of evidence as to how she came to this conclusion. Ms. Welsh went so far as to contact McGowan, seeking substantiation of these “facts”. What did she hear? Nothing but crickets.
To add another interesting twist, Suzanne Olsson made public a letter she sent to Ms. McGowan claiming that McGowan stole Olsson’s research and own personal story to write The Expected One.
http://www.theseekerbooks.com/articles/ToMcG.html
Olsson’s story seems just as out there as McGowan’s, but at least Olsson claims to have documented proof. If she does, bring it on. I would be lying if I said this article didn’t affect my opinion of McGowan. Who knows which story is true, but I find it highly suspect that McGowan would make such a bold claim but refuse to disclose the source. If I said I was the descendent of Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and that I had a secret document that proved it but I couldn’t show you the document because it was so secret, would you believe me?
I just got to a place in the book where one of the characters claims De Vinci has nothing to do with the Magdalene legacy or the grail. When I read this section, I got a flashback of grade school. Can the author be more petty? Grail, descendant of Mary, secret societies aside, McGowan could have at least taken the high road with regards to The De Vinci Code. Such an obvious sucker punch is an embarrassment.