The setting for the novel is modern day United States and Europe but the work sources new facts arising from the discovery of the 5,200 year-old ice mummy nicknamed 'Otzi' after the region where he was discovered in 1991 high in the Italian Alps. The icongraphy of the Latsch picturestones and the trilithium of Baal-bek, Lebanon, (reputedly the oldest known city site in the world) are combined in this tense mystery thriller that delves into a 'secret' older than the Bible and hidden from the world for over 6,000 years. Has the Sistine Chapel been the repository for "the Witness" of Noah since it's building in the 14th century and was Michelangelo instructed to incorporate 'clues' of the truth into his murals?
The book is interpersed with historical vignettes illustrating how the secret was passed, lost, and re-discovered down through the ages. All sourcing material is included as well as necessary diagrams for interpreting the archeological support for the work.
The author makes no overt claims about the validity of the fictional novel and directs the readers to follow his main characters, Ted Newsom and Sharon Meyers, as they are drawn into the conspiracy surrounding "the Witness" and become marked for murder. Their journeys cover 6,000 years of research and two continents and their encounters include power brokers, religious zealots, angels and demons - all of whom have their own plans for the power if the hidden "Witness". The question posed by the author represents the key to the work: Is it a curse or a treasure of untold worth? Is it an ancient lie or could it truly be . . . The CHARIOT OF THE SOUL?