'Kathleen McGowan' s trilogy is not only a powerful page turner, but underlines again and again the importance of love as the central transformative principle and how this is so strongly carried by the feminine energy.' Jehanne Mehta

Review
Two thousand years ago, Mary Magdalene hid a set of scrolls in the rocky wilds of the French Pyrenees that contained her own version of the events and characters of the New Testament. Protected by supernatural forces, these sacred scrolls could only be uncovered by a special seeker, one who fulfils the ancient prophecy of The Expected One. Kathleen McGowan's novel joins journalist Maureen Paschal, as she unravels clues that link history's greatest artistic masters and scientific minds, taking her from Jerusalem to Paris. When a long-buried family secret comes to light, it begins to appear as if the eerie prophecy may indeed be fulfilled.
466pp, 130mm x 197mm, Paperback, 2007

Extract
The Gospel of Mary Magdalene
Sinclair lead Maureen and Peter out on a cobbled path that led away from the vast house. The rugged foothills of rich red rock surrounded them, crowned by the ruins of a craggy castle on a nearby hill.

Maureen was enthralled by the breathtaking scenery. 'This place is stunning. It has such a mystical feel to it.'

'We're in the heart of Cathar country. This entire region was once dominated by the Cathars. The Pure Ones.'

'How did they get that title?'

'Their teachings came in a pure, unbroken line from Jesus Christ. Through Mary Magdalene. She was the founder of Catharism.'

Peter looked wildly skeptical, but it was Maureen who voiced the doubt. 'Why have I never read that anywhere?'

Berenger Sinclair just laughed, not the least bit concerned about whether or not they found him credible. He was a man so comfortable with his beliefs and so confident in himself that the opinions of others held no validity for him.

'No, and you won't read it either. The real history of the Cathars isn't in any history books, and you can't research it with any authenticity anywhere but here. The truth of the Cathar people lies in the red rocks of the Languedoc and nowhere else.'

'I'd love to read about them,' Maureen said. 'Can you recommend any books that you feel are authentic?'

Sinclair shrugged and shook his head. 'Very few, and virtually none that I find credible have been translated into English. The majority of books on Cathar history are based on confessions extracted during torture. Virtually all medieval acounts of the Cathar people were written by their enemies. How accurate do you think those are? Maureen, I would expect you to understand that principle based on your own re-examining of history. No authentic Cathar practice has ever been committed to writing. Their traditions have been passed down by families in this area for two thousand years, but they are fiercely protected oral traditions.'

'Didn't Tammy say there was an official Crusade against them?' Maureen asked as they continued on the winding path into the red hills.

Sinclair nodded. 'A savage act of genocide, killing over a million people and launched by the ironically named Pope Innocent 111. Have you ever heard the phrase 'Kill them all and let God sort them out'?'

Maureen cringed. 'Yes, of course. It's a barbaric sentiment.'

'It was first uttered in the thirteenth century, by the papal troops who butchered the Cathars at Beziers. To be precise, they said, 'Neca eos omnes. Deus suos agnoset,' which translates as 'Kill them all. God will recognize his own'.'

He turned to Peter aburubtly. 'Recognize it?'

Peter shook his head, not sure where Sinclair was going with this, but unwilling to fall into an intellectual trap.

'It's borrowed from your Saint Paul. From Second Timothy, chapter two, verse nineteen. 'The Lord knoweth them that are his'.'

Peter put up his hand to stop Sinclair. 'You can hardly blame Paul for the fact that his words were corrupted.'

'Can't I? I believe I just did. Paul sticks in my craw, to be sure. And it's no accident that our enemies have sed his words against us for many centuries. That is only the beginning.'

Maureen attempted to diffuse the increasing tension between the two men, bringing Sinclair back to the local history.

'What happened at Beziers?'

'Neca eos omnes. Kill them all,' Sinclair repeated. 'And that is precisely what the Crusaders did in our beautiful town of Beziers. They put every soul to the sword - from the most elderly to the tiniest infant. Not one person was spared by the butchers. Perhaps as many as a hundred thousand were murdered in that siege alone. Legend says that our hills are red to this day in mourning for the slaughtered innocents.'

They walked in silence for a few moments, out of respect for the departed souls of this ancient land. The massacres had occurred almost eight centuries prior, yet there was a sense of these lost spirits all around, a presence that hung on every breeze that blew across the foothills of the Pyrenees. This was and would always be Cathar country.

Sinclair resumed his lecture. 'Of course, a number of Cathars escaped, taking refuge in Spain, Germany, and Italy. They preserved their secrets and their teachings, but no one knows what became of their greatest treasure.'

'What treasure was that?' Peter asked.

Sinclair looked around him, his inextricable connection to the land evident in his expression. This place and its history were etched into his soul. No matter how many times he related these stories, each telling revealed his unparalleled passion.

'There are a great many legends about what the Cathar treasures actually consisted of. Some say it was the Holy Grail, others claim it was the real shroud of Christ or the crown of thorns. But the true treasure was one of the two most sacred books ever written. The Cathars were the custodians of the Book of Love, the one - the only - true gospel.'

He paused for emphasis, before adding the exclamation point.

'The Book of Love was the one true gospel because it was written entirely in the hand of Jesus Christ himself.'

Peter stopped dead in his tracks at this revelation. He stared at Sinclair.

'What's the matter, Father Healy? They didn't teach you about the Book of Love in the seminary?'

Maureen looked equally incredulous. 'Do you think such a thing really ever existed?'

'Oh, it existed. It was brought from the Holy Land by Mary Magdalene and passed down with extreme caution by her descendants. It's highly likely that the Book of Love was th true purpose behind the crusades against the Cathars. The officials of the Church were desperate to fet their hands on that book, but not to protect and treasure it, I can assure you.'

'The Church would never damage something so priceless and sacred,' Peter scoffed.

'No? And what if such a document could be authenticated? And what if that authenticated document disputed not only many of the tenets, but the very authority of the Church tself? In Chrst's own hand? What then, Father?'

'That's pure speculation.'

'You are entitled to your opinion, as I am to mine. However, mine is based in the knowledge of highly protected facts. But to continue with my... speculation, the Church was successful in its quest on some level. After the open persecution of the Cathars, the Pure Ones were foced underground and the Book of Love disappeared forever. Very few people today even realize it ever existed. Quite a task, to eliminate the existence of something so powerful from history.'

Peter had been deep in concentration during Sinclair's speech. He spoke after another contemplative minute. 'You said the true treasure was one of the two most sacred books ever written. If a gospel written in Jesus' own hand is one, what could the other possibly be?'

Berenger Sinclair stopped and closed his eyes. The summer winds, similar to the mistrals farther east in Provence, were brewing, blowing his hair around his face. He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and looked straight into Maureen's as he answered.

'The other is the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, a pure and perfect account of her life with Jesus Christ.'

From The Expected One, ?2006 by Kathleen McGowan, published by Pocket Books.