A Matter of Degrees by Alex Marcoux

A Matter of Degrees

Alex Marcoux

Conspiracy theorists, murder-mystery fans, sci-fi or fantasy devotees, paranormal prac- titioners, and armchair Egyptologists, have I got a book for you! In A Matter of Degrees, author Alex Marcoux-who has been called the ‘lesbian Dan Brown’- trumps The Da Vinci Code because she doesn’t just take on the Vatican and the Sacred Feminine, but builds on the anti-Biblical and the seemingly interconnected world of fraternal organizations, including the oldest and largest: the Freemasons. Marcoux challenges the powers that be through her recurring character, the precognitive novelist Jessie Mercer, whom readers might have met in FaÁades and/or Back to Salem-but it’s not necessary to have read either of these previous novels to get caught up in this one. (Jessie’s lover, the singer Taylor Andrews, spends most of the book off on a world tour.) The book allows us a glimpse into the secretive world of the Masons: the ritual of arcane handshakes; the progression through different degrees, leading to the knowledge of ‘the light’; and the strong bonding among Masons. Marcoux does leave out some of the more interesting facts, such as the teachings of the Kabbalah being a source of many of the Masonic mystical and philosophical beliefs. But she doesn’t flinch when writing about some of the more controversial aspects of the Masons-that the order is likened to a religion, and that some have called the Masons anti-Christian. Marcoux’s story is premised on the horrific oaths taken by the Masons not to reveal any of their secrets as they progress through each degree toward the 33rd, the highest degree of enlightenment. From this premise, the author weaves a tale of control of world power from the beginning of civilization to current times, which Jessie unravels as she investigates the murder of her brother, a Mason who was about to reveal the order’s secrets to his colleague and soon-to-be love interest, Rachel. Marcoux does a brilliant job of snagging even the most reluctant reader in the intrigue, in ancient myths and history, in the grand-conspiracy theory of world control that, even after nearly 300 pages, you hate to have her wrap up. – JoAnne Myers It’s the ULTIMATE CONSPIRACY . . . and it’s about to unfold . . .

Novelist Jessie Mercer has always had the gift of precognition. Shortly after she conjures up the idea for her newest book, The Ultimate Conspiracy, she is drawn into a web of conspiracy, intrigue, and murder. Bits of a previous life in the far-distant past are slowly revealed, uncovering ancient secrets that connect Egyptian pharaohs, the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, Mary Magdalene, the Sumerians, the Roman Catholic Church, the devil, and even God. For Jessie’s story, it turns out, began in ancient Egypt and has woven its thread through the tapestry of human history-only to come to an astonishing climax in modern America.

In A Matter of Degrees, Jessie meets Rachel Addison, field reporter for a respectable television newsmagazine. Rachel, involved in a controversial project that connects secret societies with well-known politicians, receives a warning in no uncertain terms to drop the project and forget the story. Then her car’s brakes are sabotaged and she is nearly killed. And Jessie’s brother Steve-another reporter on Rachel’s show-is murdered, yet the police seem determined to rule his death a suicide. Rachel wants to back away from the deadly mystery, but for Jessie the desire to investigate is impossible to overcome.

Now Jessie must utterly change her appearance to infiltrate the all-male ranks of Freemasonry. Once inside, she finds elaborate arcane rituals, cloaked meetings, and clues to an ancient royal secret-which is the ultimate conspiracy! And people all around her-good people-are dying under mysterious circumstances as the Masonic circle closes. Not only that, but the seemingly unshakeable love between Jessie and songstress Taylor Andrews is threatened.

As Jessie struggles to solve the riddle and blow the conspiracy apart, the ancient secrets she discovers draw her further and further into a trap set centuries ago. The answers are there-it’s up to her to uncover them in A Matter of Degrees.

Fans of Alex Marcoux’s previous novels Façades and Back to Salem will be enthralled by this spellbinding new novel, which heralds the return of her well-loved characters Jessie and Taylor, along with high-powered talent agent Sidney Marcum. And readers unfamiliar with her work, especially those whose interest was piqued by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, will revel in A Matter of Degrees, which takes the story of world control by secret societies and the Catholic Church to a whole new level.

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• Amazon
• Goodreads
• Google Books

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