BOISE, Idaho, May 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Monastery Murders, Donna Fletcher Crow's popular murder mystery series that relies on clues hidden deep in the past for solution, has been hailed by readers, writers and reviewers as "Better than Dan Brown."

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A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary, the most recent release, was declared "a masterful novel that fans of historical/religious fiction and thrillers will find irresistible . . . with a similar feel to The Da Vinci Code, although, dare I say, a little better written" by an Avid Reader in a five-star review.

Edgar award-winning author Tim Hallinan said after reading A Darkly Hidden Truth, "The events of past centuries echo down present-day hallways . . . Donna Fletcher Crow gives us the world that Dan Brown merely sketches."  

Hallinan's evaluation was echoed by Mike Ornduff, author of the award-winning Pot Thief series: "With A Darkly Hidden Truth Crow establishes herself as the leading practitioner of modern mystery entwined with historical fiction. The historical sections are much superior to The Da Vinci Code because she doesn't merely recite the facts; she makes the events come alive."

"I conceived the series because I believe the past does impinge on the present and I wanted to tell the stories of ancient holy men and women in an exciting, contemporary way," Crow said.

Crow also said that being compared to blockbuster author Dan Brown can be a mixed blessing. "Of course I'm very flattered, but there can be a downside. When a movie company asked for an advance copy of A Very Private Grave they chose not to go ahead with the project because they thought it was 'too like The Da Vinci Code.'"

The second book in the series A Darkly Hidden Truth, actually does refer to Brown and his phenomenally bestselling novel because Crow's novel explores the Knights Templar and she found that Da Vinci Code fans still so crowd the Temple Church in London that the Master of the Temple has written a book telling the true story.

"I try to tell the true story in my novels," Crow said.

About the Author:

Donna Fletcher Crow, an Idaho native, is a lifelong Anglophile and history buff. She has written 45 books, most of them novels dealing with the history of British Christianity, including the Arthurian epic Glastonbury. A Tincture of Murder is the newest title in her Lord Danvers Victorian true-crime series and  A Jane Austen Encounter is the latest in her Elizabeth and Richard Literary Mysteries. A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary is the most recent release in her Monastery Murders series, which also includes: A Very Private Grave, A Darkly Hidden Truth and An Unholy Communion.

Monastery Murder Links:

Donna Fletcher Crow's website   
A Very Private Grave trailer     
A Darkly Hidden Truth trailer    
An Unholy Communion trailer

To request a review copy of A Newly Crimsoned Reliquary or an author interview contact:

Donna Fletcher Crow
Publications Marketing, Inc.
(208) 342-1394   
Email     
http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/

SOURCE Donna Fletcher Crow

Related Links

http://www.donnafletchercrow.com