Illuminated: Book One of Matt Bronleewe's August Adams Series

Many observers know Matt Bronleewe as a successful producer and songwriter in the contemporary Christian music industry, having worked with artists ranging from Plumb to Rebecca St. James; Hawk Nelson to Michael W. Smith. Many remember him as one of the founding members of the group Jars of Clay. In 2007, Bronleewe published his first novel, Illuminated, released through Christian publisher Thomas Nelson.

The hero of Illuminated is August Adams, a man who collects and sells rare books. His pursuits of fame, fortune and adventure have cost him relationships, including a marriage and a strained relationship with his young son Charlie. August is not on the best of terms with April, his ex-wife, and he only sees Charlie when he's not traveling the world in search of books.

During a flight home from Germany, Adams learns his son and his former mother-in-law are being held hostage. In order to save the lives of his son and his former mother-in-law, August must study a series of hand-painted illuminations from three Gutenberg Bibles and decipher a puzzle five centuries old encrypted within. April Adams, an archaeobibliologist for the Library of Congress, is forced to steal the Library's Gutenberg Bible to help her ex-husband.

The clues August decodes may lead to an ancient treasure and reveal a long-hidden secret which could undermine both the Jewish religion and the Christian faith. The Adamses are caught in the middle of a centuries old struggle between two secret societies who are equally bent on uncovering the secrets hidden in the Bibles. But time is running out, and the captors of August's loved ones have orders to kill them if he does not solve the puzzle quickly.

Illuminated is a most exciting thriller that moves at a very fast pace. Fans of movies such as National Treasure and the Indiana Jones films will enjoy this book. And throw in a heavy dose of Dan Brown's Robert Langdon novels for good measure. Illuminated is rather like The DaVinci Code for the faith-based fiction audience. The faith element is present in the story, although without being preachy toward the reader.

Matt Bronleewe has done very well in his debut novel, developing a taut thriller that runs at breakneck speed. I think Illuminated could make an excellent movie if a filmmaker wanted to adapt this story for the big screen. This novel was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I am eager to read Bronleewe's second August Adams book, House of Wolves.