Tell-Tale Signs

   Michael Lee’s Tell-Tale Signs is a thrilling adventure novel that develops one of the most unique medieval themes ever: the ability to turn metal into gold. At the root,Tell-Tale Signs is a battle between good and evil and the quest for immortality. Undoubtedly, the author’s free flowing writing style and nonstop action elevate this book to a much more profound level.

The story revolves around ruthless murderer, Dr. Jia Wie, and her educated henchmen, Numbers 1-3— the collective antagonists of the story. The evil alliance is undeterred in its quest to rule the world through the implementation of a life-enhancing drug. All of the antagonists are renowned university professors, and Lee uses them to demonstrate how a little greed and a few perks can quickly corrupt: “The fact this was a criminal venture bothered him at first. The promise of $100,000, tax free, and the opportunity to study obscure manuscripts while on someone’s payroll diminished the anxiety.”

On the flip side, protagonist Big Mike Dempsey, Chief Superintendent, anticipates retiring from the police force. There is no doubt that he’s getting older and has enjoyed a long and fruitful career. Though relatively young at fifty-four, Dempsey suffers a heart attack and a triple bypass within six months from retirement. It would be six months too many as Dempsey, bad health and all, embarks upon a journey to catch the evil perpetrators.

The plotline revolves around a heist at not one, but three famous museums: the Palace of Versailles, the British Museum in London, and Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum. When Numbers 1-3 reveal that, “We three, Jewel, Mueller and myself, used the manuscripts we retrieved from our various museums as fodder.” The purpose of this entire operation is to find all the alchemists—their names are in the manuscripts—that roam the earth, and from there it will be narrowed down to the one that holds the secret of immortality.

Although Chief Dempsey is an integral part of the book, he is more of a bystander, while most of the action occurs between Dr. Jia Wie and ancient immortals, which assume the lives of monks at the Benedictine Monastery in Switzerland. The captured scholars-turned-criminals state, “No, but I think it means Dr. Wie was on the right track. She hired us to obtain evidence of actual transmutations of metal into gold by medieval alchemists. She believes there may be actual immortals among us and clues as to their identity and habits may be obtained through the artifacts.”

The book climaxes when Jia Wie learns of the true powers of these immortal monks. One of the immortals, Weglossen, issues a challenge to Jia Wie by turning a lake into gold. He states, “‘Now Dr. Wie will know she has found at least one of us and we know who she is! Be careful what you wish for,’ he thought.” Read Tell-Tale Signs to discover the fate of Dr. Wie, and all those who view the secrets of the world with evil intent.

The story’s charm is in the uniqueness of the plot: immortality, medieval alchemy, museum heists, and scholarly criminals—what more could a reader ask for? Dr. Jia Wie and her learned comrades are an anti-Indiana Jones fused with a Dan Brown-esque pace and plot. For anyone interested in medieval alchemy, or simply reading a riveting adventure/suspense novel, Tell-Tale Signs is just the ticket. Michael Lee revisits the classic battle between good and evil—and features a unique perspective and plot line to create an original and most enticing read.