By: Heights and Woodhouse

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for my honest review.

“One of you will betray me,” Jesus told his disciples at the famous Last Supper.

Two thousand years later, the search is on for the dish that was used at that meal. And everyone has their own motive: fame, money, power.

The book opens with 8 Ball Productions – aptly named for the crew using a plastic 8 Ball to help them decide the direction of their films. Natalie and Ray have not spoken since a big fight, of which neither of them can remember the details. Begrudgingly, they agree to work together on a film regarding the excavation of The Dish.

Oh mystic 8 ball! Seer of present, future, and past! Give us your answer when the die is cast!”

The Die is Cast, chapter: Confessions

Professor Burke, the lead archeologist in search for The Dish, finds himself in Istanbul conducting an excavation site that he believes holds the shrine of the Four Keepers – the four monks who were charged with the safety of The Dish.

Jane Whitaker, the heiress to the Whitaker fortune, is a social media star and a self proclaimed “disher.” Her trips around the world, buying artifacts to prove the existence of The Dish, are spontaneous and funded by her father’s company. With some family drama thrown in, Jane is a rebel, and against her family’s desire to join the company.

The drama surrounding The Dish goes even deeper, as the fighting between the Roman Catholics and the Orthodox boils. One claims to have possession of The Dish while the other says it has yet to be found.

Heights and Woodhouse have clearly done their research or have a creative talent in world building. After a quick google search, I couldn’t find anything about the Four Keepers (except for some Assassin’s Creed content) or the Last Supper Dish (except they may have eaten lamb?). They have taken a concept I had never considered: does the Last Supper Dish still exist? We see a variable cast of characters who have their own distinct story lines that start to merge together for one common goal.

This book is the first in a series called “Lady Jane and the Last Supper Dish”. Jane is meant to be a title character but doesn’t get much book time. Her character is spoiled, naive, and flighty. Her contribution to the story – besides donating her father’s money – is pretty minimal. Her existence in the book could be easily forgotten but maybe book one is just to set a foundation for the rest of the series.

There were so many behind the scenes characters involved in the conspiracy between the Orthodox and the Catholics. I honestly got very confused who was involved with each group and what their goals were.

For (what Goodreads reports) a 500 page book, this isn’t an easy beach read. There are several key points that require attention because they change the whole direction of the story. It took me a little over a week to finish. The chapters about Jane or Natalie and Ray were engaging, but the chapters regarding the Orthodox or Catholics were dry and hard to power through. I still don’t know what either of their end games were.

Overall, this book was a good read because it’s premise was something I hadn’t ever heard before.

I recommend this book to:

• Conspiracy theorists
• Fans of historical fiction
• Historical researchers who enjoy books loosely based on research
• Readers who like 500+ page books
• Fans of archeology