The Genesis Code | Read Full Reviews Before Using!
veer zara
Joe Lassiter’s sister and nephew died in a fire that destroys their home. The investigator suspected it was arson. At the morgue, Joe asked his friend Tom Truong, a medical examiner, about the result of the autopsy. The doctor told him that both died even before the fire. He showed him the cuts in their bodies: Kathy was stabbed in the chest and Brandon has a slit on his throat. As far as Joe knows, Kathy has no known enemy. She was living with her son and has no husband. However, a witness saw a man exploded on the window at Kathy’s house during the fire. Who was the man? That’s the one thing Joe has to investigate as this John Doe is the probable suspect.
Months before, in Italy, a doctor made a confession to Father Azetti. The confession shocked the priest that made him decide to go to the Vatican. He has to let Cardinal Orsini know his fears and Azetti believes that the matter has to be resolved urgently. He was convinced that whatever he has heard was against the Christian Faith and an abomination to God.
The Genesis code is a biomedical Thriller written by John Case (pseudonym). Another story of ‘when faith and science collide‘. Intriguing. With a lot of surprising twists. Mystery after mystery. Well written. I rated it 5/5 on Goodreads.
The novel has a great opening — ‘the confession‘ — that will leave the readers with the question ‘what was that?‘. It was the author’s way for us to continuously turn the page until we get the answer.
It was very informative in a sense. Like, it has discussed about the Vatican II, religious orders (Jesuit, Dominican), in vitro fertilization, oocyte (donation), totipotent cell, nucleated cell, DNA, cell differentiation etc. I have to reread the explanations, google the terms, especially the scientific stuffs to make sure that I understand them well. For me, these topics also made the book interesting aside from the plot. In addition, since I’m trying to learn Italian language, I’m happy that this book has some Italian words.
The main protagonist was Joe Lassiter who owns an investigative agency. He is ‘intelligent of them all‘, thorough even on small details and a pro in the investigative field. Like, he was always ahead of the police. I could say that he has an introvert personality. Quiet and he keeps his emotion just to himself. Running helps Joe think clearly with the hope that the answer would just pop in anytime. He never procrastinates. Finding answers excites him. I’m happy that at the end of the story he found love and built a family. Being the last of the Lassiters, he could’ve lived a sad life without a family of his own.
Spoilers.
At the first few chapters, there was already a hint that the religious group Umbra Domini has something to do with this evil act. John Doe, who was later identified as Franco Grimaldi, was an Italian and a member of the group. As Joe Lassiter flew to Italy and gathered information that could connect the dots, he learned that his sister’s case isn’t an isolated one. Similar crime (arson, mother and child killed) happened in different places like Prague and London. The one thing they have common was, they all went into a fertility clinic in Italy like Kathy — Dr. Baresi’s clinic. These women’s only motive was to have a child, but why kill and burn them? I’ll leave that part unanswered.
Extra:
I’m not really sure but, I think the Umbra Domini used in the book was based from the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) except for the crime mentioned in this book. I’ve learned that like UD, SSPX, was a group of Catholic that embraces the traditional Catholicism, preserved Tridentine mass & against the changes made by the Vatican II.
Quotes:
- “And yet… everyone agreed that to do nothing was an action of another kind. And one, moreover, whose consequences might be equally great.”
- “Post hoc, ergo propter hoc — after the fact, therefore because of it.”
- “What he liked about running was the way it stopped the mind. When he ran, it was as if he’d vanished from himself and the only thing left was motion.”
My daughter and I sat down together to watch The Genesis Code. The movie depicts how God can intertwine relationships on this Earth to help people figure out that He is real. The relationship between Kelsey and Blake was a bit awkward to me at times. Kelsey, who is depicted as a strong Christian, seems a bit too flirtatious while trying to lead someone towards purity. Other than that, I really do think that the movie captures the essence of one of the largest debates throughout history: Is God real? Not only does it capture this debate, but gives some great insight into how both science and God can and do coexist. It was a good film that provoked some discussion between my daughter and I at the end of the night and kept our attention the whole way through.
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