Mona Lisa's Secret

It's a fast paced adventure novel. A fiction based around some facts from the history of world famous Mona Lisa. The author has also brought in secret societies like Priory of Sion and Da Vinci. So at places it feels like reading Dan Brown. The protagonist Joey Peruggia is the grandson of a real person who tried to steal Mona Lisa, the reason is a figment of author's imagination though. The painting is keeping a secret of another historical figure who existed much befor Christ. It's a good one time read.

An easy read ... some of the coincidences do stretch one's patience and the hero does get exceptionally lucky on not just the odd occasion but each and every one of them but the rule is never question the storyteller ... I haven't read the prequel or sequels if any and this my first brush with Phil Phillips . The subject is a personal favorite and the title caught my eye hence the choice. For the reader who loves a lot of non stop action this is a fairly good choice and the kind of story a scriptwriter could vastly improve .

Nice read.. Keeps up the thrilling moments.Could have been a little more specific while mentioning the boobytraps mentioned..Climax too was short...but it was awesome

Very nicely setup characters with depth and tense but smooth built up and perfect ending. page turner excitement powerful story

Nice read

The Mons Lisa by Michael Angelo is the most famous painting of the world. What if the painting in the Louvre, Paris is fake.Joey great grandfather stole the original Mona Lisa. His girlfriend Marie knows Pierre the curator of Louvre. She advises him to return the original to Paris. They fix the return with him on one condition that they return it with after a press conference. It will clear Joey’s family name. But they are double crossed by Pierre once they reach there.It is claimed that fans of Dan Brown's, da Vinci code will love Phil Philips Mona Lisa's Secret. The story is good initially. But it is stretched too much. The plot is wafer thin. Nothing much happens and the motivations of key characters are childish. So is the tactics employed by Joey and Pierre. Pierre sidekicks though ex-military are all morons. The twist which came (in shape of a hidden code in the paining) was a case of too little too late.I give the book 3/ 5 stars.

Enjoyed the fast paced Mona Lisa based thriller. The story is factual enough to stimulate our interest and the plot intriguing enough to wonder how the thread is gonna unravel at the end. The interpretation of the Mona Lisa painting is definitely the highlight of the book and I found myself nodding with the authors premise and was a bit disappointed that it all is based on fiction. There are areas where the author,Phil Philips, has enjoyed imaginative credibility but these are minor complaints as compared to the overall action and I would recommend this book as one to be picked up and enjoyed when the mood for a history lesson plus adventure beckons you

The Mona Lisa is an intriguing painting and has received a lot more attention (than necessary) ever since Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code”. I am all for stories about and around the Mona Lisa and that’s why I chose “Mona Lisa’s Secret”. I really wanted to know her “secret”.The book is an interesting read owing to its fast pace, well-developed characters, good plot, and crisp writing. There’s a bit of history added here and there which is a bonus for readers. I really hope the author doesn’t become another Dan Brown spinoff and introduces us to more and better thrillers. Maybe in the same league as this book.If you too want to know Mona Lisa’s secret, read the book. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. I wasn’t.I received a free copy (PDF) of this book from the author via BookTasters in exchange for an honest review and this is as honest as it gets.

Phillips delivers a rollicking tale of historical facts blended into an interesting work of fiction.Joey discovers the real Mona Lisa portrait hanging in his father's secret room and his world is flipped upside down. It's discovery and authentication by his girlfriend starts a journey of adventure, intrigue and betrayal that spans the globe in current time and the ancient past.I award this novel 4 STARS.

I was hooked right away by the clever way the author opens the book. Joey Peruggia, a descendant of a criminal family has turned legit...It is 2016, and he's involved with Marie a beautiful woman ten years older, who has extensive knowledge in art and history. In fact, Joey has enjoyed learning from their countless discussions and even, later in the book, is able to use what he's learned to help in a difficult situation.The fluidity of the historical perspective within a present-day thriller is very well done, mainly because of these two characters... Especially when, by accident, they find a hidden room where Joey is now living and had inherited from his family. Joey is the last member of his immediate family and knows nothing about his family's history except from second and third-hand stories passed down through generations. So both Joey and Marie are shocked when they discover...the Mona Lisa, hidden in a secured space within this hidden room. Both look at it carefully and believe it is probably the original, which had been stolen by his ancestor. When that had occurred, he was supposed to have given the painting back to the Louvre, but if a copy had been made, that had been the perfect time to make the switch!Fortunately, Joey and Marie both agree that they should return the Mona Lisa to the Louvre where it belongs... And that's when the true adventure begins, as was hinted at in Chapter 1... Marie talked to the Curator, with whom she'd been working for so many years, feeling like he'd become something like an uncle, and hewas certainly extremely happy to hear from her and asked that they immediately come to France...One hint before I close...this book is not about Mona Lisa... It's about her secret!!! And Marie and Joey are about to discover the first part... as well as discover that their lives are in serious danger!What a double whammy! Just when readers are getting excited about the original Mona Lisa having been found, once Joey and Marie enter the Louvre, an entirely different story explodes and we are left gasping, wondering what is really going on... This does result in a traditional "treasure hunt" hero and Joey surprises us by changing from his carefree life as a rich heir into a brilliant hero that at every challenge is winning out over those who are searching for the original Mona Lisa for an entirely different reason...No matter what the outcome, I was thoroughly enjoying this new hero that arose from the past criminal family involvement to, as they say, save the day for the world! I loved it! I read or watch a lot of movies with this theme and I must say that this book comes right up there in thrilling excitement that will capture your attention from the first to last page. Wow...I'm so glad I didn't miss this one! The variety of twists were amazing. Kudos to the author! I suggest you watch this writer because he may be the newest best-selling author in this particular genre!GABixlerReviews

Joey Peruggia wakes up one morning feeling on top of the world. He’s young (26), has a beautiful girlfriend, Marie, and is financially secure after inheriting his father’s wealth. He’s even living in his father’s penthouse suite at what is now his Beach Club. He’s walked away from what could easily have been a life of crime – and crime runs in the Peruggia family. In fact, Joey’s great-grandfather Vincenzo Peruggia started the criminal run in the family by stealing the “Mona Lisa” from the Louvre in 1911, and keeping it in his Paris apartment for two years before returning it to the museum.Except, as Joey discovers on that beautiful morning, Vincenzo didn’t return the painting. He had an expert copy made, and returned the copy. He had kept the original. Joey and his girlfriend find the original secreted in a hidden room in the penthouse. The painting had apparently been passed down through the Peruggia family.Joey sees an opportunity to clear his family’s name by returning the painting to the Louvre. He calls Pierre Savard, the museum’s curator, with the offer to return the painting. Pierre is overjoyed, and sends a plan to Los Angeles to bring Joey, Marie, and the painting to Paris. What Joey doesn’t know is that Pierre has no intention of a public announcement. Instead, he plans to have three former special military men kill both Joey and Marie once the painting is in his hands.The “Mona Lisa” – the real painting – harbors a secret, and it is that secret that Pierre wants and will kill to get.“Mona Lisa’s Secret” by Sydney-based author Phil Philips is a sustained series of near-death experiences for Joey and Marie, narrow escapes, harrowing captures, and still more near-death experiences from Paris and Switzerland to Cyprus. Every time it appears that Joey is done for, he manages to pull a rabbit out of a hat and escape. You keep reading not only to find out the painting’s secret and where it will lead but also to see Joey avoid certain death time and time again.Philips is also the author of the novel “Fortune in Blood,” and if it’s anything like Mona Lisa’s Secret, I’ll need to rest and recover from the life-threatening excitement for Joey and Marie (and a teenaged Parisian boy who becomes their sidekick and occasional savior) before tackling another one.“Mona Lisa’s Secret” is a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” kind of a read, highly entertaining, and offering a mini-course in art history along the way. And, by the way, the only factual thing in the book is that a Vincenzo Peruggia did steal the “Mona Lisa” in 1911 and returned it two years later.

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. It started out a little jerky and disconnected, but the more I read and the more I was drawn into the book, the more that I enjoyed the book! We all know the whispers and rumors behind the Mona Lisa, that is da Vinci in female form, she is the wife of some well-known aristocrat, etc. And the majority of us have seen or read The Da Vinci Code. If you know all of this, then you know basically where this book, and this review, are going.Joey Peruggia is the great-grandson of Vincent Peruggia, the thief who stole the original Mona Lisa from the Louvre and kept it hidden for two years. It was then recovered and placed back on display in the Louvre. But if the original is in the Louvre, then what is it that Joey found in his late father’s safe room? As he and his art history girlfriend figure out that what they have is the original, then what about the fake hanging in its place in the most famous museum in the world?As Joey and Maria try to do what is right and return the famous painting to its rightful place, things go downhill. The curator not only turns out to know about the fact that the Mona Lisa hanging in his museum is a fake, but he seeks to have the original back in his grasp as soon as possible, by any means possible.Joey seeks to do what is right, he finds out that the Mona Lisa is more than meets the eyes. And as he struggles to get Maria back, and his life somewhat back in order, he learns the secrets hidden in the Mona Lisa. Now, will he give these secrets away? And how will this affect the rest of the world?This started out not my favorite thing, but the more I read it, the more I was pulled into the story. It felt like it could have been fleshed out a bit more in places, but I loved the story and the history behind the Mona Lisa. It did remind me a bit of The Da Vinci Code, but there seemed to be more crime syndicates involved, but all in all, it was good.

I really enjoyed reading the book, it keeps me very busy during the time Ive spent in discovering what's going to happen next. Ive encouraged my son to read it as well. Great job...thanks