The Fifth World

Praise for Javier Sierra

Also by Javier Sierra

“The Fifth World”

About the Author

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“For fans of religious conspiracy and reinterpretations of religious history.”

—
Washington Post

“
The Secret Supper
is a fascinating yarn and very well told.”

—San Francisco Chronicle

“Sierra emerges as a strong contender in historical fiction with his mostly well-crafted book.”

—Rocky Mountain News

“Javier Sierra's take on Da Vinci is much sharper, more focused and more rewarding.”

—New York Daily News

“No mere
Da Vinci Code
redux, this Spanish bestseller fuses an ecclesiastical whodunit with an A–Z guide to Neoplatonist philosophy and Renaissance symbology. Sierra is a more sophisticated writer than Dan Brown, and he offers fresh perspective on the Renaissance mind.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Offers a new way of interpreting The Last Supper. Sierra's book, already a bestseller in Europe, is a fresh contribution to the Da Vinci industry.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A coiling plot, full of insightful characters, with an intriguing mix of hopes and fears.”

—Steve Berry,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Jefferson Key

“Sierra takes us on a riveting quest through 5,000 years of humanity's rich esoteric history, peeling away those fascinating onionskin layers of our own hidden past.” 

—Katherine Neville, author of
The Eight
and
The Fire

“Sierra has fashioned a spine-tingling apocalyptic thriller set in real-world locations and based on well-researched mythology and scientific facts, with just the right amount of fiction to make for an excellent read.”

—Library Journal

“This plot-driven adventure is a definite page-turner.”

—Booklist

“A fascinating and gripping tale.”

—Heather Terrell, author of
Fallen Angel

“A rocket-paced page turner. Fans of Dan Brown will find everything they're looking for—and so much more.”

—Lisa Unger,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Darkness, My Old Friend

“Javier Sierra's
The Lady in Blue
is an intriguing ‘eye-opener' intertwining historical and scientific research with his own experience of surprising synchronicities. An exciting read!”

—Margaret L. Starbird, author of
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar
and
Mary Magdalene, Bride in Exile

“Sierra makes it all entertaining, intermixing history, churchly intrigue, folklore, spycraft, musicology and conspiracy journalism.”

—
Kirkus Reviews

“[An] intriguing paranormal puzzler.”

—Publishers Weekly

“At once a paranormal thriller and an exploration of an enduring religious enigma, the novel is intellectually engaging and elegantly written. Fans of Sierra's previous novel should definitely read this one.”

—Booklist

“
The Lady in Blue
is the haunting and evocative tale of the triumph of modern spirit and science over a 400-year-old conspiracy. Javier Sierra's groundbreaking historical research opens our eyes to a world we thought we knew, and revisits, in a surprising way, the devastating clash between Catholic Europe and the far more ancient world of the American Southwest.”

—Katherine Neville, bestselling author of
The Eight
and
The Magic Circle

“
The Lady in Blue
by Javier Sierra offers an intriguing story that spans centuries, countries and cultures.”

—Catholic Observer

A
LSO BY
J
AVIER
S
IERRA

The Secret Supper

The Lost Angel

The Lady in Blue

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2009 by Javier Sierra

Previously published in the anthology
Thriller 2

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Atria Books ebook edition June 2012

and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at
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Designed by Akasha Archer

ISBN 978-1-4516-8960-0
ISBN13: 978-1-4424-1433-4 (eBook)

“Y
OU'VE GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO A QUITE
a mess, young lady.”

Tess Mitchell's blue eyes flashed at the precinct commander as he entered the interrogation room where she had been placed in isolation. She had seen his face before on local TV in Tucson.

“My name is Lincoln Lewis and I'm in charge of this precinct,” he said, with a sneer. His overall manner, however, was entirely professional. “I know you've spoken with some of our agents already, but it would be a real help if you could clear up a couple of things from your statement.”

“Of course.”

“For one thing, I need you to tell me what, exactly, you were doing at four o'clock this afternoon in Professor Jack Bennewitz's office.”

“You mean when I discovered . . . the body?”

The police nodded. Tess swallowed hard.

“Well, we had been working together on a project connected to his field of investigation. I was doing research for him and this morning I came across some data that I thought would interest him. Observational data. Technical things.”

“I see. And what was it that Professor Bennewitz taught?”

“Theory of the Solar System, sir.”

“Did you have an appointment with him?”

A blush suddenly came over Tess's cheeks and, unable to conceal it, she cast her eyes downward at the steel and wood table.

“To be honest I didn't need one,” she explained. “He let me come and see him whenever I had to, and since I knew that he
had office hours for his students around then, I just decided to go by. That's all.”

“And what did you find when you got there, Miss Mitchell?”

“I already told your colleagues: the first thing I noticed was how silent it was in Building B. Jack always spoke in such a loud voice. Whenever he yelled—which was often—you could practically hear him at the other end of campus. He was a very intense kind of person, you know? But I noticed something else, too—there was a very odd smell in the waiting room. It even drifted out into part of the hallway, a very strong, acidic odor, really awful.” Tess made a face at the thought of it before continuing. “So I went in without knocking.”

“And what did you find?”

Tess Mitchell closed her eyes, trying to conjure up the scene in her head. The image of her friend Jack Bennewitz lying back in his leather armchair, his face contorted and his eyes fixed on some indeterminate point between the plaster ceiling and the case filled with his chess trophies, flashed through her mind for a brief moment. Despite the fact that his jacket was fully buttoned, there was no way to miss the chocolate-colored stain that had soaked through the shirt underneath. There was no sign of a struggle. Books and papers were meticulously organized, and even the coffee that he must have poured himself shortly before ending up in that gruesome state remained in a mug on his desk, cold and untouched.

“Did you touch Professor Bennewitz's body? Did you make any attempt to revive him?” Officer Lewis insisted.

“Good God no!” the young woman exclaimed. “Of course not! Jack was dead, dead! Don't you get it?”