John C. Stipa

A sense of computer gaming blends with a feel for reality in John Stipa’s The Angel Solution, as rival archaeologists follow an Indiana-Jones style path toward hidden treasure. Fragments of a curious journal might hold the clue to what’s real and what’s imagined. But soon the reader will be wondering, who is real, and how real is real?

Told through the observant eyes of multiple characters and detailed dialog, the story is rich in images and complex in plot. Black and white illustrations are cool and intriguing. And the slow revelation of Project Angel is well-timed, drawing readers in to imagine and guess what’s going on.

Two of the protagonists will be familiar to readers of No Greater Sacrifice, but The Angel Solution stands alone as an intriguing novel of science gone awry and cool adventurous plot.

Disclosure: I won a copy and I freely offer my honest review.… (más)

After having read my first Stipa novel, "No Greater Sacrifice", I was delighted that John published another book!

"The Foiled Knight" is a story that both grabbed my heart and got under my skin. I felt like the characters would walk into my home any minute, proving to be as real as my neighbors. I wanted to hug some of them (Fenton, Sandra) and punch others in the face (Ernie, Dell).

After years of being saved by her 'foiled knight', Tanya must now come to his aid. Stan's sudden coma reverses their roles after a lifetime of friendship and memories. Tanya must face the long overdue realization that she was the one foiling Stan's attempts to desperately save her life from ruin and from Dell's poorly disguised love.
Fenton and Sandra unknowingly help Tanya unlock the mysteries of her and Stan's shared pasts. Tanya must revisit the pain of her ex-husband's abuse and years of damage from peers such as Ernie and Eileen. At the same time, she must redirect her focus in life as she travels down memory lane time after time, thanks to a kidnapping that put Stan in a coma and endangered Holly Matthews.
Ernie is the perfect evil and mean-spirited bad guy. His manipulation of Dell is disgusting and shows what an idiot Dell is by his blind ignorance of a woman who tried to save him from himself. Ernie uses his bitter childhood as fuel for hatred that almost costs 3 people their lives and costs Dell his future in more ways than one. Young and innocent Holly proves to be a valuable asset in saving Tanya even as Tanya works to save both Holly and Stan.

My favorite chapter of "The Foiled Knight" is Chapter 40. An abused maiden-in-distress reaches out in her trauma to a confused and misdirected new friend who literally stumbles into her life. They don't even realize how much they are helping each other while thwarting a life-threatening criminal. Painful memories finally shed light on a potentially disastrous situation and a love almost lost forever, changing a young girl's fate at the same time.

Most endearing character--Fitzy: you just gotta love the guy. Strongest character--Sandra: she keeps vigil over her damaged son-- a devastating role for any parent, welcomes Tanya, Kurt and Laura back into her life, and shows her kindness towards others and sense of humor as she works to keep Fenton in line.
Mr. Stipa shows professional grace as he teases the reader with just the right amount of mystery and suspense, but not so much as to make a person want to just jump to the end of the book and be cheated out of the wonderful journey. It's a story you want to sit back and enjoy for as long as it lasts. The transition from one scene to another is to be admired. Although there are many characters of importance, it is not confusing for the reader and allows better bonding with them.

I hope you also enjoy the author's notes as I did. They provide an additional treat to a great story! If you like his work, please visit John C. Stipa on Facebook or Goodreads.… (más)

When Renee d' Arcadia, archaeologist learns that she is terminally ill, she decides it's time to take any chances she can get. Grasping at straws, she starts a quest to learn the secrets of the legendary Eleusinian Mysteries, a purification rite that might just provide her with the lifeline she needs. Never did she think that a trip to Greece would place her at the center of a dangerous plot, or bring her closer to sexy David Arturo.

Part adventure, part rollicking romance, and part ancient history lesson, Stipa's novel is a sort of Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones with a dash of mysticism.

I don't read much in the adventure/thriller genre, but when I do, I like to be absorbed by the story. This was a quick-paced and engaging read. I especially appreciated that Renee was not the sort of damsel-in-distress female sidekick that is so often introduced in such novels, but a strong, determined woman capable to getting herself in and out of scrapes.… (más)

No Greater Sacrifice is a cross between Indiana Jones and The Da Vinci Code (or at least these are two of the more prominent titles that is close to his work/influence). If you’re a Dan Brown lover, you’ll love this book. But at the same time, it is in no way comparable, because the concept is unique and there was so much more involved than just mystery. I took a long time to read this because I was so absorbed into solving the mystery behind Sauniére’s secret myself – I was that intensely involved in the novel!

By default, you’d expect plot twists and jaw-dropping action unfolding, but John did it in a way that caught me so off-guard. Sometimes, he’d even do it relatively bluntly and you’d be left screaming, “What?!” at the page. The pacing of the novel was fast-paced most of the time. There were slow moments where Renée and David would debate back and forth, throwing ideas at each other, but after they’d reach a conclusion, the pace would pick up again in action-packed adventure.

I didn’t expect John to be writing about dealing with deeper issues – I really only suspected mystery and adventure. So when other issues came up, like death, betrayal, incest, insecurities, conspiracy, not living up to expectations, and cancer, I was mildly pleased! I loved how these issues were incorporated in the story, yet it never took hold of the story – we could still read about depressing issues without it transforming into a novel about cancer.

The characters were extremely realistic and were very easy to connect with. There’s Renée, who is an archeologist and was always pushed hard by her father. She’s fierce, assertive, stubborn, resilient, and will never say no to an adventure. She’s battling with leukemia and her imminent death from it looms over most of the actions she takes, and she’s more reckless because of it. Then there is David, an ex-army man turned college professor who has inner demons and insecurities. He’s chivalrous, humorous, and so-darn-cute sometimes!

The romance in the novel (because yes, there’s romance, as well!) was outstanding. It was executed in such a way that it didn’t take the spotlight away from the original plot. Of course, it was still present and sometimes entire chapters were devoted to the romance, but ultimately, everything would come back to the mission. And wow, John wrote some romance scenes like a woman! That is not an insult – it’s a huge compliment. The romantic elements were tender, yet steamy; subtle, yet intense. I suppose I just assumed a man couldn’t write passages that radiated with such warmth and love... until I read this book.

The amount of work and research that went into this novel was amazing. There was so much detail of archaeology, mythology, religion, famous landmarks – it was easily overwhelming. I could practically see all the hard work and sweat that went into developing this novel. I have to give John mad props for weaving this tale and connecting all the dots so seamlessly that they made sense (to an otherwise slow person who can’t make connections, like myself!). The man is ingenious for all the debates and clue-work he did!

My only complaints are that John doesn’t name what foods are in the book – they sounded so delicious! I was ready to go out and order half of the things that were mentioned in the novel, but I didn’t have names to go with the delectable foods he was describing! I also didn’t like the alternating point of views within the same paragraph, but you get accustomed to it after the first 50 or so pages. Very, very small dislikes compared to an otherwise amazing novel.… (más)