The Expected One: A Novel

Written by Kathleen McGowan

Narrated by Linda Stephens

A gripping thriller and a profound spiritual journey that reveals the greatest story never told!

Two thousand years ago, Mary Magdalene hid a set of scrolls in the rocky foothills of the French Pyrenees, a gospel that contained her own version of the events and characters of the New Testament. Protected by supernatural forces, these sacred scrolls could be uncovered only by a special seeker, one who fulfills the ancient prophecy of l'attendue—The Expected One.

When journalist Maureen Paschal begins the research for a new book, she has no idea that she is stepping into an ancient mystery so secret, so revolutionary, that thousands of people have killed and died for it. She becomes deeply immersed in the mystical cultures of southwest France as the eerie prophecy of The Expected One casts a shadow over her life and work and a long-buried family secret comes to light. Ultimately she comes face-to-face with Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene, John the Baptist, Judas, and Salome in the pages of a deeply moving and powerful new gospel, the life of Jesus as told by Mary Magdalene.

CONTAINS NEW, UNPUBLISHED MATERIAL FROM THE ARQUES GOSPEL.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jul 25, 2006
• ISBN: 9780743563857

Kathleen McGowan

Kathleen McGowan is an internationally published writer whose work has appeared on five continents and in at least fifteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three sons. You can visit her website at www.theexpectedone.com.

Reviews for The Expected One

[Maryke Goldie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an experience! It's absolutely wonderfully written. I cannot help to think that it's categorised as fiction today, but will be the truth of the future...same as Jesus and Mary Magdalene's story. God works in mysterious ways. Ancient masters coming back to earth to correct where humanity has gone off the trail regarding the message back then...balance needs to be restored in spirit and faith and trust in God needs to be restored. Love & Light

[Lisa Moriah Chenthitta · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absorbing story ~ with a very popularized take on the Mary Magdalene “secret.” As a Magdalene priestess myself it felt too “pop” for me to absolutely love it, but it held my attention nonetheless for background noise.

[reflexandresolve · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Really not my thing. I wanted to like it. It alternately seeks to be a feminist retelling of the life of Jesus, or a secret-societies rule the world story. In my opinion, it fails pretty hard at both.The retelling of Mary Magdalene and Jesus was adequate, but harped a little too much on the 'Jesus treated women as EQUALS' point for me really to get involved. I'm already on board -- tell me a good story. Mediocre at best.The modern day 'thriller' was anything but. The plot was shallow and transparent, the characters boring and two-dimensional. I rolled my eyes countless times, and cringed a few more at the trite lines. In my head, I kept yelling at the author to SHOW, don't TELL.Perhaps I wasn't the intended audience -- I'm already a feminist and I don't need convincing that there is more than one side to every story. I think my problem is that I was looking for a story, and I got a a Mary-Jane fanfic that needed a few more beta readers.

[chicachoo · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Absolute caca.

[cozylover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel kept me in its thrall from the first chapter straight to the last. I have always been fascinated by Mary Magdalene and Her role in Jesus' life so have read anything and everything on the subject that I could. This novel is by far one of the best fictional accounts of her life and one of the most believable as well. The link between the present and the past, the coming of the Expected One and the history behind the other Expected One's who had arrived only to be thwarted by those who did not want the truth to be known was as fascinating as the Magdalene details. A rich, moving portrait of one of the most controversial women in history.

[flygurl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoy the subject of Mary Magdalen and the search for what the author believes is the truth about her, her books are a bit disjointed.

[wkelly42 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This would have been a passable work of fiction had the author not claimed it was based on her own life story. That and her over-reliance on questionable extra-Biblical texts ruined the book for me.

[loriephillips · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a mystery along the same lines as The Da Vinci Code only more interesting in my opinion. It explores the prominent position of Mary Magdalene in Christ's ministry and her exclusion from main stream Christianity as it developed. It also includes the ages old legend of the Holy Bloodline of Jesus and Mary and their descendents, as well as the rise of competing secret societies. The story is told through the character of Maureen, a modern day descendent of Mary and Jesus.McGowan has researched the subject extensively, and while the book is very informative, it is not particularly well-written. There are many chapter breaks to indicate changes in point of view that make the story choppy. The author also tries to communicate the various Magdalene legends through the stilted dialogue of the characters. I enjoyed this book despite it's faults because of the fascinating subject matter. I recommend it to those who have an interest in alternative beliefs regarding the roots of Christianity. I found it totally absorbing and thought provoking.

[oldbookswine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a refreshing book about the time of Jesus. Based on extensive research, the author weaves a believable tale that covers the past 2000 years. Mary Magdene's bloodline is traced thriough the agesa both by family and foe. The outcome takes the reader once again to the Vatican for surprising results.

[picklechic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a little slow moving but I really enjoyed the mystery once it sped up. I was intrigued by the claims in the book and am interested in reading the next books in this series and researching the validity of the sentiments. I don't usually read religious fiction like this, but I do like history and I found the book very interesting.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of a woman who finds that she has links to the holy grail. She also finds that she's dragged into controversy and that there are a number of different people who want her to join them because she has a lot of potential power.I found it readable but only just, there are huge leaps of faith involved in some of the logic and the story, despite it's claim of authenticity (which really didn't do anything to improve the story for me). The interlinks that it builds between almost all the famous women of history stretched even my flexible credulity! The fact that I've read almost everything that she's using as references didn't help.It's not the worst thing I've read, I found it readable but it didn't make me want to rush out and get the sequel.

[susanbnm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book really made me think. The plot was complex but not too confusing, the characters were realistic and engaging, and the premise is factually based, which made the book even more appealing. There is a list of references in the back for those who want to follow up on her research. Based on her website, it seems somewhat autobiographical as well, which I found very intriguing. I really looked forward to reading the next installment.

[indygo88 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Something (or maybe several things) about this novel just didn't sit well with me. Perhaps I have trouble being totally open-minded when it comes to Mary Magdalene, as this subject matter challenges a lot of my traditional beliefs. But I can appreciate alternate interpretations and ultimately, I don't think that's what turned me off of this novel. I think it was more the fact that it was too slow-moving and not particularly well-written that made me just want to be done with it. At times it was overly dramatic. At other times it was the opposite. Part of this may be attributable to the reader of this particular audiobook, who was certainly capable, but not my favorite by any means. My overall feeling was just "meh....". I have novels #2 and #3 in this series also on audio and normally I'm a sucker for a series, but I'm thinking I'm going to have to pass on those....

[debbie.menzel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Engaging story, although a little Dan Brown or Steve Berry -ish. 1st in a series, apparently. I enjoyed it.

[maureencean · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book on cd, and I really felt that hearing my name said over and over and over was disconcerting at first! At least the reader pronounced it right. These tales of the Magdalene and the bloodline of Christ really entertain me. I find the descriptions of how it is represented in art, or at least how we assume it is, to be especially interesting. After reading some of the other reviews, I don't care if the author thinks that every last bit of it is true, it doesn't infringe on my enjoyment. I agree it got a little draggy in places, and the writing is good but not excellent, which is fine with me, not everything can be. Ordered the next book last night, but I won't be dropping everything else when it comes in, I'll need a little break.