J.F. PENN

An ARKANE Thriller by J.F. Penn

Crypt of Bone

Two billion people are about to die… and they're the lucky ones.

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In Jerusalem, patients leap to their deaths clutching the pale horse of Revelation.

In the bone church of Sedlec, a charismatic billionaire prays over an altar of skulls.

The real Devil's Bible is missing its final pages, and the words written there can turn any reader into a killer.

On her first official ARKANE mission, Morgan Sierra and Jake Timber race through the bone crypts of Europe to find the pages before a voice that sounds like God commands millions to obey.

A quarter of the world will die. The prophecy is already in motion.

Crypt of Bone book cover
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Reader reviews
“A gripping tale, plunging the reader into a race against a shadowy organization and its doomsday plot. Mystery and adventure that is sure to please readers who love a good religious thriller.”David Wood, action-adventure author of Quest and Dourado
“Penn has a degree in theology and her knowledge and research, of ideas and locations, really shines through in these stories. As rollicking thrillers these books are great.”Alan Baxter, dark fantasy author of Realmshift and Magesign
“Morgan and Jake have to recover the Devil's Bible before it gets into the wrong hands and can cause devastating consequences that can affect the whole world ... Another great book in the series.”Debbie Harris, Amazon review
The real mysteries

The research behind the book

The book

The Devil's Bible

The Codex Gigas is real, the largest medieval manuscript in the world. Ten pages really are missing.

Learn more → Bohemia

Sedlec Ossuary

Fifty thousand skeletons and a bone chandelier in the crypt that gives the book its title. Jo has stood beneath it.

Learn more → Palermo

Rosalia Lombardo

The sleeping beauty of the Capuchin catacombs, embalmed in 1920, guards the hiding place.

Learn more → Psychology

The Milgram experiments

Jo's Oxford thesis asked why people kill in the name of God. This book is that question, dramatised.

Learn more → Neuroscience

The God helmet

Dr Michael Persinger really induced felt presences with temporal-lobe stimulation. The villains just miniaturised it.

Learn more → Art

Durer's Four Horsemen

The 1498 woodblocks survive in Karlsruhe, and the Codex sat at Broumov as young Durer wandered nearby. Jo joined the dots.

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Listen to a sample

Audiobook available direct from the author and on Audible, Apple, Kobo, Spotify and more.

ARKANE: the series in order
Stone of Fire cover

Stone of Fire

Book 1

 Crypt of Bone cover

Crypt of Bone

Book 2 · this book

 Ark of Blood cover

Ark of Blood

Book 3

 One Day in Budapest cover

One Day in Budapest

Book 4

 Day of the Vikings cover

Day of the Vikings

Book 5

 Gates of Hell cover

Gates of Hell

Book 6

 One Day in New York cover

One Day in New York

Book 7

 Destroyer of Worlds cover

Destroyer of Worlds

Book 8

 End of Days cover

End of Days

Book 9

 Valley of Dry Bones cover

Valley of Dry Bones

Book 10

 Tree of Life cover

Tree of Life

Book 11

 Tomb of Relics cover

Tomb of Relics

Book 12

 Soldiers of God cover

Soldiers of God

Short story

 Spear of Destiny cover

Spear of Destiny

Book 13