I read the books years ago, and I found this review on the net. Thought it might be of interest. I am not going to state an opinion. Decide for yourself!
"Holy Blood, Holy Grail" is one of those books that requires one to have a vast and unquenchable knowledge and fascination with history.
Almost 2000 years of christian history is spanned in this book, and at times it seems as if the reader is kind of nodding his head while waiting for the chase to begin. However, the hypothisis and the evidence supporting it are never very hard to follow and the conclusion the book (and reader) is finally led to is at once unavoidable and incredible.
My telling it here will not give much away. The conclusion is that there are, alive today, linial descendants of Jesus, born to him by his wife...Mary Magdalene. Before this conclusion be reached however, we begin with a mystery. An almost trifleing little mystery of seemingly little consequence. How did a lone priest is southern France, living quite modestly for most of his life, amass both an amazing monetary fortune and a circle of friends that included composer Claude Debussey practically overnight?
The answer is both confounding and fascinating. The book begins with that one question. The only possible way to describe the turns "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" takes from here is to compare it to an enourmous spider web which gets more and more convoluted yet concise as we step back and examine the whole. Baigent, Leigh, and Lincoln tell a marvelous tale of historical conspiracy and back it up with very impressive evidence, among which are historical documents, legends that may actually refer to historical events, and logical deductions that are very well thought out.
Although the authors have lately taken to grasping at straws to prove this theory, this does not diminish the affect of this work.
It is a fascinating look at Christianity and the events and machinations it has spawned from its ver inception. It is a glimpse into the underground workings of the faith that we always suspected existed, but never grasped the scope of the shadow it has cast on all of us for almost 2000 years. - M.S. Colin