The Relic Master

 

The Relic Master by Christopher Buckley  380 pp.

Dismas is a relic hunter in 1517. He makes his living searching for religious relics (many of questionable provenance) to sell to his patrons, Frederick, elector of Saxony and Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. Albrecht desperately wants Christ's burial shroud for his collection and for the funds it will bring in by luring pilgrims to come see it. Dismas persuades his friend, the artist Dürer to make a forgery. When Albrecht discovers the forgery he sends Dismas, Dürer, and three not-too-bright guards to steal the Shroud of Chambéry. Chaos ensues and Dismas and his party must fight for their lives, more than once. The further along I got in the book, the more I realized I had, in fact read this book before. On checking my lists I discovered I did read it in 2016. I left a more detailed review here.