This is a reader's review found at amazon.com of Holger Kersten's book about the Shroud of Turin:
The basic idea of this book, written by two European investigators and translated into English, is that the Shroud of Turin is genuine and represents the actual image of Jesus. So why did carbon-dating tests conducted in 1988 show it dates only to the 14th century? The authors spend many pages showing in detail that the test was rigged. The cloth pieces that were analyzed by three labs were not from the shroud, but from a piece of cloth known to date from the 14th century. The authors were obsessive in their pursuit of the facts of the testing and show how the cloth could have been substituted. They interviewed everyone involved, often many times, and sometimes having to pursue people doggedly over time. They obtained photos of the supposed pieces of cloth and had the photos analyzed, and they watched (over and over) the video of the actual cutting of a piece of the shroud. They show how the reported weights of the pieces given to labs does not add up to the weight of the cloth cut from the shroud. Nor does the herringbone weave of the shroud match exactly to the weave pattern of the tested pieces.
So who would want the test to show that the shroud is not the burial cloth of Jesus? The surprising answer is -- the Vatican! The evidence that the rigging was a Vatican job is strong, and the reason also makes sense. The authors say the shroud shows a crucified man WHO IS NOT DEAD. If Jesus was not dead when he was taken down from the cross, then Catholic Church doctrine that makes Jesus' death a "sacrifice" that redeemed mankind from its sins is flawed. The Church cannot back down from any of its teachings, and would protect its existence by relegating the shroud to status of "interesting relic," probably hoping people would just forget about it.
But this is a story that holds endless fascination for the Christian nations of the world. Is the image on the cloth that of Jesus? And how did the image get onto the cloth? The authors tackle that mystery too, postulating that the mixture of aloe and myrrh described in the Bible and possibly used to heal the wounds of an alive Jesus would contribute to creating the image. They experimented with their own mixture and tried smearing it on one of the authors, who was then wrapped with a linen cloth similar to the shroud material. They succeeded in obtaining an image, but it was not of the amazing lifelike quality of the shroud image.
The authors' conclusion -- that Jesus did not die on the cross -- is not unique, since many other researchers and authors have stated the same belief, and many of the attendant theories include the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, had children, and founded a dynasty that still exists. The Jesus Conspiracy just adds more fuel to the fire. This book builds a persuasive and believable case, built around an extensive investigation of the Turin Shroud.