Author: Kathy Reichs
Publisher: Scribner
351 Pages
Crime/Thriller
An Orthodox Jewish man is shot to death, and the killing may have something to do with bones discovered at Masada in the 1960s. Temperance Brennan and her boyfriend Andrew Ryan team up with an archaeologist in Israel to solve the case. The bones in question may be the remains of Jesus Christ. Brennan delves into the history of Masada, Jesus Christ, Christianity and Judaism in this 8th book of the Temperance Brennan series.
Well, I have to admit I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this book. While I found the history and the premise that Jesus perhaps didn't die on the cross interesting, I felt that maybe this book was written to cash in on the DaVinci Code craze a few years ago. As the theory behind the plot was explained, I just became very incredulous. There is an afterword by the author citing a book that outlines the Jesus/Mary Magdalene concept. The more in-depth the book went into the idea that they had discovered a tomb containing the holy family, and that people were being killed to cover it up, it just fell flat for me. The ending seemed rushed and more than a little like a cop-out written to not ruffle any feathers. As I read the final chapters, I found myself wondering less about the actual outcome of the story, and more about how Reichs was going to end it without her characters formulating any opinion or finding any factual proof to support or refute the theory.
The book was well-written in general, and for the most part I did enjoy reading it. I just found the ending to be really...well, meh. The story line built up tension and wonder about whether Brennan would prove or disprove the possibility that Christ lived to old age.....only in the end to have no answers.
It is obvious that Reichs researched the topic well, and she gives information so that her readers can research it more themselves. It's just a bit obvious that she backed off from the topic at the end so that some would not be offended by the book.
I would have given the book a higher rating, if not for the fizzle at the end.
My rating: 5/10
Some violence, not graphic.
Ages 16+
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