The Moses Expedition

Warning: Spoiler Review The book was thrilling and exciting and everything the reviews claimed it to be. My problem is that I despise the final premise; we should not bring forth the Ark because it will offend Muslims! That is complete crap! The contents of the Ark are the basis of Western Civilization, the very thing Islam intends to destroy. Is the author insane? I was extremely disappointed in the result! Bobbl

Once again Juan Gomez-Jurado has given us a thriller that will have your heart pumping and your hand anxious to turn the page. Back from his first novel (God's Spy), are the MacGyver-like Priest,Father Fowler,and the ever fiesty and gutsy reporter Andrea Otero. If you have missed that one, I highly recommend the read for anyone who loves a good thriller(see my review for details), but it is not necessary to have read it to get to know these two again, as "The Moses Expedition" stands on it's own and is a completely new story,not a continuance of the first. It is one that will take you through time and distance and around the globe. A group gathered together by an eccentric and reclusive billionaire are making an expedition to the Jordanian desert to possibly recover the Ark of the Covenant, said to contain the Ten Commandmants given to Moses through God.This group consists of Biblical Archaeologists, administravtive technicians and asst.to Kayn(the billionaire),a militant security group,an Israeli doctor,drivers,cooks and of course Otero and Fowler. They were all hand-picked by Kayn for his own reasons.The expedition has much to contend with in the desert:the extreme hot and cold,possible giant sandstorms - that wipe out life and everything else in it's path -and then there is the matter of some very scary terrorists who have their own plans for the group.The really suspenseful and still more scary part is that there may even be those among the group who have some menacing and fatal ideas of their own.And even if they make it through all that - will they find the Ark? Gomez-Jurado has done an amazing amount of serious research for this book giving the reader quite a history lesson to go along with the constant adventure and suspense(truly from start to finsih). He'll take you back in time through the retelling of the story of how the Ark came to be buried in the desert, through the Nazi hunt for Jews - and one very dispicable Nazi doctor, "The Butcher of Spiegelgrund"- to post 9-11 into the chilling minds of terrorists. The short chapters take you back and forth to the various times and places events are unfolding - including coinciding suspenseful situations in the United States, even taking into account the time difference in the various parts of the world. And he brings it all together, completeing the circle wonderfully. It's that great kind of thriller that keeps you guessing,not knowing who to trust or what disaster lurks around the corner.Otero and Fowler are characters to cheer for and you just want to warn them of impending danger(of which there is quite a bit). The Author puts you right in the middle of the scene with his vivd descriptions. He also includes on the inside cover pages, what looks like an aerial map of the area the group is excavating, with inset, as well as placements of the camp tents,trucks, etc. I really liked that. You will also find in the back a list of the players, which was very helpful early on - there were over twenty people on the expedition, plus those working back in the states - but after a while you will know all the characters pretty well. Published originally in Spain, it didn't seem like anything was lost in translation - excellent! I lent out my copy of God's Spy and am still waiting for the return of it - this one stays put. It is one I will surely pull out for another read some day. Bravo Sr. Gomez-Jurado and gracias for a fabulous read.