The Moses Stone
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Product Description
Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of The Shakespeare Secret, a read-in-one gulp thriller that unravels a mystery as ancient as it is deadly.
Product Description
AN ANCIENT CODE
A clay tablet covered in ancient writing is found by an English couple in Morocco. A day later they are dead, killed in a car crash. But where is the relic they died to protect?
A SINISTER SECRET
Determined to uncover a secret that's endured for two millennia, Chris Bronson follows a trail of clues that lead him from the hustle of a Moroccan souk to the deserted caves of Qumran; from the sinister echoes of a water-filled tunnel under the city of Jerusalem to a windswept fortress whose name spells death.
A DEADLY CHASE FOR THE TRUTH ...
Threatened on every side by violent extremists, Bronson is plunged into a mystery rooted in biblical times. For the stone he must find is older and far more dangerous than he could ever have imagined ...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have to confess that James Becker's previous book left me under whelmed, a surprise as I really rate the thrillers he writes under his other guise of James Barrington. But as I know the author can write thrilling stories, I picked this up.
Initially I thought I would mention that this is a path well trod by a variety of authors from Rollins to McDermott and many others. Artefact or map found, chase all over the world, religion as we know it under question etc etc. But then I thought the same could be said of thrillers or sci-fi or almost anything you come to mention, there is very little that has not been done before in some guise or other. So I thought I would just review the book as a piece of entertainment without reference to other big names or comparisons.
When a British couple are killed in Morocco just after they obtain a stone tablet, Police Sergeant Chris Bronson is sent over to ensure that the investigation has been properly undertaken (slight weak point here, as Police Officers are not randomly send around the world to investigate deaths abroad, but never mind). On arrival Bronson suspects there is more to the deaths then is obvious and involves his estranged wife in further investigation. When she too becomes targeted and joins him, they need to stay one step ahead of a lot of bad guys if they want to uncover the secret of the tablet. Cue a chase over the sands of the Middle East as various Arab bad guys, UK gangster types, Mossad and our heroes get nearer solving the mystery.
Well apart from a couple of stumbles I have to confess I enjoyed this. It is fast paced, but realistically so. James Becker does not rush the plot and makes you kind of understand the characters and their motives. This is not supposed to be deep literature and I suspect the author does not anticipate a Booker Prize for this, but as a time filler for a journey or holiday, it does the job quite well.
A quite interesting post-script details the history behind the story, the author has done considerable research which does provide valuable historical background to his story.
Initially I thought I would mention that this is a path well trod by a variety of authors from Rollins to McDermott and many others. Artefact or map found, chase all over the world, religion as we know it under question etc etc. But then I thought the same could be said of thrillers or sci-fi or almost anything you come to mention, there is very little that has not been done before in some guise or other. So I thought I would just review the book as a piece of entertainment without reference to other big names or comparisons.
When a British couple are killed in Morocco just after they obtain a stone tablet, Police Sergeant Chris Bronson is sent over to ensure that the investigation has been properly undertaken (slight weak point here, as Police Officers are not randomly send around the world to investigate deaths abroad, but never mind). On arrival Bronson suspects there is more to the deaths then is obvious and involves his estranged wife in further investigation. When she too becomes targeted and joins him, they need to stay one step ahead of a lot of bad guys if they want to uncover the secret of the tablet. Cue a chase over the sands of the Middle East as various Arab bad guys, UK gangster types, Mossad and our heroes get nearer solving the mystery.
Well apart from a couple of stumbles I have to confess I enjoyed this. It is fast paced, but realistically so. James Becker does not rush the plot and makes you kind of understand the characters and their motives. This is not supposed to be deep literature and I suspect the author does not anticipate a Booker Prize for this, but as a time filler for a journey or holiday, it does the job quite well.
A quite interesting post-script details the history behind the story, the author has done considerable research which does provide valuable historical background to his story.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is an entertaining, relatively light read, peppered with graphic, if occasional, scenes of violence and death. I mention the violence because although there is much more to the book than that, I felt that the various murders were described in such clear detail that for someone who was squeamish, it would not be pleasant. Injuries and the like are actually described in greater detail than most characters' appearances. I wouldn't say I found this off-putting, but people who don't like violent movies or tv shows should probably avoid this book.
The main reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that I thought some of the reasoning and plot points were a little simplistic. There were a lot of coincidences, and a lot of elements that I thought seemed strange enough to be unrealistic. I agree with one of the previous reviewers who said they thought it a weak point that a police officer would be sent to investigate deaths abroad. I would go further than this and say that the fact that Bronson in particular is the police officer who goes to investigate the deaths is a little strange, and in my opinion the explanation for choosing him was not very convincing. I also thought it was strange that he involved his ex-wife in what was going on, apparently without the permission or knowledge of his superiors. This was at a point when he suspected foul play with the deaths; surely he would not be allowed to involve non-police personnel in a potential murder investigation without the proper clearance? In addition, the characters seemed to work out the meanings of difficult clues very quickly, and different groups of people seemed to make the same discoveries simultaneously. That's also a bit unrealistic. Bronson's ex-wife Angela seems just as able to work out the clues concerning something which is not her area of study, as are the academics whose lives are devoted to it. That doesn't really make sense to me, and I felt the character of Angela in particular needed to be better developed.
With all of that said, I want to stress again that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is an entertaining read, without being something that should be analysed in a great amount of detail. One of the elements that I thought was really very well done was the research into the historical information, all of which was extremely interesting and showed the author had really gotten to know his subject matter. I do think it was strange that so many of the characters had the same level of knowledge (particularly Angela), but the author's own gathering of knowledge cannot be faulted.
In summary, if you enjoy novels based on historical events and mysteries, and you don't mind the odd bit of ultra-violence, then you will like this book. It's good fun, and won't take you very long to finish. A good book to take on holiday or to relax for a few hours.
The main reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is that I thought some of the reasoning and plot points were a little simplistic. There were a lot of coincidences, and a lot of elements that I thought seemed strange enough to be unrealistic. I agree with one of the previous reviewers who said they thought it a weak point that a police officer would be sent to investigate deaths abroad. I would go further than this and say that the fact that Bronson in particular is the police officer who goes to investigate the deaths is a little strange, and in my opinion the explanation for choosing him was not very convincing. I also thought it was strange that he involved his ex-wife in what was going on, apparently without the permission or knowledge of his superiors. This was at a point when he suspected foul play with the deaths; surely he would not be allowed to involve non-police personnel in a potential murder investigation without the proper clearance? In addition, the characters seemed to work out the meanings of difficult clues very quickly, and different groups of people seemed to make the same discoveries simultaneously. That's also a bit unrealistic. Bronson's ex-wife Angela seems just as able to work out the clues concerning something which is not her area of study, as are the academics whose lives are devoted to it. That doesn't really make sense to me, and I felt the character of Angela in particular needed to be better developed.
With all of that said, I want to stress again that I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is an entertaining read, without being something that should be analysed in a great amount of detail. One of the elements that I thought was really very well done was the research into the historical information, all of which was extremely interesting and showed the author had really gotten to know his subject matter. I do think it was strange that so many of the characters had the same level of knowledge (particularly Angela), but the author's own gathering of knowledge cannot be faulted.
In summary, if you enjoy novels based on historical events and mysteries, and you don't mind the odd bit of ultra-violence, then you will like this book. It's good fun, and won't take you very long to finish. A good book to take on holiday or to relax for a few hours.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like James Becker's first novel involving British cop Chris Bronson, this is an easy, quick read. There is plenty of action, dead bodies, goodies and badies - all that you'd expect in the religious thriller genre. As for the plot, it is very easy to understand and there are no surprises. It is a standard romp around Morocco, Jerusalem, Qumran, and the final resting place (I won't say where so as not to spoil it), in the hunt for the missing relics. These relics, or the big secret, are certainly important and could have catastrophic implications for the Middle East if this was true instead of fiction. Things are pretty much self-explanatory and take the expected course. Characters remain the same throughout and do not change course - except for one but you can see that coming from the start.
As with the previous book in the series characterisation remains poor with little background. Characters are all rather like cardboard, and the heroes, Chris Bronson and his ex-wife Angela Lewis, need (and deserve) more fleshing out. The stilted relationship between them (Bronson wants to get back with Angela, and she's not too sure) is painful reading and adds nothing to the story. However, Bronson and Angela are agreeable and may pique my interest enough to get any future books to see how they develop. Finally, the action occasionally gets bogged down in scenes where characters discuss or explain things ad infinitum. Becker has clearly done his research but I don't think he needs to put everything into the mouths of his characters. Sometimes it felt as though the characters were giving lectures. As a previous reviewer noted, all the experts seem to be intellectually on par and they all reach the same conclusions at the same time. Angela is not supposed to be an Jewish history expert but seems to know as much as, if it not more, than her superiors.
All in all a cautiously recommended read, and the author's notes at the back are an added bonus.
As with the previous book in the series characterisation remains poor with little background. Characters are all rather like cardboard, and the heroes, Chris Bronson and his ex-wife Angela Lewis, need (and deserve) more fleshing out. The stilted relationship between them (Bronson wants to get back with Angela, and she's not too sure) is painful reading and adds nothing to the story. However, Bronson and Angela are agreeable and may pique my interest enough to get any future books to see how they develop. Finally, the action occasionally gets bogged down in scenes where characters discuss or explain things ad infinitum. Becker has clearly done his research but I don't think he needs to put everything into the mouths of his characters. Sometimes it felt as though the characters were giving lectures. As a previous reviewer noted, all the experts seem to be intellectually on par and they all reach the same conclusions at the same time. Angela is not supposed to be an Jewish history expert but seems to know as much as, if it not more, than her superiors.
All in all a cautiously recommended read, and the author's notes at the back are an added bonus.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great easy read with great storyline
A good read that highlights religious questions in an understanding manner. The characters are believeable and the story line has poetic licence to embellish on an already well... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Nick5912
A good try... but....
This wasn't a bad little thriller, but after some of the others that I have been reading lately, it was on the average side ,or at least only a bit above average. Read more
Published 11 months ago by WilsonD
Mad dogs
I bought this book because I have visited a number of sites where the action takes place and am interested in the dead sea scrolls etc. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Douglas Stuart
The Moses Stone
Book arrived promptly and condition was as good if not better than described, value for money - excellent. Would certainly deal with the seller again.
Published 17 months ago by Jim M
Edge of my seat
Great holiday read and crying out to be made into a film, I was sitting on the edge of my seat.
Brits on holiday picking up more than they bargained for; British policeman... Read more
Brits on holiday picking up more than they bargained for; British policeman... Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2010 by Elizabeth Hunt
Reasonable bit of escapism.
If there's one thing that's clear from the offing its that the author has a very good knowledge of the subject to which they've based the novel. Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2009 by Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog
Thriller Wannabe
I thought this book would be similar to the "historical/adventure/thrillers" at the moment but I was sadly mistake. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2009 by Mr. Ross Charles
mundane, unexciting not recommended
I have read quite a few books from different authors in this category type and this is the most unexciting read i have come across. Read more
Published on 15 Aug 2009 by Ms. R. P. Campbell
fast paced action.
I enjoyed this book, a most enjoyable action packed thriller sprinkled with lots of historical facts. Read more
Published on 20 July 2009 by Jayne Poland
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