Published by Bantam, part of Transworld Publishers
Format: Paperback
£8.99
Author:
Paul Sussman
Format: Paperback
EAN: 9780553814057
£8.99
Available for dispatch within 1-2 working days
EAN: 9780553814057
Published: 5 Jun 2006
Jerusalem, 70 AD. As the legions of Rome besiege the Holy Temple, a boy is given a secret that he must guard with his life.
Southern Germany, December 1944. Six emaciated prisoners drag a mysterious crate deep into a disused mine. They too give their lives to keep the secret safe - they are murdered by their Nazi guards.
Egypt, Valley of the Kings, present day. A body is discovered among some ruins. It appears to be an open-and-shut case but the more Inspector Yusuf Khalifa of the Luxor police uncovers about the dead man, the more uneasy he becomes. And his investigation turns out to be anything but routine. Khalifa doesn't know it yet, but he is on the trail of an extraordinary long-lost artifact that could, in the wrong hands, turn the Middle East into a blood bath. It's a dangerous path he's taking - and to make matters worse, he's not alone...
From ancient Jerusalem, the Crusades, Cathar heretics and coded medieval manuscripts to the Holocaust, hidden Nazi treasure and the murderous present-day, The Last Secret of the Temple is a thrilling, rollercoaster ride of adventure in search of a two thousand year-old mystery and a pulse-pounding race against time.
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'The intelligent reader's answer to The Da Vinci Code: a big, fat satisfying archaeological puzzle'
- INDEPENDENT
Not just a tightly-plotted, richly-observed, thought-provoking thriller, but one with a soul...The compelling mix of tough, page-turning suspense, archaeology, history and characters caught up in the brutal politics of the Middle East, make this a timely and authentic novel. Paul Sussman builds his story with the meticulous strokes of a craftsman...His storytelling comfortably blends historical mystery with unflinching contemporary suspense, all of it told through utterly convincing depictions of setting and character. Inspectors Khalifa and Ben-Roi are heroes of our age: conflicted, harassed, noble and, most crucially, very human. I hope we see more of them very soon.
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Another sure fire winner from a gifted storyteller.
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Sussman's brilliant novel...shines a light into a bloody part of the world, where it is hard to tell enemy from friend, and where ancient debts of pain and murder echo to the present. Here is a thriller on a par with the best literature out there. Challenging, shocking, evocative...it should be required reading during these harsh times
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'Ambitious, large-scale adventure...Sussman's fastidious research into the novel's setting grants everything a plausibility...his millennia spanning plot functions as a colourful backdrop'
- GOOD BOOK GUIDE
'A rollicking, feel-good adventure set among the murky and convulsive politics of the present-day Middle East'
- JEWISH CHRONICLE
'An exciting page-turner...unusual and intriguing'
- WESTERN DAILY PRESS
Paul Sussman is a journalist and author. He has also worked as a field archaeologist, and was part of the first team to excavate new ground in the Valley of the Kings since Tutankhamun's tomb was found in 1922. His first novel, The Lost Army of Cambyses, was an international bestseller and has been translated into 28 languages. He is married and lives in London.
