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vortimer's review against another edition
5.0
Cracking thriller, reminiscent of The Da Vinci code but much better, with more believable historical conspiracies, better written, and with more compelling characters.
I don't know if Sussman - who it seems died a few years into his writing career - had lived he'd be better known, but the two I've read out of the five written have been real page turners.
I don't know if Sussman - who it seems died a few years into his writing career - had lived he'd be better known, but the two I've read out of the five written have been real page turners.
ljutavidra's review against another edition
2.0
Čitala sam je davno i tad mi se činila kao najbolja avanturistička knjiga ikad. I sad kad sam je ponovo uzela nakon više od 10 godina, razočarana sam stilom pisanja koji tada nisam ni primećivala. Toliko je loše da je nisam ni dovršila, ali moram sniziti ocenu. :(
zenithharpink's review against another edition
3.0
This was a tough read for me. While the story was superficially interesting, it was predictable and ani-climactic. If this book was an example of AITA, this would be a resounding ESH. There is SO. MUCH. HATE. The ending wasn't entirely satisfying, but given the context of the story, it's not super surprising. I wish there was more of a hero and more momentum to the story overall. This was a heavy and largely unnecessary 538 pages.
I don't really recommend, but don't NOT read it if you already have it....
I don't really recommend, but don't NOT read it if you already have it....
michael_k's review against another edition
3.0
I really appreciated this book for its "human" heroes and the effort of the author to tackle a very difficult subject besides the fictional plot. I also appreciated the fact that there are no loose ends in the story, everything is explained and accounted for and in a most logical way.
henrik_w's review against another edition
3.0
A dead body is discovered in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, and Inspector Yusuf Kahlifa of the Luxor police starts the investigation. What appears to be a simple case turns out to be something quite the opposite.
At the same time, we follow the actions of another police officer, Arieh Ben-Roi in Jerusalem, and also the actions of the Palestinian newspaper reporter Layla al-Madani, also based in Jerusalem.
All three of them are on the trail of the same ancient secret - a secret that goes back to the year 70 AD, and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. As it turns out, the Nazis discovered the secret during World War II, but hid most of the evidence of it in an abandoned mine at the end of the war.
THE LAST SECRET OF THE TEMPLE is often compared to THE DA VINCI CODE, and it is easy to see why. I really enjoyed THE DA VINCI CODE, and despite having all the right ingredients, THE LAST SECRET OF THE TEMPLE is not a new DA VINCI CODE. The main problem is that the plot develops too slowly - it is not at all as action packed as THE DA VINCI CODE (save for the last 100 pages or so out of almost 700 pages). Also, there are a lot fewer puzzles/mysteries to solve on the way to the finale.
There were however several things I liked about it. The story is set in Egypt and Israel, and the descriptions feel quite authentic. Even more so, because of the numerous words in Arabic, Hebrew and Yiddish that are used throughout the book. And even if the plot develops too slowly, it is a good story. It is fascinating with an ancient secret, and I liked the plot twist at the end as well.
In summary, not a new DA VINCI CODE, but a good story, albeit too slow to develop.
At the same time, we follow the actions of another police officer, Arieh Ben-Roi in Jerusalem, and also the actions of the Palestinian newspaper reporter Layla al-Madani, also based in Jerusalem.
All three of them are on the trail of the same ancient secret - a secret that goes back to the year 70 AD, and the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. As it turns out, the Nazis discovered the secret during World War II, but hid most of the evidence of it in an abandoned mine at the end of the war.
THE LAST SECRET OF THE TEMPLE is often compared to THE DA VINCI CODE, and it is easy to see why. I really enjoyed THE DA VINCI CODE, and despite having all the right ingredients, THE LAST SECRET OF THE TEMPLE is not a new DA VINCI CODE. The main problem is that the plot develops too slowly - it is not at all as action packed as THE DA VINCI CODE (save for the last 100 pages or so out of almost 700 pages). Also, there are a lot fewer puzzles/mysteries to solve on the way to the finale.
There were however several things I liked about it. The story is set in Egypt and Israel, and the descriptions feel quite authentic. Even more so, because of the numerous words in Arabic, Hebrew and Yiddish that are used throughout the book. And even if the plot develops too slowly, it is a good story. It is fascinating with an ancient secret, and I liked the plot twist at the end as well.
In summary, not a new DA VINCI CODE, but a good story, albeit too slow to develop.
amygeek's review against another edition
4.0
Easy read - was perfect for flying and traveling. Interesting story about Israelis, Arabs, Nazis, mystery and ancient secrets.
st4rlight's review against another edition
4.0
الرواية تستحق أقل من 4 نجمات بقليل :)
الرواية عمل متقن ، لم يعجبني الموضوع كثيراً ، لكن الإسلوب والمعالجة كانا رائعين
..
هذه الرواية أفضل بكثير من رواية جيش قمبيز المفقود التي قرأتها في وقت سابق .
الرواية عمل متقن ، لم يعجبني الموضوع كثيراً ، لكن الإسلوب والمعالجة كانا رائعين
..
هذه الرواية أفضل بكثير من رواية جيش قمبيز المفقود التي قرأتها في وقت سابق .
marystevens's review against another edition
2.0
Thriller, I suppose. It was a Nook freebie and i didnt have anything else to read. Set primarily in Egypt and Jerusalem it follows police investigations into two related Egyptian murders but other bodies fall by the wayside as we go along. It involves the present day search for a sacred Jewish treasure which had been entrusted to a young man and his sons and his sons as infinitum by the high priest at the fall of the Temple in AD 70. Several different takes on Israeli Palestinian conflicts are woven into the story. Involves academic, journalistic, Israeli police and Egyptian police investigations. Meh.
wellington299's review against another edition
3.0
If you're looking for some thing like da Vinci code, read this book. I picked up this book because I thought it would tickle my fancy with Egyptian history when it actually had to do more with Jewish heritage. The story kept me mostly interested without feeling formulistic. Having the story told from so many perspectives grew a little unwieldy but I think the author did a bang-on job with the three main characters. This mystery-thriller type didn't quite excite my soul but it did did have plenty of brushes of inspiration.
turophile's review against another edition
A good friend recently told me he doesn’t like movies that sell themselves by comparing to other more successful movies. Probably applies to books as well. This book styles itself as a thriller in the vein of the DaVinci Code (which I didn’t like) but somehow better. Perhaps it is better, but I’ll never know. The writing is pedantic and the story does not engage me. DNF.