"Ancient manuscripts and murder"

Lisa Donahue is in Israel examining some ceramic object for loan to Philadelphia's University Museum where she is curator. She is also an archaeologist, and is very interested in some ancient papyrus she discovers.

She runs into her ex-boyfriend Greg Manzur. They met seven years ago when she was here during her junior year to study archaeology. Now she's engaged to a dr. She doesn't want to revisit her relationship with Greg.

But, when he tells her about the ancient manuscripts he is searching for and she tells him about the ancient papyrus she has discovered, they join forces. There are people out to find the manuscripts to destroy them, and they will also destroy anyone who tries to hinder them in their quest.

Can Lisa keep things professional with Greg? Can they locate the manuscripts before anyone else and without getting injured along the way?

This is a great book. Such a fast read, too. You won't want to put it down. Lisa is a well-written character and the fact that the book is told from multiple points of view only enhances the story. The location is wonderful. The author has a great way of making you feel like you are there with Lisa. The search intensifies and you often don't know who is good and who is bad. I highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Dawn Dowdle
Courtesy Mystery Lovers Corner
Posted February 21, 2007

Summary

While visiting Israel, archaeologist and museum curator Lisa Donahue finds an ancient papyrus, part of a lost first century AD codex on the teachings of Jesus' female disciples. Lisa teams up with her ex-boyfriend Gregory Manzur, racing to find the rest of the codex ahead of Christian fanatics who will kill to prevent the codex's publication. Told from multiple points of view, this mystery/suspense story is set in Israel in 1997, prior to the recent Palestinian uprisings. The characters, two American archaeologists, a Jordanian epigrapher, a Lebanese museum curator, an Arab-Israeli registrar, and an American conservator, reflect the diverse population and religious beliefs of modern Israel. Since the provenance of the papyri turns out to be a cave located smack on the Jordanian-Israeli border, an international committee is convened to determine the ultimate fate of the Dead Sea Codex.