The Exodus Quest

Last year I read Will Adams first novel The Alexander Cipher and wondered if he could possibly keep up the standard he had set himself in a second novel. In The Exodus Quest he has answered in a most affirmative manner. The setting again is Egypt, the hero is Daniel Knox and his aides Gaille Bonnard and Augustin Pascal who all featured in the Alexander Cipher. Archeologist Knox has his "little grey cells" stirred by discovering the lid of an ancient scroll jar for sale in a street market. This puts him on the trail of an ancient sect and brings him into conflict with the Rev. Peterson, an American Hell Fire evangelist operating an illegal dig near Lake Mariut. Meanwhile Gaille finds herself entangled with Charles Stafford a writer of popular history books full of speculation and outlandish theories. After penetrating Peterson's dig Knox crashes his jeep while being chased by his security men. His friend Omar, an Antiquities Inspector is killed. Knox is concussed and loses his memory allowing Peterson to accuse him of murder. Escaping from the hospital he is chased by both the police and the murderous Reverend. Gaille is held hostage by a corrupt policeman, and together with Stafford and his assistant are held in a cave which is rapidly flooding during a torrential downpour. Will Knox arrive in time to rescue Gaille? Will he discover the hidden tomb? I never knew that archeology was so exhausting. Equally enthralling for me were the conversation pieces where speculation on the origin of the Exodus story and the heretic Pharoah Ahkenaten were explored. Could Judaism really have developed from the monotheism of this iconoclastic ruler. Somehow I do not think that this book will be a bestseller in Israel. However, taken as the entertainment it is intended to be it is first class. It gallops along at a cracking pace and kept this reader turning the pages all day. Fortunately it was raining and I could not be called on for gardening duties.