by Daniel Levin
First published 2009
Jonathan Marcus travels to Rome on legal business, but his background in classics leads him to something unexpected. Hidden within an ancient stone fragment, he finds a message that changes everything. The discovery draws him into partnership with Dr. Emili Travia, a UN preservationist who understands the stakes. Together they uncover a contemporary conspiracy designed to eliminate all Jewish and Christian traces from Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The plotters aim to rewrite history by destroying physical evidence of these faiths' presence at the sacred site. Marcus must navigate between his legal training and his scholarly instincts as he races to stop those who would erase millennia of religious heritage. The case forces him to confront how the past and present collide when powerful forces seek to control historical truth.
Genres: historical-fiction, adventure, mystery, archaeology, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, race-against-time
Setting: Rome, Jerusalem, Temple Mount
Period: Contemporary
432 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books