The Bible of Clay

I liked the idea of this book when I read up on it and I was not disappointed. The only reason that it didn't get 5 stars was because I thought that there were so many characters put into it that sometimes I got a little confused, but all in all a very good read. I didnt' get bored with it at all. Can't wait to read her new book.

President Bush has put a clock on Iraq so that if Hussein fails to cooperate by handing over his weapons of mass destruction a regime change will follow. Meanwhile Iraqi archeologist Clara Tannenberg makes a startling announcement at a Mesopotamia cultural panel. She talks about the finding of two cuneiform text clay tablets scribed by an apprentice that references a pair of tablets that tell the Abraham's version of creation etched a thousand years before the papyrus version that serves as the basis of the Old Testament. As the invasion nears, several adversarial groups search for the biblical First Patriarch's story because each understands what this mean in terms of present day religion and power. Meanwhile Clara's husband Ahmed Husseini, head of the Bureau of Archeological Excavation in Iraq, is irate with her for telling too much and for her insane reverence of her renowned grandfather, who he believes is a nasty sort. However, as Clara realizes her call for help has backfired with so many interested in absconding with the first BIBLE OF CLAY for either personal profit on the black market or to conceal the truth, she finds herself reassessing her family especially her idol, her grandfather who has fallen off the pedestal. Although there are too many players at the beginning that clutter the story line, once Julia emerges as the lead, THE BIBLE OF CLAY becomes an exhilarating religious artifact race thriller. The premise is engaging as the biblical past impacts the present; yet fascinatingly the entire tale occurs around the time of the Bush invasion. This tale starts off slow and is hampered by a cast out of a De Mille movie, but once it gets going, patient fans will appreciate the changing perspectives and opinions on finding Abraham's original oldest testament. Harriet Klausner

Have you been DaVinci Code'd to death? If not, and without any clear cut political enemies to make great fiction, few of us can be, then The Bible of Clay is a great read. Combining previously unknown histocial documents (herr a "bible" transcribed by Abraham onto clay tablets, with the fall of Iraq, Julia Navarro continues the fine work of Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud. There is no sophomore slump here. Navarro works magic with a great plot, faced pace action and old Nazi's to boot. Yet, despite these desprite elements the story works well. A little poitical thriller also adds to the mix to keep the action flowing. With flashbacks to biblical times as well as to World War ll, the Bible of Clay involves the quest to recovery ancient tablets containing the biblical tales. Seeking these tablets are a Nazi and his granddaughter, Saddam's forces and the Nazi's business partners (and, of course, fellow Nazi's). Opposing them are Holocaust survivors (not presented in the best light they typically recceive) and several hired murderers. Why 4 stars, not 5? Sometimes you can suspend reality a bit too often to make plot work. I felt that Navarro resorted to plot tricks at times when they were not needed and lost a bit of the flow while trying to conclude one too many plot lines. Nevertheless, The Bible of Clay will keep you interested, will bring you back to your daily reading schedule and does open great promise for this year's vacation reading prospects.

I read this book almost 5 months ago. I definitely consider Julia Navarro a great writer. The drama keeps you awake; I usually read it very early in the morning and kept me arriving late at the office. i even took it to my office to read it in lunch time. It is so good, that Navarros guide you thru history and you start to ask you some questions: if its possible or plausible that those things could happen or still happen. If you decides to give a gift, this book would be an excellent choice. The last chapters are amazing. Once finished, you would start to recollect parts of the book for a clear and better understanding of what really happens. Buy it!

This is the first book that I've read from this author.It's a good and interesting story;and the story telling has a good flow to it. most of the characters are not developed or not enough was told about them. The ending surprise me due to the fact that it has a last minute twist to it. Overall I recomend this book.