The Book of Names

Thought it was fantastic. Read it in one afternoon. Fans of the Da Vinci Code will love it. I like the Jewish religion on it. It was a nice change of pace. Highly recommend it.

I disagree with the bad reviews here. This is exactly the kind of book I like--it's fast-paced, not bogged down with a lot of scholarly detail (my only objection to the frequently-mentioned Da Vinci Code), and provides the reader with a lead character who has a personal stake in the outcome, frequently missing in books in this particular genre. I read it in one sitting, always a plus for me. (If memory serves me, Jill Gregory, you and I were with Berkley Books at the same time, way-back-when, though we never met.)

The premise of this book is simple, into every generation there are 36 pure souls (lamed koviks) that are born who through their existence keep the earth together. If any of these souls die then bad things start to happen - war, famine, earthquakes, etc. Way back when in Biblical times Adam, bright boy that he was wrote down the names of every living creature including who all the lamed koviks in all the coming generations. As you can guess with all these pure souls running about there are those people who will stop at nothing to destroy them. People who want to disrupt Gods plan and remake the world in their image. They somehow manage to break the code of Adams book of names and start to kill off the lamed koviks. The world slowly moves to turmoil as they do. Enter the reluctant hero, David Sheppard, who do to an accident in his youth has somehow managed to tap into a higher existence and is somehow able to come up with the names of various lamed koviks. David has no idea at first the meaning of these names that keep coming to him, just that when he searches for some their names many of them have died in weird accidents or unnatural causes and all he really wants is to stop the names from coming. Until one name that pops out matches that of his ex-stepdaughter who he loves as his own child. Enter beautiful sidekick who helps David to realise the power of the names and just what is happening in the world because someone is killing them off. She convinces David to join her fellow Israeli's in tracking down the remaining names to try to stop the ulimate evil from taking over. What follows is a fast paced read about the ultimate battle between good and evil. As David rushes to save his stepdaughter and with her the fate of the entire world a reader can't help but to swiftly turn the pages to see just what will happen next. This book is right up there with Angels & Demons by Dan Brown and The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell in that its a good read though unrealistic. However, I found this novel to be slightly more realistic then those two previously mentioned books. This books is a fast adventure that I didn't want to put down - well once I got through the first 20 pages that is. I admit that I almost put it down at first for those first few pages didn't thrill me.....but I always try to read at least 50 pages or so before turning away from a book and I am so glad that I didn't.

David Shepherd is a mostly normal man. He is divorced but still maintains a close relationship with his ex-step-daughter. But David does have a problem. Names pop into his head after terrible headaches. Not knowing why the names pop into his head he has been writing them down in a journal over the years. It seems to be connected to a near-death experience he had as a young man. Hypnosis helps him better understand what happened to him. Who the names belong to and what happened to him puts him in contact with a Rabbi. Suddenly David is running for his life. Somehow, the names he knows are connected to the Jewish legend of the Lamed Vovniks; thirty-six pure souls of each generation whose existence keeps the world from ending. In the past, deaths of any number of these people brought about great hardship to the world. Now catastrophes, tragedies, and atrocities are rocking the globe. Someone is trying to make sure the world ends by killing the Thirty-Six. David goes ion a search to find the surviving Lamed Vovniks and try and save them from those that would murder them. One of them is someone close to him. His journal and ancient scraps of parchment contain the clues to discover the remaining pure souls. Thus David learns of the group that has fought to destroy the Lamed Vovniks for centuries. If David can help even one of the thirty-six stay alive then the world will not end. But will David's personal feelings and ties get in the way of doing what needs to be done? That is something the reader will have to find out. This is a fast-paced and tense thriller. Jill Gregory has written dozens of well-researched historical novels. Karen Tintori has also written history. Their research skills are evident as is their ability to tell a story. Despite what Publishers Weekly says the authors have written novels together before (under the name Jillian Karr). Most readers will probably not be familiar with the legends and history in this story but the authors manage to keep the story moving while educating the reader without hitting them over the head with countless lectures. But I must warn readers that this is an apocalyptic book. David and his associates are trying to stop the end of the world. Bad things happen and characters do die. But this is part of what makes the book so good. Now I love to pick holes in plots and continuities and I have to say I got no such enjoyment with this one. Tight plotting has prevented the holes and inconsistencies that abound in so many other books. Short chapters are used to move the plot quickly (similar to James Patterson but better written). Anyone who likes a good thriller should definitely pick this one up. Check it out.

I ordinarily do not read thrillers, but The Book of Names was highly recommended by a friend and now I know why. I was engrossed in the book from the first page and it kept my interest all the way through to the end. The chapters are short and full of action, and leave the reader hanging, making it difficult to put the book down. I found myself reading hours after I had intended to stop. The plot in itself is fascinating and there were many details that made the book even more interesting. After reading The Book of Names, I did some checking into magic and Judaism, and I found out that the gemstones, which were an important part of the plot, are based on actual historical information. Clearly, the authors did a great deal of research. I LOVED the book and would highly recommend it to anyone. These women clearly know how to engage, entertain AND educate the reader. FABULOUS BOOK!