Elisha's Bones

Riveting Adventure Story!

An acclaimed archeologist has left the exciting life of active excavations and digs, and is living the dull but safe life of a college professor. Then he gets a call from one of the richest men in the world, and is asked to undertake a little project -- find the bones of the prophet Elisha, which are reported to resurrect the dead. The task takes him on a fast-paced globetrotting trip, uncovering a centuries-old trail and unearthing some dangerous people who will stop at nothing to keep him from his goal.

I really enjoyed this book! It reads like a cross between Indiana Jones and Robert Ludlum, a formula for sure-fire excitement. I don't know if the author really as been to all those exotic places, but he writes like he's intimately familiar with them. And this is his debut novel! I'm going to keep my eye out for Don Hoesel's future books.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Action-packed pulse-pounding quest for the bones of a prophet

Elisha's Bones by Don Hoesel is a pulse-pounding action filled thriller in the vein of The DaVinci Code, but written well! Jack Hawthorne gave up working in the field as an archaeologist to work as a college professor after the mysterious death of his brother. He's lured back into one of his old digs in Venezuela when a reclusive billionaire hires him to find the biblical prophet Elisha's bones which are rumored to have the power to resurrect the dead. Hawthorne reconnects with his old fiance (and she reconnects her fist with his face), Espy, who is a language expert. But every time Jack and Espy make a discovery, someone dies, and they are on the run for their lives, especially when he learns that this quest is connected to his brother's death. Hoesel has created a humorous self-deprecating character who has a lot to learn about himself and relationships. Espy is more than just his female foil, she's smart with a lot of heart and wants very much to share her new faith with Jack, but he's not quite ready yet. I fully intended to go to bed at a reasonable hour Monday night, but I because so caught up in the story, I didn't get to sleep until I finished it, after 1:30 am. So this book comes with a reader's warning: Don't pick it up unless you have the time to finish it, because it's too good to put down!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

DON HOESEL'S "ELISHA'S BONES" (A REVIEW)

While this book was very interesting and exciting in some ways, it was a little slow paced for me and it was hard for me not to allow my interest to wane. I feel the plot was good but the action was slow and there wasn't enough content there to really keep me addicted.

I had a hard time with this one, while I enjoy Indiana Jones type stories at times there was something about this one that just didn't get my blood pumping.

I do have to admit that this genre is not one of my top choices so that could be the reason why I didn't become as riveted as with some novels. However, I would recommend it to those that have a true love of the genre and especially those that enjoyed books such as "Angels and Demons" & "The Davinci Code" by Dan Brown. There is an underlying religious subtext to it that is very interesting and would likely capture readers of this genre in its grip.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Interesting plot, but lacking scene transitions

I was surprised that I actually wanted to finish the book. And I attribute that to the unique premise of the plot. While I expected more from the ending than it delivered, overall what disappointed me the most was the lack of transitions in the action. It read as a very jerky series of scenes that did not connect well to each other. And I attribute that to the writing style of the author. I expect that with more books under his belt that Hoesel will turn into a polished writer, but the mechanics of scene transitions were seriously lacking. The connective tissue (as in character development, glimpses into the minds of the actants, narrative explanations, etc...) that would have caused the action scenes to hang together into a cohensive whole was just MIA. Also, the first person narrative added to the jerky feeling of the action. It just got irritating after the first 10, no first 2 pages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

High recommendations

This was an interesting concept and held my interest. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Great!

Great book!

Well written...

Based on the mixed reviews, I wasn't sure if I would like this or not. I' m glad I took a chance. I thought it wass interesting, action packed and captivating. I liked the voice of the first person narrator. A smart, well written book. I don't give four stars lightly. Five stars are reserved for a few books I love beyond compare. So I really enjoyed this.

ripoff of every other archealogical thriller I have read.

The title says it. It just wasn't as good as most. Don't bother.

Okay

This book was okay I did not like the way there were always more people ending up dead

Wonderful book

This was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

An enjoyable read

This book held my attention from start to finish. I recommend it to anyone who likes archeological adventure stories.

Elishas Bones

Really good book. Loved the adventure and storyline.

Okay read

The story idea was good and sometimes the story was engaging but other times slow. Try your luck.

Highly Recommend - Check it out!!

This. Book was a fun book to read. Holds your interest. Reminds me of Indianna Jones. Very quick read that keeps you interested.

Action packed!

It was a very good book. There were some parts where I couldn't put it down! I really liked it.

Great book!

Thisbiik had my attention through every page

Archaeology is Dangerous!

This was a fairly interesting read. It revolved around Jack Hawthorne, an archaeologist who is hired to prove the existence of Elisha's bones, an ancient relic said to have the power over life. This search takes him all over the world and gets him involved with some mysterious organizations. Naturally adventure and peril follow him as well.

The concept behind the relic was interesting. The book is also a fairly fast read. There was a lot of action. In fact, I almost felt there was too much going on. You never really got a chance to breath, and you almost want Dr. Hawthorne to stop talking to people because a perilous situation inevitably followed. Who knew the world of antiquities could be so dangerous? The plot also seemed to jump a bit in time from one chapter end to the next chapter beginning. It could feel a bit choppy at times.

After all that adventure, the ending felt a bit sudden. Perhaps a bit random too (although apparently this was meant to be Christian fiction, so maybe not?). Overall, I didn't think it was a bad book. It was pretty entertaining at times. I'm just glad I'm not friends with an archaeologist. Looks like it's pretty dangerous.

Recommend

If you want to read a book that delves into detail about archaelogy, this is the book for you.I sort of got bogged down in all the side stuff, but the plot is good.

Good read

Interesting plot. It did seem to move slow a few times, but it was fast-paced at the end.

good biblical archaeology....

really good. i will be reading more by the author....