Status
Available
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Collection
Publication
HarperCollins
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. HTML: It was the start of a grand adventure in a land of antiquity: a rare opportunity to visit biblical places rich in tradition and shrouded in mystery. But in the middle of Beirut, a world away from everything she knows, Dinah Van der Lyn suddenly hears angry voices through the wall of her hotel. The voices are followed by a crash and cries for help�??in English. The brutal shattering of an evening's stillness becomes a prelude to terror. Without warning, Dinah is drawn into something unholy transpiring in the sacred city. Her search for the answers hidden in the shadows will take her to the fabled cities of Sidon, Tyre, Damascus, and Jerusalem. And as she races through ancient, twisting streets, teeming with secrets and peril, she is forced to trust an enigmatic stranger, a man who may be leading her to safety�??or to her doom… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
Very much like "The Jackal's Head" and "The Night of the Four Thousand Rabbits". Set in the Middle East amid the culture of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Once again, the man least suspected is the one that proves to be the romantic interest. An enjoyable caper!
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
When Dinah Van der Lyn travels to the Holy Land she finds herself thrust into the middle of an international plot involving the possible discovery of an ancient scroll that, if brought to light, would likely turn the Christian world on end. Danger and intrigue follow her through the Middle East, as
I think I could describe this fairly accurately and simply as a dated Da Vinci Code light, (yes, it is possible to find a lighter work than Dan Brown's), set in the Middle East, with an ingenue protagonist.
I enjoyed the book well enough, but had to overlook its flaws...the dated feeling, (it was written in 1970), the overdone plot, and worst of all, an ending that I felt was weak, as if the author was writing her way out of a box.
The plot was rapidly paced, though, and I found the main idea and setting interesting. It kept me entertained.
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do two handsome young men. Which, if either, should she trust?I think I could describe this fairly accurately and simply as a dated Da Vinci Code light, (yes, it is possible to find a lighter work than Dan Brown's), set in the Middle East, with an ingenue protagonist.
I enjoyed the book well enough, but had to overlook its flaws...the dated feeling, (it was written in 1970), the overdone plot, and worst of all, an ending that I felt was weak, as if the author was writing her way out of a box.
The plot was rapidly paced, though, and I found the main idea and setting interesting. It kept me entertained.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Dinah Van Der Lyn is in her room in a Beirut hotel when she hears a cry for help from the next room. She tells the person she assumes to be the night attendant. They discover a man named "Hank" dead. This tale of espionage leads Dinah through Tyre, Sidon, Damascus, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and
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eventually to Qumran. Whom should Dinah trust--Cartwright or Smith? I expected a murder mystery rather than an espionage story and as such was a bit disappointed in the book. There is plenty of tension as the audience wonders if Dinah is trusting the right man. There's also questions about the identity of her traveling companions and their involvement. Show Less
LibraryThing member LisCarey
Dinah van der Lyn travels to the Holy Land and stumbles into an international intrigue tied to the Dead Sea Scrolls.
She's a young professional opera singer, and the daughter of a Pennsylvania clergyman who has an interest in Biblical archaeology. The tour she has signed up for hasn't even left
It's 1970, so there are no cell phones or internet access, and trans-Atlantic phone calls are still a very expensive big deal. This changes the pace of events; simple things take longer, and everyone consequently feels more rushed, pressured, and confused. Is Jeff Smith really a professor of archaeology, or an impostor with an obviously fake name? Who is Cartwright? Is Mrs. Marks really the widow of an English clergyman, taking a memorial tour? For that matter, why should anyone believe Dinah is who she says she is?
As they visit major archaeological sites, Dinah chases rumors of new and potentially explosive Dead Sea Scrolls, and tries to figure out who is more dishonest and untrustworthy, Smith or Cartwright. Along the way, she flees armed pursuers through the streets of Jerusalem, and discovers the dubious joys of walking, crawling, and climbing through underground tunnels.
It's a light, entertaining mystery, great for summer reading or listening.
Recommended.
I borrowed this book from the library.
She's a young professional opera singer, and the daughter of a Pennsylvania clergyman who has an interest in Biblical archaeology. The tour she has signed up for hasn't even left
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Beirut yet when Dinah overhears a loud and violent argument in the hotel room next to hers. It ends in murder. Since the argument was in Arabic, Dinah has no idea what was said, but not everyone believes that.It's 1970, so there are no cell phones or internet access, and trans-Atlantic phone calls are still a very expensive big deal. This changes the pace of events; simple things take longer, and everyone consequently feels more rushed, pressured, and confused. Is Jeff Smith really a professor of archaeology, or an impostor with an obviously fake name? Who is Cartwright? Is Mrs. Marks really the widow of an English clergyman, taking a memorial tour? For that matter, why should anyone believe Dinah is who she says she is?
As they visit major archaeological sites, Dinah chases rumors of new and potentially explosive Dead Sea Scrolls, and tries to figure out who is more dishonest and untrustworthy, Smith or Cartwright. Along the way, she flees armed pursuers through the streets of Jerusalem, and discovers the dubious joys of walking, crawling, and climbing through underground tunnels.
It's a light, entertaining mystery, great for summer reading or listening.
Recommended.
I borrowed this book from the library.
Show Less
Original publication date
1970
DDC/MDS
| Fic Mystery PetersEz |