The Hunt Is On For The Bones Of A Biblical Prophet: Hoesel Delivers An Entertaining Read

Review By KEN KORCZAK

This is one of those books difficult for me to recommend too strongly because it's not "great literature" equal to the ranks of, say, Hemingway, Joyce Carol Oates or Vonnegut. But it is a very good "B Novel," if you know what I mean. Sometimes you're in the mood for a good yarn with an interesting premise. And so in this case the author, DON HOESEL, delivers an enjoyable read.

ELISHA'S BONES might also be considered to be Christian literature, although I'm not sure. If it is Christ-lit, it's very light-handed. It does not beat you over the head with "The Message" -- so that makes it tolerable to those of us who don't like to be preached at.

The plot involves an archaeologist whose exciting career of getting his hands dirty in the field and making new discoveries is well behind him. Now he's just running out the time clock on his life working as a professor at some small college. But then a mysterious billionaire taps him to undertake an amazing mission -- to find the ancient bones of the Biblical prophet Elisha. Apparently, someone squirreled them away somewhere centuries ago, and for a very good reason: Touching the bones of Elisha can bring the dead back to life!

And so our hero is thrust into a world of international intrigue, conspiracies, ancient wonders, and all the while he is pursued by the thugs and henchmen of other powerful interests who also want to get their hands on the magic skeleton.

There are some moments, well, more than a few, that really made me cry out "Oh come on!" because certain elements bordered on the ridiculous, even for science fiction where one is required to willingly suspend disbelief.

I will also say, however, that I thought this book was better than "The da Vince Code" by Dan Brown, (but I thought that was an awful book) -- and Elisha's Bones bears a very strong comparison (almost too strong) to a another book, "The Skeleton in God's Closet," by Paul Maier.

But, anyway, it's an okay read, and I would buy another of Mr. Hoesel's books.

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