Dead Sea Rising: A Novel

Written by Jerry B. Jenkins

FROM #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR JERRY B. JENKINS COMES A HEART-STOPPING ADVENTURE OF HISTORICAL PROPORTIONS Nicole Berman is an archaeologist on the brink of a world-changing discovery. During her first dig in Jordan, she believes she has found concrete evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history books forever. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed. While urgently trying to connect pieces of an ancient puzzle, a dangerous enemy is out to stop her. From a criminal investigation in Manhattan to the birth of Abram in ancient Ur, Jerry Jenkins weaves together a tale of drama and suspense that will draw you into the lives of two families separated by 4,000 years of history yet sharing remarkably similar struggles of faith. Dead Sea Rising combines the thrill of a whodunit with the moral and political intrigue of the ancient, and modern, Middle East. But be prepared. Once you begin, you won't be able to stop until you reach the final page! —DR. CHARLIE DYER, PROFESSOR-AT-LARGE OF BIBLE, AND HOST OF THE LAND AND THE BOOK RADIO PROGRAMIf you love history -- especially biblical history -- this is a fun and fascinating read! —JONI EARECKSON TADA, JONI AND FRIENDS INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY CENTERJerry Jenkins' dialogue is equal to the best of Nelson DeMille, his storylines equal to the best of John Grisham. And now Dead Sea Rising . . . this book may be Jerry's best. —ANDY ANDREWS, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELER'S GIFT AND THE NOTICERJumping back and forth in time at a breakneck pace, Dead Sea Rising is a thriller as only Jerry B. Jenkins can tell it. Biblical history combines with gripping contemporary mystery. Just be aware -- you'll be hooked. —JAMES SCOTT BELL, INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS AWARD WINNER

• Language: English
• Publisher: ChristianAudio.com
• Release date: Nov 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781545908792

Jerry B. Jenkins

Jerry B. Jenkins hat bereits fast 200 Bücher geschrieben, einschließlich 21 "New York Times"-Bestseller. Mehr als 71 Millionen Exemplare seiner Werke wurden inzwischen weltweit verkauft. Er ist bekannt für seine Bibel-Romane, seine Endzeit-Romane ("Finale"-Reihe), und viele weitere Genres. Außerdem unterstützte er Billy Graham bei dessen Autobiografie, und hat zahlreiche Sport-Biografien geschrieben. Gemeinsam mit seiner Frau Dianna lebt er in Colorado Springs im US-Bundesstaat Colorado. Sie haben drei erwachsene Söhne. Einer von ihnen, Dallas, ist der Erfinder, Co-Autor und Regisseur der TV-Serie "The Chosen".

Reviews for Dead Sea Rising

[Bill Moeller · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

There were three different timeline stories. They randomly jumped from one to the other. This book was a waste of my time. I do not know why I even finished it.

[Karyn · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The story pulled me in, and took a long time to go nowhere. The book ended abruptly with no explanation of the three stories woven in. I thought it was a scribed issue, but sadly it just ended. It felt like the author just got tired of writing and ended the book. If I could give this minus stars I would. Nothing worse than getting sucked in and then left hanging.

[Carol Kost Oettle · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Wheres the rest of it????? I can't believe it ended like that

[Laura Lane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ugh! I wasn't watching chapters and it just ended! I can't wait for the next book!

[Diana Wilbur · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found the description of the book a little deceiving. It is a mystery with in a mystery and it is the opening mystery that the store centers around. The what a call main mystery still remains.

[jfe16 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Archaeologist Nicole Berman stands at the brink of a world-changing discovery, if only she can obtain the necessary permissions for a dig in Saudi Arabia. But someone is out to stop her before she ever leaves Manhattan.

Meanwhile, in 2000 BC, Terah, a trusted advisor to King Nimrod, launches an impossible plot to save his newborn son, Abram.

Short chapters alternate between the present-day emergency involving an attack on Nicole’s mother and the ancient tale of Terah and his family. Dual plotlines unfold, offering some unexpected surprises along with some truly cringe-worthy moments. While the characters are reasonably well-drawn, they aren’t compelling and Nicole’s character-driven story often falls short on action.

There’s a puzzling aspect in the ancient times storyline dealing with the author’s use of “mile” and “feet” as units of measurement rather than the expected “cubit.” It’s a choice that seems at odds with the 2000 BC setting for Terah’s story.
Of greater concern, however, is that the overarching purpose of the narrative seems to be to set the stage for future stories in the series rather than to tell this story. With so many questions left unanswered, the dangling, unresolved plot points are likely to leave frustrated readers feeling dissatisfied.

[nadinec.keels · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Archaeologist Nicole Berman is getting close to a biblical discovery that could change history. But someone is dead set on stopping her from uncovering the truth in Dead Sea Rising by author Jerry B. Jenkins.

Though it's very rare that I do this, I combed through the endorsements in this book, trying to pinpoint the genre beforehand. A couple of the endorsements refer to this novel as a thriller.

I've enjoyed other novels by this author and was intrigued to find out this one has split timelines that alternate between chapters. It includes a storyline about Terah, a familiar name in biblical history. However, although the blurb calls this book a "heart-stopping adventure," the story itself doesn't have the action to match that, and I don't think it's on the thrilling level of a thriller.

The developments surrounding Terah seem dragged out, not always moving the plot forward, and I found him to be despicable. It's one thing to read about a depraved character, if he's complex. But since Terah is not only depraved but comes off as weak, willfully ignorant, and buffoonish, I found it hard to keep reading about him.

I also found the modern-day storyline to be on the slow side, and I guessed the guilty party within the first few pages. Still, it was interesting to find out the motive much later on.

Perhaps the rest of the series will tell if the whole Vietnam War thread in this book is crucial to the overall story arc or if the thread's twist is more or less a red herring that lengthens this novel without factoring much into its outcome. In large part, this book felt to me like an extended setup for a following book, and I think its story could have been told in fewer pages without losing anything significant.

Nevertheless, I do want to find out more about the crux of the matter—Nicole's archaeological mission. So I plan on continuing the Dead Sea Chronicles when Book Two comes out.
_________
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

[vintagebeckie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have always enjoyed novels by Jerry Jenkins. His best-selling Left Behind series was riveting, and more recently, The Valley of Dry Bones earned a recommended read from me. However, I found his latest book, Dead Sea Rising, to be a mixed bag. There are three storylines in this first book in the Dead Sea Chronicles series — present day suspense involving archaeologist Nicole Berman and family, a Vietnam-era thread focusing on Nicole’s father Ben, and an ancient tale detailing the history of Abraham’s father Terah. Just what all these have in common I never figured out. The book leaves the reader with some big cliffhangers. And therein lies the rub — I never felt like I was getting anywhere in any of the stories. Short chapters alternate between the three, and they are easy to follow, but I was frustrated by the lack of forward motion. Modern-day characters were appealing, and I was genuinely interested in their difficulties. The Biblical account? Not so much. Biblical may be stretching it a bit too. Terah’s story involves a good bit of what-ifs and some pronouncements from God that sound like something He would say, but are not actually found in the Biblical record. Terah is a thoroughly despicable character and cartoonish in my opinion. This portion of the book did make me want to dig into what the Bible has to say — a definite positive.

I hate to be so negative, but I really had a hard time with this novel and am not sure I am invested enough in any of the stories to read the next book, Dead Sea Conundrum. To be fair, there are many positive reviews on Amazon. Be sure to check them out.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Worthy for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)