The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman

There seems to be a formula for books set around the rim of the Mediterrean, because like the novel The Sacred Bones by Michael Byrnes, which I read and reviewed in the summer of 2016, The Last Secret of the Temple by Paul Sussman begins with an ancient sacking of Jeruselem - this time by the Crusaders.


I have not read any books by Paul Sussman previously, but as the line at the top of the front cover says, this novel is an action-packed thriller to keep you turning the pages.  But sadly there will be no new books by Sussman, who was also a journalist and archeologist, as he passed away at the end of May 2012 from a ruptured aneurysm at age 45.  He had published five novels and two non-fiction books.  You can read more about Paul Sussman here.


Here is the front cover and blurb for The Last Secret of the Temple:

This novel revolves around three main characters who are drawn together by the death of a man which at first looks suspicious, but turns out to be a rather unconventional accident.  It does however bring up uncomfortable memories for Inspector Yusaf Khalifa from the Luxor police of a murder supposedly solved years before.  This was the murder of an Israeli woman near an ancient ruin in Luxor.  It soon has Yusaf reaching out to Arieh Ben-Roi, a Jeruselum detective who is drinking himself to ruin due to grief, and this leads Ben-Roi to the Palestinian journalist Layla al-Madani who holds onto the death of her own father as a driving force.


Archeology and ancient relics are themes that run through this book, and like the author, Yusaf has an acheological background.  While this book touches lightly on some ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, it delves into the sacredness of the mennorah for those of Jewish faith, some ancient Christian beliefs, and the depths the Nazi's went to in order to seize ancient Jewish relics.


As Yusaf investigates, he discovers how much his superiors have covered up for the real killer years before when the Israeli woman was murdered.  It is revealed why Ben-Roi is so broken and layers of Layla are peeled back - but which one is the one who should not be trusted?


Throw in a militant Jewish strong man aiming to evict Palestinians from their homes within Israel and a militant Palestinian randomly targeting Israelis with suicide bombing contrasted against a peace process between the Israeli government and the Palestinian's hosted by the Egyptians under the cover of darkness in an isolated deserted hut in the Sinai, and this book will throw you a fair few curves and have you guessing about whose loyalties lay where.


After reading Sussman's details, I have discovered that two of his other novels also have Yusaf Khalifa as the main character, one before and one after this book.  I may go looking for these books in the library.....