Review of Seeking the Light of Justice

[sayjil gordhan]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Seeking the Light of Justice" by Dr. Barry Nadel.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Seeking the Light of Justice is the first book of the Hoshiyan Chronicles by Barry Nadel. The story follows an Israeli archaeology professor, Yoshua Rosenberg, and his team. Yoshua finds the title page of the Hoshiyan Chronicles, which mentions The Light of Justice. This sets Yoshua on a thrilling expedition through a five-hundred-year-old synagogue in Spain. The team uncovers atrocities relating to the Spanish Inquisition. Unfortunately, the expedition attracts the attention of the Vatican, who would like the secrets of their past actions to remain secret. The Vatican then pressures the Spanish government to intervene and close the site down. Yoshua’s team's decisions to uphold their values, curiosity, and uncover truths put them in danger, and the reader will constantly wonder throughout the book if they make it to safety.

I have had great luck this year with books, and this is no exception. The book is written in the third person. The author writes with ardent skill and lures you effortlessly into a gripping plot. Although there seem to be a lot of concepts that require the reader's attention for the plot, I believe the book is written skilfully so that it’s easy for the reader to grasp. I would like to state that I would’ve preferred if the author gradually introduced the team of characters, as it did seem rushed as one would see in young adult romance novels. In a storyline like this, the side characters are as essential as the protagonist. However, upon reading the novel, the author did try to put depth into all characters. If the characters feel a bit lacking to the reader, Barry Nadel makes up for it with interesting lore on various religions, cultures, and archaeology. The interesting lore presented was woven into the plot with suspense and makes up for any shortcomings in the book. I do caution readers that this is a book with much information on Judaism, biblical references, and archeology. If you are more focused on the plot and find a background of niche science and knowledge to be tedious, I wouldn’t suggest this book.
I am glad that this is a series because I don’t think that this story should be limited to one book.

This book should be a bestseller with a better cover and PR. I know we shouldn’t judge books by covers, but many readers do, and I feel with the right pretty cover on bookshelves, many readers will pick this up. I would also like to state that the author should consider various formats to be available for readers. That said, reading this before its potential popularity is like discovering a hidden gem, and that’s amazing. I recommend this book to anyone who likes The Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones, archaeology, and adventure.
I have found no errors in this book, so I assume it was edited well. There isn't any criticism I have of the book that would warrant a deduction in rating. I rate this book four out of four stars.

******
Seeking the Light of Justice
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Gerry Steen]

I am interested in learning about the Spanish Inquisition, Jewish history, and archeology. According to your review, this book will satisfy all of these interests. Thank you.