The Destiny Relic, a thriller armed with more intrigue in its first chapter than most competitors feature in their entire book.
The first strength to note about this vivid story is that it's the fourth book in the Gold Lust series. While it supports prior action and events, it serves as a standalone thriller and opens with a list of characters divided by country and group to help newcomers get up and running.
Speaking of getting quickly into the story, Hank provides an assessment of his latest archaeological challenge that captures both his youthful enthusiasm for his chosen profession and why his pursuits differ from the norm: "This is not your grandfather’s archaeology expedition. We’re not looking for a city or a religious site mentioned in the Bible, or an old church or even a Roman battlefield. No, we’re doing what no one else has ever tried. We’re looking for the buried wealth of merchant clans strung across the Middle East 2,000 years ago. These clans were some of the richest and most influential in the region. They accumulated their fortunes by guiding camel caravans between Turkey and Egypt, and from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf.”
The sense of anticipation powering The Destiny Relic is thus driven not just by unfolding events, but by Hank's own perceptions of the possibilities of and threats to his mission.
As circumstances carry Hank from an archaeologist's dream job to a foreign visitor's nightmare, clashing with political and terrorist forces, they successfully immerse readers with a combination of high-octane action, the promise of treasure and deadly danger, and undercover missions and encounters.
From surveillance missions and political clashes to Hank's efforts to survive, another big plus to this story is that it takes time to build a vivid atmosphere which brings readers directly into the Middle Eastern environment: "A green refuge of date palm trees and vegetable gardens filled the wide floor of the semicircle shaped canyon. Nearby, dozens of birds flew among the trees. Above the orchard, the walls rose two-hundred-feet, stripped with wavy bands of yellow, pink, and tan stone. Despite being protected by high cliffs, a steady breeze sank into the canyon and flowed out the entrance crack, keeping the oasis warm without being uncomfortably hot as in the scorched valley the men had left."
From issues surrounding the preservation and ownership of sacred texts to hacking and cyber-emergencies, the personal struggles of Oasis Jazir (senior field agent in the Israeli Mossad who hates Hezbollah), weapons traffickers and those who changed her family forever, and others who hold their own special reasons for struggle, The Destiny Relic is loaded with observations that lend insights into real-world forces, conflicts, and ideals.
This thriller embraces not just political but religious struggles, sacrifice, and belief systems. Its injection of an unexpected romance that somehow manages to blossom against the backdrop of continual life-threatening controversies creates a story that is dramatic and realistic.
“Hank is a graduate student whose main claim to fame is that he's suspected of stealing an ancient religious relic in the Middle East. This piece could start or end wars, and despite the fact that Hank is innocent, he's had to flee to Jordan with virtually every force in the world on his tail, from the Vatican to Muslim terrorists. Imagine Indiana Jones-type action with more of a grounding in real-world events and a dash of religious inspection added into the conflicts, to get a sense of the gripping politics and plot of The Destiny Relic, a satisfying foray into Middle East affairs that is hard to put down.”
