Book Review: Elisha’s Bones by Don Hoesel

Format: Paperback
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bethany House
Publication Date: March 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0764205609
ISBN-13: 978-0764205606
List Price: $13.99

Many thanks to Jim Hart at Bethany House Publishers for giving me the opportunity to review Elisha’s Bones by Don Hoesel.

“And as a man was being buried, behold, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha, and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.”^[1]

Is it conceivable that the power of God surging through Elisha’s bones could be harnessed yet today? What if your life and the lives of those you care about depend upon you finding them first?

Jack Hawthorne was well settled into the quiet and routine life of an archaeology professor at Evanston University in Ellen, North Carolina. It was only six years previous that a personal tragedy in Egypt had caused him to trade in the spade and meter stick of the field archaeologist in favor of textbooks and classrooms, the seemingly safer tools of the archaeology professor. Christmas break is just around the corner and Jack has every intention of spending it watching ESPN, eating frozen cookie dough out of the wrapper, and doing anything else he might wish to pass the time. That is, until his plans are suddenly derailed by a visit from a mysterious man claiming to represent billionaire Gordon Reese. Jack can’t help but wonder what use a man like Gordon Reese would have for an archaeology professor like him. As it turns out, Reese wants Jack to take up what seems a fool’s quest; finding the bones of the prophet Elisha. This quest is anything but new to Reese, who has been pursuing the bones for some time. As a dying man, Reese has more money than time and time is running out. Intrigued by the prospects of a little adventure, Jack can’t help but agree to Reese’s proposal. At worst, a fool’s quest funded by a blank check backed by a billionaire would be more exciting than three weeks of ESPN and frozen cookie dough.

Jack soon finds that he got much more than he bargained for. The quest for Elisha’s bones will take Jack across the globe to the likes of Venezuela, Ethiopia, and elsewhere. Throughout this adventure, Jack must contend both with others who are intent on finding the bones and those who intend to protect them. In the process of searching for the bones of the prophet, Jack must face many of the skeletons that have suddenly come back to life right out of his own closet. He is finding, real or not, the power of Elisha’s bones appears to be alive and well, if only figuratively. As the quest progresses and the stakes rise increasingly higher, the focus of the quest becomes less and less about finding the bones and more about finishing or getting out of the quest with his life. As fate would have it, finding the bones may be the only way to do it.

I had a hard time putting down this book. The non-stop adventure and excitement kept me on the edge of my seat. It can be hard to find a comparison for this type of novel, as the Biblical archaeology / adventure genre is a pretty narrow part of the Christian fiction market. From a comparison standpoint, I would put Elisha’s Bones in league with the Biblical archaeology / adventure titles, A Skeleton in God’s Closet and More than a Skeleton by Paul L. Maier. Fans of Maier’s books and similar titles will definitely want to pick up their own copy of Elisha’s Bones. It is not very often that I do this, but I so thoroughly enjoyed this book, I am going to give it five stars. Hats off to Don Hoesel for writing such an enjoyable book and hats off to Bethany House for publishing it!

Don Hoesel is a web designer for a Medicare carrier in Nashville, TN. He has a BA in Mass Communications from Taylor University and has published short fiction in Relief Journal. He lives in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his wife and two children. Elisha’s Bones is Don’s first novel. You can learn more about Don and his writing at www.donhoesel.com.

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^[1] The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001, S. 2 Ki 13:21

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