Book Review: The Sacred Cipher by Terry Brennan

Binding:  Paperback
Pages:  352
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Publication Date:  July 1, 2009
Language: English
ISBN-10: 082542426
List Price:  $13.99
Rating:  5 Stars

Many thanks to my good friend Bob Hayton (www.fundamentallyreformed.com) for lending me his copy of The Sacred Cipher.

Renovations were underway at the historic Bowery Mission in New York City and by chance, the construction workers came across a hidden room behind the organ pipes of the chapel.  Tom Bohannan, executive director of the mission quickly realizes that what they’ve discovered is the office of Dr. Louis Klopsch, the first president of the Bowery mission.  While the office has the traditional furnishings you’d expect, the one piece of furniture that stands out is a large ornate safe.  After a bit of searching through Klopsch’s desk and file cabinets, Tom discovers the safe’s combination.  Much to his surprise, the safe is filled to the brim with books, scrolls, manuscripts, and the like.  The most unique item in the safe is an ornate mezuzah containing a five by twenty four inch scroll.  The writing on the scroll is in a script that Bohannan and his brother-in-law do not recognize.  Accompanying the mezuzah was a letter from Charles Spurgeon to Dr. Klopsch warning that there are men who will kill to posses the very scroll that they held in their hands.  Their curiosity peaked, Bonannan and his brother-in-law Joe Rodrigurez embark on a journey to uncover the meaning of this mysterious scroll.  The deeper they dig, the more dangerous things will get.  Their journey will take them from the streets of New York City all way around the world to the city of Jerusalem.  What they uncover could be the greatest archaeological discovery of all time.  However, it may also be the last straw in the constant struggle between the warring factions in the Middle East.

If you’re a fan of archaeological fiction, you need to read The Sacred Cipher.  Terry Brennan’s engaging style will keep you on the edge of your seat as you work your way through all of this book’s 352 pages.  This well researched work of fiction will be enjoyable for the both the academic reader as well as the armchair archaeologist.  This book was truly a pleasure to read and deserves a rating of five out of five stars.

Terry Brennan has had an extensive career in journalism, winning several awards, including the Valley Forge Award for editorial writing from the Freedoms Foundation.  Terry served eleven years as the vice president of operations for the Bowery Mission in New York City and is currently a management consultant.  You can learn more about Terry and his writing at terrybrennan.blogspot.com.

Be sure to check out the book trailer below: