cover image Hunting the King

Hunting the King

Peter Clenott. Kunati Inc., $24.95 (375pp) ISBN 978-1-60164-148-9

On the eve of the Iraq invasion, American archeologist Molly O'Dwyer, who has for years undertaken digs throughout the Middle East, seeks what she believes will be evidence that Christ not only survived the Crucifixion but afterward moved, with wife and children, to Mesopotamia. A practicing Catholic, Molly realizes how much this will put not only her faith but the faith of millions to the test. Meanwhile, others-Iraqis, Israelis, the U.S. government, the Vatican-are also closing in on the site where Molly suspects the proof will be found. Clenott's book speeds by so fast that the reader only fully notices afterward how ill-defined are its characters, how flat its dialogue, how unlikely its plot. This one-dimensional novel had potential, but in maintaining such a relentless pace, the author repeatedly fails to stop long enough to take full, or even partial, advantage of his material.