Seventh Sanctuary

Initially, one may think that Easterman's second novel (after The Last Assassin is merely a literate, contemporary suspense thriller that zips along like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The hero, American/Jewish archeologist David Rosen, is in Syria searching for a lost biblical city and its treasures. He comes afoul of descendants of Hitler's Third Reich, who are involved in a plan to destroy Israel. Within this compelling story, Easterman (an Islamic Studies professor) manages to plumb depths of character and mingles fact with fantasy to produce a well-perceived, disturbing antifascist novel. Rosen, an amateur spy for Mossad, becomes the latest near-victim in a series of seemingly unrelated murders and murder attempts. He finds a lover in Leyla, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), while his father, an Orthodox rabbi, berates him for his loss of faith. Once Rosen is propelled to trace his one clue to the murdersall the victims were searching or had knowledge of the fabled city of Iramhe is forced to reevaluate his Jewishness and all that his heritage implies, discovering enemies among friends and allies among supposed enemies as the plot twists and turns unexpectedly to the last page. (March 6)