The Witch of Babylon

Mesopotamian Trilogy #1

by D.J. McIntosh

Out of the searing heat and sandstorms of the infamous summer of 2003 in Baghdad comes The Witch of Babylon, a gripping story rooted in ancient Assyrian lore and its little-known but profound significance for the world.
John Madison is a Turkish-American art dealer raised by his much older brother, Samuel, a mover and shaker in New York's art world. Caught between his brother's obsession with saving a priceless relic looted from Iraq's National Museum and a deadly game of revenge staged by his childhood friend, John must solve a puzzle to find the link between a modern-day witch and an ancient one.
Aided by Tomas, an archaeologist, and Ari, an Iraqi photojournalist—two men with their own secrets to hide—John races against time to decipher a biblical prophecy that leads to the dark history behind the science of alchemy. Kidnapped by villainous fortune hunters, John is returned to Iraq, where a fabulous treasure trove awaits discovery—if he can stay alive long enough to find it.
International thriller-writing sensation D. J. McIntosh makes her American debut with The Witch of Babylon.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Historical, Adventure, Suspense

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

D.J. (Dorothy) McIntosh's first novel The Witch of Babylon, will launch in the U.S. on October 16, 2012 published by Forge. It has been sold in 20 countries and was the Amazon ca editors choice of a top 5 mystery/thriller in 2011. Kirkus Reviews have referred to the book as: "An erudite Dan Brown"

D.J. (Dorothy) McIntosh is a member of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies and a strong supporter of the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders.

Reviews

[Krbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

pročitajte reklamni opis izdavača - e, to je to, skoro pa jedino zanimljivo.

očekivao sam daleko, daleko više, a dobio ispodprosječni "akcić" u kojem autor pokušava izazvati neko zanimanje pravljenjem sataraša od poznatih klišeja no zaboravio je na sol pa ispade sve bljutavo. Moš' pojest ako si baš gladan, al' na stojećki i bjež dalje.

nije katastrofa, može se pročitati no ne očekujte baš ništa pa vas možda i iznenadi.

[Andrew Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

The previous reviews I read must have been written by the staff at the publisher. Certainly this novel had promise but it soon mired in poor character development and suspect story line. I lost count how many times I said out loud "seriously?". So unbelievable. Sorry, I will not be bothered reading the next installments.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy a historical novel, and this book allowed me to learn more about the history of Mesopotamia and Assyria with an archeological dig and a mystery thrown in. A brother of an archaeologist is dead, but before he died, he smuggled out an artifact that leads to buried treasure. His brother is left with a few puzzles to figure out to find the hidden tablet before two other groups find it. It is an interesting and fast-paced mystery.

[Di'ana (Knygų drakonas) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ilgai, laaaabai ilgai šitas gėris gulėjo mano lentynoje. Kol paėmiau į rankas ir tai prigijo, norėjosi tiesiog skristi puslapiais. Gėris. Meno vertybės, paieškos, pavojai, Indianos Džonso prieskonis, Mesopotamijos paslapties šydas bei interpretacijos, įpintas alchemijos pasaulis. Bei žinoma lobiai. Tikrai nereikia daug kalbėti, tiesiog reikia perskaityti ir tai išgyventi.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When rating The Witch of Babylon, I rated the "Part 1" and "Part 2" completely differently. Part One was immensely boring, with almost "teaser" action, where nothing really happens but a rampage of information that was almost list-like. I was terribly disappointed with this half of the novel that seemed to have so much potential. I would have rated it a generous 1.5/5 stars. Then, like a beacon in the darkness, Part 2 beckoned me to continue. This is where most of the "action" took place and where it got a lot more interesting. This is what convinced me to boost my rating to a 3.5/5 stars, rounding down to a 3/5 due to the seemingly never-ending terrible first half. I do not deny that some parts of the first half were necessary and, as you continue on into the novel, the characters do make sense as to why they were introduced. The writing was enticing enough, just the story fell a little flat. HOWEVER, I say this with quite some enthusiasm, I read the prologue and the first chapter of the second novel in the series, and it piqued my interest. I will most likely be buying the next novel. I just hope that the next novel can reach the 4/5-5/5 rating that I was hoping the novel would have been.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has lots of promise in its premise. The looting of the Iraqii National Museum following the American invasion is tied to the possible discovery of an unknown treasure from the ancient Assyrians. The problem is that the author only starts here. She continues to add too many elements attempting to make this a suspense novel, spy novel, mystery, and trip of personal discovery. The first half of the book introduces far too many characters, fails to develop any of the characters adequately, including the main character,and continues to introduce new plots and subplots.

The main character is one who, as written, is hard to feel sympathy for at any time in the novel. I believe the author planned to show how the character grew during the novel, but she failed on that point, as I was actively rooting for the "bad" guys by the later parts of the book.

The book is divided into two parts and part two is much better than part one. Having said that I would rate part one as one star and part two as two to three stars; thus the two star rating above. Don't be fooled into reading this book by the good synopsis on the jacket cover. I finished the book, but only because I wanted to see if the "bad" guys really were the "good" guys at the end.

[Lisa Nikolits · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most remarkable things about The Witch of Babylon is that it’s a debut novel – because it reads as if the author has half a dozen international bestselling thrillers under her belt. Sleek, polished and fast-moving, it's a book that grips you from start to finish. This author knows her stuff – I learned so much about art and antiquities and the content is seamlessly woven into the narrative in a way that you don't feel as if you're being given a history lesson but being entertained. That it’s the first in a trilogy is good news for the reader because at the end, you’re left wanting the adventure to continue. I can’t wait to see what John gets up to next! To call this novel an antiquities thriller is accurate but that doesn’t do justice to the beautiful descriptions of countries that one might never get to visit but you feel as if you have. The novel has been compared to Dan Brown’s work to which I say this – The Witch of Babylon is a far superior read!

[Darria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Radnja nije razrađena, previše naglih skokova raznih lokacija i događaja.
Spominje se dosta povjesnih činjenica, ali za nekoga tko ne poznaje povijest Sumerana, Asirije, Babilona i njihove kraljeve, nemoguće je povezati priču.
Likovi olako ginu, a samo nekoliko redaka dalje radnja se već nalazi na drugom kontinentu.
Sve u svemu, štivo koje ne poziva na daljnje istraživanje spomenutih kultura niti čitanje nastavka trilogije.

[Irais Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Al principio eran demasiados los datos que me perdía cual era la verdadera trama.
Ya para el final me comía las uñas, todo muy emocionante quiero saber mas sobre la Mesopotamia y los Asirios.

[bunnyhero · Rating 2 out of 5]

i thought i would be all over this, a thriller involving ancient alchemical cults, with a bibliography a mile long. unfortunately i found it mostly boring. there was no thrill in this thriller thanks to unrelatable characters and flat writing. on the plus side, i’m now more interested in the actual history that underlies the premise, so the aforementioned bibliography is worthwhile.

[Ingrida Lisauskiene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tai pirmoji D. J. McIntosh sukurtos Mesopotamijos trilogijos dalis, kuri išversta į lietuvių kalbą. Norint tęsinio, teks ieškoti anglų kalba. Istorinis romanas - kriminalas, pasakojantis apie senosios Mesopotamijos kultūrą. Siužetas gan įdomus, bet trūksta teksto išraiškingumo, skaitytojo "užkariavimo".

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise, but very long winded. I struggled to get through the last few chapters.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Originally posted to:Bookish Blog

The Witch of Babylon by D.J. McIntosh is an exhaustively researched page-turner about ancient myths, precious artifacts, alchemy and hidden treasures. The originality of the plot, amazingly accurate research, and ability to catch the reader's interest from the get-go and hold it until the last word in the last sentence of the last page, make D.J McIntosh an exceptional author. I’m truly grateful for the chance to read and review her book!

John Madison is a 32-year-old Turkish-American art dealer from New York. He lost his parents in a mining accident at the age of 3 and was raised by his much older brother, Samuel, who helped John get started in the art business. When we meet Madison for the first time he is recovering from a car accident in which he lost his brother. Before his tragic death, Samuel made a sensational discovery. During his stay in Iraq he found an ancient artifact of great significance. This stone tablet is one of the greatest finds in all of Iraqi history. Protecting it became an obsession for Samuel. To save it from looters he smuggled it out of Iraq into the US. After Samuel’s death the artifact was stolen by his childhood friend, Hall Vanderlin. Before Hall managed to sell it, he was murdered. Now, John Madison finds himself caught in a deadly game staged by Hall. To save his life, he must solve the puzzle and find the tablet. With members of Alchemy Archives, a deadly secret society, pursuing him, John Madison is about to set out on a dangerous, yet fascinating journey through time and space.

The Witch of Babylon is a great book for a number of reasons. It’s a very engaging and entertaining yet essentially light read. It’s also filled with fascinating bits of information about the history of Iraq and a myriad of other related topics including art, Mesopotamian mythology and religious symbols and ideas.

D.J. McIntosh mastered the art of suspense and action thriller. Thanks to her extensive and impressive knowledge, this action-packed story has a fabulous historical and mythological background. What I liked the most, though, was the way McIntosh managed to skillfully intertwine all the myths and historical facts into the plot, creating a perfectly balanced novel. Thanks to her smooth writing style the information we were given throughout the novel did not come across as boring or overwhelming.

In the end, The Witch of Babylon became an obsession, a book I couldn’t put down because it intrigued me so. It is a brain teaser, a book that engages the mind in a quest to figure out the codes and solve the puzzles before the characters do. It fueled my curiosity to know more about both the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia and the modern-day Iraq. I found myself absolutely engrossed in the plot, after all, who doesn’t like solid mystery novels involving a treasure hunt? I admit, in the beginning I wasn’t very fond of the main protagonist, but overtime, as I learned more about him and his past, he kind of grew on me and I now can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the Mesopotamian Trilogy.

The bottom-line is, anyone with an interest in ancient history and mythology will enjoy this book. It’s a fantastic mystery novel comparable to Dan Brown’s bestsellers. Go get yourself a copy, you won’t regret it!

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

A poor Dan Brown copycat would be a fitting description to this confusing and poorly narrated thriller/romance/historical fiction/????. There are so many characters introduced too late in the book, making you confused when they come up again.

The main character was very inconsistent. He would be written as very intelligent at times only to know nothing about the subject he should know. He also seemed to be driven by lust more so than anything.

Some parts of the story also felt like a history lecture by a professor who has lost their interest in the very topic on which they spent most their lives or the author trying to show off how much they researched. Otherwise interesting snippets of history and mythology became boring.

TL;DR: Boring af. Don't bother with other books in the trilogy or this one. (No wonder the low rating).

[Rakhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started this book with high expectations , hoping to dig into a historical fiction on ancient Mesopotamia. My bad. It was more akin to a Dan Brown or James Patterson mystery. I was not impressed by the protagonist, who was often petulant and a bit of a cad (maybe I was biased by him being a fan of the notorious R. Kelly). I wasn't clear on what his exact motivations were. The background history of Mesopotamia was informative to those unaware of the culture. So much could have been done with this topic but didn't happen.

[Karen Valdivia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many characters doing too much stuff and not a single arc is actually developed. It tries to be a mystery, a drama, a thriller, a historic novel and fails flat on all of them.

It is painful and boring to read, it introduces too many names that you later forget, the treasure hunt doesn't solve anything and the main character is so annoying and unsufferable.

I won't read the rest of the trilogy based on how annoying this first book is.

[Robin Spano]

Clever premise and solid delivery. Soulful, original characters who move through the academic art world of Manhattan with scathingly realistic passive-aggression. I related strongly to the main character--he was flawed in some lovable ways, and never cliche. Really looking forward to the next book from D.J. McIntosh.

[Violeta Petrovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одамна не бев читала ваква прекрасна книга, вистинско богатство, ми се наполни душичката, поздрав

[Mirela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Splendid ideas in a premise that eventually got too superficial in some important parts or too complicated in the others. I imagine it working better as a screenplay.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

The author obviously did a great deal of research for the book, and often that effort alone would have prompted me to at least give three stars, especially on a first book. First books often have first-book-itis and I account for that, for example being forgiving of the type of information-dumping that happened in this first book.

But, the protagonist in this book is a horrible excuse for a human being, one I suspect is at best a narcissist and maybe even a sociopath. I could never in good conscience give a good rating to a book that tries to make a hero, or even a sympathetic character, of such a character - someone who (pardon the pun) utterly lacks any character. UGH! No. Our world has too much elevating of a$$holes, and, as recent events show, elevating a$$holes has very negative, very real-world repercussions.

It is time we (as a society) stop trying to make this type of person/character, this type of characterless person a 'hero' or even 'sympathetic'. It is time that those of us with good conscience start speaking up and saying 'this is wrong'. So, I am saying, 'this is wrong'.

One star for this book entirely because of its protagonist, rounded up to two stars because the author did a huge amount of research for the book and I feel badly not giving some credit for that. I won't be reading the next book in the series, and it is doubtful that I would any more work by this author.

[Jeffrey Lyons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read all of it, although I nearly quit several times. But I dislike leaving unfinished business.

Man, I sure did not like the main character, John Madison. What a whiner. Not only that, he'd never give a straight or honest answer, or he'd ignore it completely. He loathed being involved in this mystery, which I'm still not entirely clear about what the goal was. But it didn't matter because I did not care whether he succeeded or not. Madison came across as an entitled wretch. None of the other characters in the book liked him either.

I was not a fan of the first person story telling in this instance. I found his personality a little unbelievable.

The last chapter explained the whole premise of the book more or less. But I still didn't care. I skipped many paragraphs of pointless descriptions and observations, and I lost track of who all the players were.

I'm not sure what I was expecting given the title of the novel, but it sure wasn't this.

Oh! One more thing. It's Tsingtao beer. If you're going to have your characters take a drink, at least get the name correct.

[LK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm still not entirely sure this book deserves two stars... The main character, John was absolutely intolerable. He was unaware of his flaws, and all the growth he could've had by the end of the book was erased by everyone turning out villainous. He even said (in a comic turn of events) he liked R. Kelly!! I know that's not important for the plot but it really illustrates the details of why I hated everything about his. The other thing is female characters... I am yet to read a book with a higher-than-normal-IQ male character where women are normally described. Does everyone have to be 'beautiful' and 'attractive'?! The only woman who had a somewhat normal characterization was (of course) the mother figure. I was actually (unpleasantly) surprised to find out the author is a woman herself. Out of the four woman in this book, two are backstabbing femme fatales, the third is a hot waitress snitch and the fourth is the childhood nanny. The men aren't much better but at least they were more than a caricature. I liked the history part, learnt something new which is always nice.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book - I love when well-researched history is added to a great adventure story. But this one just couldn't pull itself together. The premise of the story is what pulled me in, but the character development was shallow and most of story about the characters just didn't flow or make sense. I loved learning about the history, myths and religious icons of the middle East - that part was done well. But because the writing overall was very poor, I will not bother with the other two.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot going on in this first of a series. Tons of complicated history from several civilizations as well as biblical and mythological. A number of heavy characters with unknown or changing loyalties. War and unrest in Iraq, which still feels too painfully real to unpack. Near constant action, danger, and violence. Wow, so take it slow and immerse yourself for full effect.

[Megan Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book. It was the first book I've read by this author. I enjoyed it. It did remind me of a Dan Brown book with hidden clues leading to a secret treasure. I'll probably read the rest of this trilogy.

[KK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible narrator

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: John Madison, a Turkish-American art dealer, races against time to decipher a prophecy concerning alchemy and a treasure trove.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, but thought it a bit 'busy'.

[Kala Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping for a Dan Brown type history and adventure. This was an elementary primer in comparison. I will not bother with the two other novels of the he trilogy.

[Westley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't all hold together.