Beyond the Narrows

by M.R. Durbin

You’re never too old for an adventure! After being the subject of an explosive assassination attempt, O’Reilly (Obie) Begay, a retired Navajo archaeologist, finds himself in the middle of the hunt for an ancient record—the personal journal of a Spanish Templar leading to a legendary treasure. When Obie tracks down the journal, he enlists fellow retirees Peter, Bill, and Jack to assist him in following its clues. Facing gunfights and car chases, the treasure hunters locate a 500-year-old Mayan codex, the next clue on their adventure. Peter’s grandson, Charley, and Obie’s granddaughter, Mac, come along for the quest, but they may find themselves drawn to a different kind of treasure. Constantly one tiny step ahead of their enemies as they scour the caves, cliffs, and canyons of Southern Utah, Obie’s team will have to rely on each other if they want to reach the treasure before their pursuers. But what will they do if not all in their numbers can be trusted?

Genres: Lds Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Adventure, Action, Lds

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2016

Reviews

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the thing I loved most about this book was the setting of Southern Utah and it's beautiful red rocks and canyons. I spent my earlier years growing up in this area- Hurricane, actually. And that's Hurri-cun not Hurricane. I laughed at that part in the book because that's exactly what we all used to say all the time. I was little when I lived there but I hated when people said it wrong. It made me mad. Ha!

I also loved the reminder of the storms that caused flash flooding. We had a "wash" behind our house and when the storms hit the mountains, we had flash flood waters that came in hard and fast. The wash was a dangerous place and I was forbidden to play in it because you never knew when those waters were going to come. It could be sunny at my house but raining in the mountains. I was scared to death of the wash.

So, yeah. The setting brought back lots of memories for me. I could easily imagine the places because I have been to them or places similar to them. As for the story itself, it was okay. It wasn't the best mystery/adventure/suspense book I've read, but it was okay. None of it really engaged my feelings.

This book has an unusual group of main characters. Three of them are older, retired men who are friends. They each bring their own set of experiences and knowledge to the group. Mac and Charley are younger and needed in the plot for their vitality and more youthful energy and abilities. This book has a lot of treasure hunting and running from bad guys. It's set up in the end for another book to follow.

Content: Mild violence, LDS fiction (many conversations and references to things specific to the LDS religion).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The phrase that came to my mind while reading this book is "knowledge is power."

The heroes of this book are an unlikely bunch of older gentlemen. The bond of the friends is wonderful to read. They know each other very well and know how to relate to one another. Their camaraderie was hilarious at points. I was entertained every time they got together.

One thing that I really appreciated about this novel is that there is a mix of ancient cultures. I have always loved reading about the Mayans and the Templars. It takes creativity to bring both of them together in a story that kept me interested. The idea is far-fetched, but it worked for this book. The author made it seem plausible.

I mentioned that I liked the older gentlemen. Obie and Peter were raised as brothers. They banter back and forth and I loved every minute of it. Obie is Navajo and Peter is Caucasian. They are both widowers and rely on each other. Both have one grandchild, who happen to meet in this story. A little bit of attraction between the grand-kids is a bonus!

This book has action, an ancient mystery, danger, friendship and a few other things added in the mix. The characters are LDS and there are references made toward religion. This is a clean book with some violence.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

(3.5 stars) This novel is action packed from the very beginning! Obie Begay, a retired Navajo archaeologist, is believed to be dead when his camper explodes. However, his best friend, Peter, knows where to find him--very much alive. They are drawn into a chase for hidden treasure and need to find out who wants him dead. There are two other friends who help out, along with Obie's granddaughter, Mac, and Peter's grandson, Charley.

There's quite a bit of action in this novel and I usually love that but had a hard time staying engaged in this book. There were lots of details related to the setting (Southern Utah) which slowed it down for me. I also don't rappel and there were lots of detailed rappelling scenes so I skimmed over those parts. The two young ones in the group, Mac and Charley, are physically attracted to each other but their interactions are awkward.

I enjoyed the history and how this group of friends and grandchildren worked together to translate the codex. The four older men have been friends for a long time and there were times that their conversations had me laughing out loud. The villain was perfect and added the right amount of tension. While I had a few issues, I would say that I liked this book overall! The ending leaves an opening for a second book, which I would be interested in reading, and would definitely like to see a relationship between Mac and Charley develop.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Lisa Reising · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at my local library in southern Utah because the title caught my eye and I love Zion NP. It was a fun story, like reading a joint Angels & Demons and Indiana Jones adventure. I'm being generous with the rating because it's enjoyable to read about geography and history I'm familiar with. I loved the addition of Mayan intrigue as well. The author is a student of history and I liked his notes in the back about what was factual, and I could see how he was inspired to develop a fun story from those facts. The writing is good in that it leads you to want to find out what's going to happen next.

That being said, I could have done without the many corny attempts at humor, and especially the jokes at the expense of LDS church culture which were super corny. (Did some eye-rolling while reading.) The general storyline was quite predictable overall. It didn't always flow easily, and some of the characters were formulaic and annoying. I did like Obie and his friendship with Peter.

It was a fun summer read - and when I'm in the right mood I may look up the sequel that was clearly alluded to at the end!

[Kim Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. I had started reading Double Eagle Double Cross, and on about chapter 3, decided that there was something I was missing. For some reason, these books aren't listed as a series, but even though I could tell that Durbin was trying to fill in information from the first book, I figured I'd better read it.

This is very National Treasure-ish. (Although Durbin makes references to The da Vinci Code, so he may have been thinking more along those lines -- it has been too long since I read that book to be able to make a comparison there.) You have to go into it knowing that it is not realistic on many different levels. I also felt like the ending was a bit over the top melodramatic. However, I enjoyed it enough that I look forward to the next book.

As I was looking into the idea of these being a series, I saw that there is a third one that has definitely been set up in this one. It unfortunately is not available in audio, so I plan to get it on my Kindle.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to like this book. And I did like that it was super clean.

But mostly I was just bored. It felt just silly. The characters were so flat they were interchangeable. It is clear the author knows that particular area and the geography. And it's always interesting to read a book set in your own state.

But frankly, I ended up speed-skimming it just to get through to see what happened.

I always feel kind of uncomfortable when I can't give a book a rave review. But then, this is a forum for personal opinions.

And since I lost the app (when I got my new phone) that tracked my books, I've resorted to this as my backup. Not exactly what I really want. But I'm working with what I have.

[Steven "Stan" Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot was typical and didn't have any real surprises. The setting of southern Utah with (sometimes) familiar landmarks made the story more realistic and helped me as the reader to be able to include myself in the story. The interweaving of the clues using several different languages and some cultural background identifiers gave the story a plausible feeling and to develop some of the mystique and intrigue of an Indiana Jones or National Treasure type adnventure.

[Marsha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had its moments. It drug a lot when they were on the treasure hunt but it had some exciting parts in other areas. I didn’t like Mac’s character. Her mind jumped to the craziest places when it came to her interactions with Charlie. She was just a little over the top on a number of occasions. I think a few changes to her character and the book would have been much better. Overall it was good but not great.

[Charity Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This came out years ago, but I finally picked it off my bookshelf to read. As I read, I found myself wondering why it took me so long to pick up and read because this book was unpredictable good and humorous. It was an adventure that I would only feel comfortable going on through and the pages of a book. Everything about this book was wonderful and I can’t wait to dive into the next book. I highly recommend this book by M. R. Durbin. The reader of the audio version did an excellent job.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, especially if you're familiar with Zion Nation Park and the Southern Utah area. I'm only vaguely familiar, but I still enjoyed it. It has action, suspense, lots of humor, a tiny bit over romance, and a really intriguing story with endearing characters.

[Suze Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. Action-packed and had a good storyline. However the last few chapters seemed to DRAG ON! This book could’ve ended better and been shorter IMO. But otherwise it was good clean fiction

[Janette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the people in this book, loved the scenery, but it's sort of a corny plot.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun mystery. It read like an Indian Jones story. A book written in 4 different languages with clues leading to a treasure.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

[Kathy]

Good archaeology mystery

[Bettyjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and clue-type style like National Treasure 🪙

[Swhe641200 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby. Read this book while we were in St George. It made it so much fun to read with all the events happening right where we were at Good Story enjoyed the book and Author.

[Elyse Orr · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mystery and southern history. Simple good read

[Sharla · Rating 1 out of 5]

So I guess some Mormans write terrible adventure novels instead of doing mission trips these days. Who knew?

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have spent many hours in the setting of this story.
I loved revisiting this amazing part of our country, through this well written story.

[Roxanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was set in my home state so the locations were all familiar to me. It made if fun to read.

[Karri Hoopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read "Swords of Joseph" by this author and really enjoyed it. This book wasn't as good. It was interesting. The chapters were really short and the story jumped around a lot. In his next book he combined the chapters with marks signifying a change in narrative, viewpoint, location and that worked better for me. I liked the way he used real places, background information and historic points. The use of elders as important characters and parts of the story and in a realistic manner was really nice. (For example, they could do a hike but it took longer and they worried about health issues and skeletal issues and physical limitations in realistic ways.)

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading about the country around Southwest Utah.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obie Begay, his granddaughter, his elderly friends, and one of his friend's grandsons end up tangled up in a Laura Croft type adventure. They tear across southern Utah looking for a massive treasure that had been buried by the Templars in the 1400’s. The book is complete with all the standard action adventure drama. There are kidnappings, car chases, shootouts, explosions, last minute coincidences that save the day, and daring escapes. Typical of the LDS book genre, it’s quite a bit cheesy. If you’re looking for a easy read with a happy ending, than it’s a fine book. It’s predictable and will give you the happy ending you're looking for. It does throw in a bit of history about a variety of cultures that is interesting, but not enough that you’ll come away with an understanding of any of the cultures it touches on. If you want something that challenges you and makes you think, then this probably isn’t the book for you.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is The Da Vinci Code set in Utah, interpreting the Mayan, Paiute, and Navajo languages and history. It's a pretty intense thriller with vivid descriptions of the Utah landscape. M. R. Durbin not only knows Zion National Park and its surrounding areas, he also is well-versed in history, local legends, knights of the Templar, and weaponry. So I had to take lots of breaks from this book. It's intense on so many levels. Yet the little bit of romance is awkward and stilted. But they do get a second chance, so good!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It's full of adventure, fun characters, mystery, treasure, and deception.

I loved the beginning. The way that appears that a murder has been committed, and the whole gang heading to the scene, only to be led in another direction was great!

I loved the characters. Mac, Charlie, Obie, Peter, and Bill are all really great characters. I loved the way you see the plot and things happening through many different eyes.

And the plot! I loved it. I loved the whole idea, it really reminded me of an LDS National Treasure book. Obie receives a really old journal. This journal gives clues leading to a great treasure. Obie and his friends must figure out the clues that take them through different areas of National Parks and other places in the St. George area. And, of course, they're being followed by bad guys trying to get the journal or the treasure. Sometimes they know they are and other times they don't and simply miss the bad guys.

I was kind of surprised by who the bad guy was. I had kind of guessed, but then Obie's team took the person in and I kind of figured at that point that he was safe.

I loved reading this book and trying to keep up with the clues! This is a fun book that I didn't want to put down!

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty intense from beginning to end. We open with Obie Begay being blown up in his camper, only not really. Mac, his granddaughter, goes looking for him with his friend Peter and Peter's grandson Charley. A Mr. Villegas appears on the scene and I wondered about him from the first. He's a villain. There are car chases before we even know what we are getting into.
Anyway, it ends up being about an ancient Templar treasure. The search involves much of southern Utah, dangerous roads and cliff scenery.
And just as it ends you don't want it to end because there are more clues to be followed.

[Cheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A suspense involving a journal from Scotland and set in Utah.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up just because my expectation for LDS fiction is usually quite low and this was better than expected.