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Dead Sea Chronicles #1
Dead Sea Rising
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins comes a heart-stopping adventure of historical proportions.
Nicole Berman is an archaeologist on the brink of a world-changing discovery. Preparing for her first dig in Jordan, she believes she has found concrete evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history books forever. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed. While urgently trying to connect pieces of an ancient puzzle, a dangerous enemy is out to stop her.
Nicole Berman is an archaeologist on the brink of a world-changing discovery. Preparing for her first dig in Jordan, she believes she has found concrete evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history books forever. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed. While urgently trying to connect pieces of an ancient puzzle, a dangerous enemy is out to stop her.
321 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2020
163 people are currently reading
1954 people want to read
About the author
Jerry B. Jenkins
673 books1,729 followersJerry Bruce Jenkins is an American novelist and biographer. He is best known as the writer of the Left Behind series of books for Tim LaHaye and The Chosen novels to accompany his son Dallas's TV series. Jenkins has written more than 200 books, including mysteries, historical fiction, biblical fiction, cop thrillers, international spy thrillers, and children's adventures, as well as nonfiction. His works usually feature Christians as protagonists. In 2005, Jenkins and LaHaye ranked 9th in Amazon.com's 10th Anniversary list of Hall of Fame authors based on books sold at Amazon.com during its first 10 years. Jenkins now teaches writers to become authors here at his website. He and his wife Dianna have three sons and eight grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
December 21, 2021
I've read two books in the underground zealot series and I really enjoyed them. Was surprised that i unknownly had bought this first book in another series by him without paying much attention to it and immediately started to read it and wasn't disappointed. Engaging read as always
February 26, 2020
3.5 actually. This book part 1 of 2. So far the characters have clearly depicted; the theme of biblical archaeology in Saudi Arabia drawn; the questionable role of Dr Nicole Bermans' parents former housekeeper established and that Dr Bermans' father runs a huge Foundation is figured as key to main the story. But how does it all come together. I need to read the second book.
Unputdownable
Unputdownable
January 1, 2019
Dead Sea Rising starts out running and never stops. . .and the thing is, I didn't want it to. I wish book two was already out.
Nicole Berman's mother, Virginia, is in the hospital and ready for surgery. Her dad is overseas and scrambling to find a flight home to be with his wife through the operation for a broken hip. Or maybe it isn't just a broken hip? Soon the whole family is the subject of a criminal investigation.
At the same time, we read another story of intrigue set thousands of years before in the Middle Easter during the early Biblical times. Terah and Belessunu have been married for many years. Many barren years. However, soon they will have a baby to bless them. Belessunu prays to the one true God and Terah prays the the idols that he makes for the king, Nimrod. Tension is all around as the baby is born and trouble begins.
Jerry Jenkins weaves the two stories in and out throughout the book. I found them both to be fascinating the plot to be intriguing. I haven't read a Jerry Jenkins book since I read the Left Behind series. I especially enjoyed that series so I expected this one to be good--and I was not disappointed. Dead Sea Rising is a fast-paced novel that left me a bit breathless as I turned the pages faster and faster. I enjoyed the intrigue and the story lines. The characters were all fascinating and I could feel like I was right there with them--in each time period that they were set. It was easy to keep everything and everyone straight in my head. Also, this is a good clean read without overt violence or cussing. I just have one complaint--the next book in the series isn't out yet for me to read! Like others who start this series, I will anxiously be awaiting book two, Dead Sea Conundrum. Dead Sea Rising leaves a lot of cliff hangers and I am ready to find out some more answers.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
Nicole Berman's mother, Virginia, is in the hospital and ready for surgery. Her dad is overseas and scrambling to find a flight home to be with his wife through the operation for a broken hip. Or maybe it isn't just a broken hip? Soon the whole family is the subject of a criminal investigation.
At the same time, we read another story of intrigue set thousands of years before in the Middle Easter during the early Biblical times. Terah and Belessunu have been married for many years. Many barren years. However, soon they will have a baby to bless them. Belessunu prays to the one true God and Terah prays the the idols that he makes for the king, Nimrod. Tension is all around as the baby is born and trouble begins.
Jerry Jenkins weaves the two stories in and out throughout the book. I found them both to be fascinating the plot to be intriguing. I haven't read a Jerry Jenkins book since I read the Left Behind series. I especially enjoyed that series so I expected this one to be good--and I was not disappointed. Dead Sea Rising is a fast-paced novel that left me a bit breathless as I turned the pages faster and faster. I enjoyed the intrigue and the story lines. The characters were all fascinating and I could feel like I was right there with them--in each time period that they were set. It was easy to keep everything and everyone straight in my head. Also, this is a good clean read without overt violence or cussing. I just have one complaint--the next book in the series isn't out yet for me to read! Like others who start this series, I will anxiously be awaiting book two, Dead Sea Conundrum. Dead Sea Rising leaves a lot of cliff hangers and I am ready to find out some more answers.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.
January 14, 2019
This was kind of an odd book. Two stories run concurrently yet seem to have no connection to each other. The ancient story is left open ended but the modern not so much. This could easily have been two separate books, what Amazon calls Singles and James Patterson calls Bookshots. There is a sequel so perhaps the stories will interconnect at some point. The reading was easy and somewhat interesting but I don't know if I will read the sequel. I look my books to be stand alones
November 13, 2018
This novel did not grab me. There was no tantalizing opening to capture my attention. The narrative jumps around to three time periods. The connection between the contemporary story and the one from 2000 BC was not established early and I was still left wondering at the end. Apparently some meaningful artifact will connect the two stories in a future book.
The contemporary story involves Nicole, an archaeologist who is awaiting permission for a dig in Saudi Arabia. The novel opens with Nicole being notified that her mother has fallen and broken her hip. We do find out later that there was foul play. The contemporary story really has no suspense, moved slowly and the foul play has a resolution that comes out of left field.
The historical story involves Terah, father of Abram. The time is 2000 BC in Shinar, Mesopotamia. We learn about Terah's service as an adviser to King Nimrod and that his wife will be giving birth soon. There is some intrigue in this part of the novel.
The third story takes us back to Viet Nam as we learn some about the experiences of Nicole's father while there. I didn't think it had much to do with the contemporary narrative and only served to provide a slightly touching scene between Nicole's parents at the end.
The character development is sufficient. My favorite character was a secondary one, the detective investigating the foul play.
I may be picky but I was surprised at one lack of attention to historical detail. Terah, living in 2000 BC, refers to a height saying, “More than a mile and a half?” This is in response to another speaking of “more than eight thousand feet.” (p. 300) The term “mile” did not come into use until the time of the Romans. It is from mille passus, a thousand paces. The term would not have been in use or even known in Terah's time. The same seems to be true of the use of “feet.” Romans and Greeks used the concept but older civilizations used the cubit.
We get a hint of what future novels might contain but I would have liked a stronger hook at the end of this book.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
The contemporary story involves Nicole, an archaeologist who is awaiting permission for a dig in Saudi Arabia. The novel opens with Nicole being notified that her mother has fallen and broken her hip. We do find out later that there was foul play. The contemporary story really has no suspense, moved slowly and the foul play has a resolution that comes out of left field.
The historical story involves Terah, father of Abram. The time is 2000 BC in Shinar, Mesopotamia. We learn about Terah's service as an adviser to King Nimrod and that his wife will be giving birth soon. There is some intrigue in this part of the novel.
The third story takes us back to Viet Nam as we learn some about the experiences of Nicole's father while there. I didn't think it had much to do with the contemporary narrative and only served to provide a slightly touching scene between Nicole's parents at the end.
The character development is sufficient. My favorite character was a secondary one, the detective investigating the foul play.
I may be picky but I was surprised at one lack of attention to historical detail. Terah, living in 2000 BC, refers to a height saying, “More than a mile and a half?” This is in response to another speaking of “more than eight thousand feet.” (p. 300) The term “mile” did not come into use until the time of the Romans. It is from mille passus, a thousand paces. The term would not have been in use or even known in Terah's time. The same seems to be true of the use of “feet.” Romans and Greeks used the concept but older civilizations used the cubit.
We get a hint of what future novels might contain but I would have liked a stronger hook at the end of this book.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
January 2, 2019
Sadly I'm not a fan of this book and I wish this wasn't my first review for 2019.
I can already hear the gasps from the audience 'What, you didn't like a Jerry B. Jenkins novel?'
I am a huge fan of time-slip novels especially ones that tie history and present day together. However, in Mr. Jenkins newest release I felt as though I was reading two individual stories that were never tied together.
I'd just start to enjoy present day Manhattan and then go back in time to Mesopotamia with no connection to the previous story. And while the stories are wonderful individually I really wanted them to unite in some small fashion.
The writing is stellar, descriptive, and real in true Jerry B. Jenkins fashion. The biblical research is evident throughout the story set in Mesopotamia.
I can already hear the gasps from the audience 'What, you didn't like a Jerry B. Jenkins novel?'
I am a huge fan of time-slip novels especially ones that tie history and present day together. However, in Mr. Jenkins newest release I felt as though I was reading two individual stories that were never tied together.
I'd just start to enjoy present day Manhattan and then go back in time to Mesopotamia with no connection to the previous story. And while the stories are wonderful individually I really wanted them to unite in some small fashion.
The writing is stellar, descriptive, and real in true Jerry B. Jenkins fashion. The biblical research is evident throughout the story set in Mesopotamia.
September 1, 2022
Jerry Jenkins is one of my favorite Christian fiction authors. Although I enjoyed most of his work Dead Sea Rising fell a little flat for me. I was expecting the story to be thrilling and exciting. However it just read a bit stale for me. I liked the dual time lines between present day and the Days of Noah (after the flood). I also appreciated that the main characters where Messianic Jews which was refreshing and so educational. Yet, this story felt a bit unresolved and underwhelming for me. But I think that’s just based on the first book setup. Overall fairly decent time!
April 12, 2023
I have read other books by Jerry Jenkins and thoroughly enjoyed them, but this book just left me flat. It included three different timelines, and none of the three really caught my attention. To add to that, none of the three were concluded, and they weren't interesting enough for me to really want to read the second book in the series to find out what happened in the conclusion of any of the time lines.
November 14, 2018
Dead Sea Rising
Dead Sea Chronicles #1
By Jerry B. Jenkins
Nicole Berman has a theory that she thinks will change the history of the Middle East as we have always believed it to be. But to prove her theory she needs the permission of Saudi Arabia to lead an archeological dig to find the evidence she is sure exists. But will the Saudis allow a woman to lead a dig, though she has the experience she's never before lead a dig?
When tragedy strikes her mother all thoughts of a dig are momentarily put on hold. But when a perceived accident turns into an investigation with both Nicole and her father, Ben number one on the police suspect list both are naturally surprised. Who could possibly want to attack Virginia Berman?
As the present day is played out the reader is offered two additional story-threads that are important to what is unfolding in Manhattan. We are given glimpses of Ben Berman's life as an angry 18-year-old, who in an attempt to prove something to both his parents and himself enlists and is sent to Vietnam. Vietnam is rough as Ben is assigned to a hospital tasked with getting the injured stabilized and shipped out to other out of combat hospitals or back on duty.
The other story-thread is set in 2000 B.C. in Shinar, Mesopotamia, which is under the rule of Nimrod, who has taken the name of Amraphel for himself. The main focus of this thread is on Terah the chief officer of Nimrod and his life. Terah and his wife Belessunu are finally expecting their first child, which couldn't come at a worse time as Nimrod fears, due to the words of his soothsayers, that a coming male child will threaten his reign! As Terah plots and prayers to the gods he carved, his wife prays to the God of their forefather Noah for the son she knows she carries.
It is interesting as these various threads progress to the conclusion of the book, which is the first in a series. The conclusion of the various threads in not reached as they are integral to the additional books if I'm reading the story correctly. If you like mysteries, historical and contemporary fiction you've found the perfect combination in this book. I highly recommend this book for longtime fans of Jerry's and for those new to him and his work. I for one can't wait until book 2 comes out to find out what happens next!
I received a copy of this book from Worthy with proof of my pre-order receipt. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Dead Sea Chronicles #1
By Jerry B. Jenkins
Nicole Berman has a theory that she thinks will change the history of the Middle East as we have always believed it to be. But to prove her theory she needs the permission of Saudi Arabia to lead an archeological dig to find the evidence she is sure exists. But will the Saudis allow a woman to lead a dig, though she has the experience she's never before lead a dig?
When tragedy strikes her mother all thoughts of a dig are momentarily put on hold. But when a perceived accident turns into an investigation with both Nicole and her father, Ben number one on the police suspect list both are naturally surprised. Who could possibly want to attack Virginia Berman?
As the present day is played out the reader is offered two additional story-threads that are important to what is unfolding in Manhattan. We are given glimpses of Ben Berman's life as an angry 18-year-old, who in an attempt to prove something to both his parents and himself enlists and is sent to Vietnam. Vietnam is rough as Ben is assigned to a hospital tasked with getting the injured stabilized and shipped out to other out of combat hospitals or back on duty.
The other story-thread is set in 2000 B.C. in Shinar, Mesopotamia, which is under the rule of Nimrod, who has taken the name of Amraphel for himself. The main focus of this thread is on Terah the chief officer of Nimrod and his life. Terah and his wife Belessunu are finally expecting their first child, which couldn't come at a worse time as Nimrod fears, due to the words of his soothsayers, that a coming male child will threaten his reign! As Terah plots and prayers to the gods he carved, his wife prays to the God of their forefather Noah for the son she knows she carries.
It is interesting as these various threads progress to the conclusion of the book, which is the first in a series. The conclusion of the various threads in not reached as they are integral to the additional books if I'm reading the story correctly. If you like mysteries, historical and contemporary fiction you've found the perfect combination in this book. I highly recommend this book for longtime fans of Jerry's and for those new to him and his work. I for one can't wait until book 2 comes out to find out what happens next!
I received a copy of this book from Worthy with proof of my pre-order receipt. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
December 14, 2018
Just because he is a Christian doesn't mean I need to excuse the clunky, formulaic, writing, and the poor, oh so boring, story telling.
His writing is just awful, just awful. It's clunky, turns of phrase that don't make any sense. Description that adds nothing, and lots and lots of telling instead of showing. One moment stands out to me where our main character is like warming up some food, and we have to go on a page and a half odyssey of her doing this and being glad for the warm food warming her up. Why are we following this? What good is it, and what is it adding to our knowledge of the character, setting, plot, or conflict. She likes warm food?
A similar multi-chapter odyssey occurs in the past. After he is attacked by wolves we need three chapters to get him home. WHY?
The real problem here is that nothing happens. I got about 100 pages in and literally nothing had happened. The mystery hadn't been revealed, the characters were more annoying than interesting, and I saw no reason to be switching between past and present. It was a pointless endeavor.
Also, is this really how Jenkins expects Christians to act? Nicole was awful. All she did was fight with the police (who were doing their job), complain about being too wealthy, whine because foreign countries don't revere her, and just be an overall pain. His Christian characters seem to be the HOLIER-THAN-THOU types who think they deserve some kind of special treatment.
I guess they could have learned and grown by the end of the story, but that wasn't the tone I was getting. I was left thinking that Nicole was right, the cops were the bad guys, and she was somehow being persecuted for her faith. None of which were true (or at least written well enough to be read like that).
This whole book just infuriated me and I couldn't do it. A mindless mystery story should not take forever to establish a mystery and have such bland and grating characters. Jenkins doesn't get to be James Patterson just because he is a Christian.
His writing is just awful, just awful. It's clunky, turns of phrase that don't make any sense. Description that adds nothing, and lots and lots of telling instead of showing. One moment stands out to me where our main character is like warming up some food, and we have to go on a page and a half odyssey of her doing this and being glad for the warm food warming her up. Why are we following this? What good is it, and what is it adding to our knowledge of the character, setting, plot, or conflict. She likes warm food?
A similar multi-chapter odyssey occurs in the past. After he is attacked by wolves we need three chapters to get him home. WHY?
The real problem here is that nothing happens. I got about 100 pages in and literally nothing had happened. The mystery hadn't been revealed, the characters were more annoying than interesting, and I saw no reason to be switching between past and present. It was a pointless endeavor.
Also, is this really how Jenkins expects Christians to act? Nicole was awful. All she did was fight with the police (who were doing their job), complain about being too wealthy, whine because foreign countries don't revere her, and just be an overall pain. His Christian characters seem to be the HOLIER-THAN-THOU types who think they deserve some kind of special treatment.
I guess they could have learned and grown by the end of the story, but that wasn't the tone I was getting. I was left thinking that Nicole was right, the cops were the bad guys, and she was somehow being persecuted for her faith. None of which were true (or at least written well enough to be read like that).
This whole book just infuriated me and I couldn't do it. A mindless mystery story should not take forever to establish a mystery and have such bland and grating characters. Jenkins doesn't get to be James Patterson just because he is a Christian.
December 10, 2018
I have always enjoyed novels by Jerry Jenkins. His best-selling Left Behind series was riveting, and more recently, The Valley of Dry Bones earned a recommended read from me. However, I found his latest book, Dead Sea Rising, to be a mixed bag. There are three storylines in this first book in the Dead Sea Chronicles series — present day suspense involving archaeologist Nicole Berman and family, a Vietnam-era thread focusing on Nicole’s father Ben, and an ancient tale detailing the history of Abraham’s father Terah. Just what all these have in common I never figured out. The book leaves the reader with some big cliffhangers. And therein lies the rub — I never felt like I was getting anywhere in any of the stories. Short chapters alternate between the three, and they are easy to follow, but I was frustrated by the lack of forward motion. Modern-day characters were appealing, and I was genuinely interested in their difficulties. The Biblical account? Not so much. Biblical may be stretching it a bit too. Terah’s story involves a good bit of what-ifs and some pronouncements from God that sound like something He would say, but are not actually found in the Biblical record. Terah is a thoroughly despicable character and cartoonish in my opinion. This portion of the book did make me want to dig into what the Bible has to say — a definite positive.
I hate to be so negative, but I really had a hard time with this novel and am not sure I am invested enough in any of the stories to read the next book, Dead Sea Conundrum. To be fair, there are many positive reviews on Amazon. Be sure to check them out.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to Worthy for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
I hate to be so negative, but I really had a hard time with this novel and am not sure I am invested enough in any of the stories to read the next book, Dead Sea Conundrum. To be fair, there are many positive reviews on Amazon. Be sure to check them out.
Audience: adults.
(Thanks to Worthy for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
February 28, 2022
I love archeology books so was very disappointed that there wasn’t any in this book. I found this book disjointed—jumping between 3 storylines. One finally connected up at the end but the ancient story never did connect with the present day one. This book did not entice me to read the second book. It only annoyed me.
October 19, 2022
Fast paced, with storylines happening in 3 different time periods (Ur, Vietnam, and present Day New York), it's a lot to absorb, but I couldn't put it down. I'm eager to dive into the sequel. (accidentally read the first 10 percent of that, before I realized that I had this one on my bookshelf).
June 23, 2024
With all the success of the Left Behind series it is hard to imagine anything better; however, Dead Sea Rising is by far the best Jenkins novel I have ever read. This is not one to be missed.
Nicole Berman is waiting for the news that could change her life. She has applied to lead an archeological dig in the middle east and is waiting for the answer when she gets the call that her mom is in the hospital with a broken hip. When she gets there, she finds out her mother was actually attacked and she is a suspect. Someone doesn’t want her to go on the dig and uncover the artifacts she believes she has found, evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history. While Nicole and her father work to prove they would never do anything to hurt her mother, the search for what is really going on and why Nicole and her family are now being threatened intensifies and no one is safe.
I honestly don’t know how to go about describing this book. All I can say is it will be hard for any book to top this for my number one book of the year. There was a back and forth element to the story, one chapter in the present with Nicole and the next 4,000 years in the past. The interesting thing is it can actually be read one of two ways, straight through like normal or readers can chose to read one timeline (every other chapter) all the way through and then go back and read the other timeline without compromising the way they understand the story. Even though the timelines don’t intercede with one another, by the end they will have relevance as the series continues. The characters and the way Jenkins weaved the tension was amazing. I also think the super short chapters helped move the story along. As readers want to put the book down for the night, they might look ahead to the next chapter and see it is only a few pages and decide it is short enough to keep going making it a sit down and read in one sitting kind of book. When most people think of a fast paced page-turner, it probably has to do with a car chase or a serial killer attacking someone. With Dead Sea Rising that isn’t the case, the tension is right from the start, as soon as Nicole is suspecting of hurting her mother and the depths of the case made me want to turn the page as fast as I could. There is a reason that Jenkins is one of the very top Christian authors, he has perfected his writing and anyone wanting to learn the craft of writing needs to read and reread everything he has writing, it doesn’t get any better. I recommend this book to lovers of biblical fiction and suspense.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
Nicole Berman is waiting for the news that could change her life. She has applied to lead an archeological dig in the middle east and is waiting for the answer when she gets the call that her mom is in the hospital with a broken hip. When she gets there, she finds out her mother was actually attacked and she is a suspect. Someone doesn’t want her to go on the dig and uncover the artifacts she believes she has found, evidence of a biblical patriarch that could change history. While Nicole and her father work to prove they would never do anything to hurt her mother, the search for what is really going on and why Nicole and her family are now being threatened intensifies and no one is safe.
I honestly don’t know how to go about describing this book. All I can say is it will be hard for any book to top this for my number one book of the year. There was a back and forth element to the story, one chapter in the present with Nicole and the next 4,000 years in the past. The interesting thing is it can actually be read one of two ways, straight through like normal or readers can chose to read one timeline (every other chapter) all the way through and then go back and read the other timeline without compromising the way they understand the story. Even though the timelines don’t intercede with one another, by the end they will have relevance as the series continues. The characters and the way Jenkins weaved the tension was amazing. I also think the super short chapters helped move the story along. As readers want to put the book down for the night, they might look ahead to the next chapter and see it is only a few pages and decide it is short enough to keep going making it a sit down and read in one sitting kind of book. When most people think of a fast paced page-turner, it probably has to do with a car chase or a serial killer attacking someone. With Dead Sea Rising that isn’t the case, the tension is right from the start, as soon as Nicole is suspecting of hurting her mother and the depths of the case made me want to turn the page as fast as I could. There is a reason that Jenkins is one of the very top Christian authors, he has perfected his writing and anyone wanting to learn the craft of writing needs to read and reread everything he has writing, it doesn’t get any better. I recommend this book to lovers of biblical fiction and suspense.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
March 24, 2019
I enjoyed reading Dead Sea Rising even though there was a lot of repetition throughout the book and nothing of what was indicated on the back cover concerning the story line was written within this book (see below). The writing kept me intrigued enough to continue reading till I finished the book. However, I was very disappointed in the ending (if this was an ending and not just a continuation to the next book in the series)! If this was simply Book 1 of several in a series, I wish that had been noted in the beginning or on the book notes on the back of the book. I would not have been as disappointed if this had been stated.
Also on the Large Print book I read I believe the back cover notes on what the book was about was very inaccurate. It states, and I quote from the cover:
"As Nicole Berman leads an archeological dig in Jordan she discovers a 4,000-year-old complex, but a cave-in nearly kills her. Waking in a Saudi clinic, visions of what she may have seen regarding the Biblical Abraham and his sons haunt her. She pursues her theory, falls for a Palestinian who leads a secret Islamic network and works to thwart her, and faces revelations about her family from a volunteer at the dig. The Abrahamic puzzle Nicole pieces together could revolutionize the relationship between Jews and Arab Muslims, but her past is unraveling."
In this book, Nicole is applying to do a dig in Saudi Arabia, she only has a theory about finding information on Abraham and his family on the dig (if she gets permission to do a dig!), no mention of falling for a Palestianian, and no new revelations from a volunteer at a dig (which she hasn't done yet!) about her family. This story centers mostly on her mother falling (thought to be accidental but found to be untrue), what actually happened to her mother, her father Ben and his service and time in Vietnam, clearing Nicole and Ben of hurting their mother and wife, and another offset biblical story set in 2000 BC of Terah, Belessunu, baby Abram and King Nimrod/King Amraphel.
Most of the reason I wanted to read this book was due to those back cover notes along with having read previous books by Mr. Jenkins.
I'm hoping Mr. Jenkins is writing a series to continue this story line and give his readers a better understanding to complement this book. I look forward to this happening in the near future.
February 24, 2019
I was looking forward to reading a novel written from a Christian perspective and a seasoned author, but I was really disappointed by “Dead Sea Rising.” Two major stories alternated chapters: one in present day and the other in Mesopotamia in 2000 BC. I found both stories rather plastic with cardboard characters. I kept waiting for the two stories to touch one another but they never made the connection. Then a short statement after the acknowledgments: Watch for Book 2 in 2019. By this time in my reading, I was not interested in a sequel.
I just cannot give this novel a high rating. The characters in Mesopotamia talk about distances in terms of feet and miles. The criminal element in the present-day story is so obvious and yet the thorough police investigation misses the obvious until the last few chapters. Even down to the last sentence this novel seems rather thrown together: “I’ll you the whole story in a few days.” I did not leave out a word, but I think the author must have. “I’ll tell you, I’ll text you, I’ll send you the whole story in a few days.” I just wish he would have told me the whole story somewhere in the 310 pages of the book. There will be no Part 2 of the Dead Sea Chronicles for me.
I just cannot give this novel a high rating. The characters in Mesopotamia talk about distances in terms of feet and miles. The criminal element in the present-day story is so obvious and yet the thorough police investigation misses the obvious until the last few chapters. Even down to the last sentence this novel seems rather thrown together: “I’ll you the whole story in a few days.” I did not leave out a word, but I think the author must have. “I’ll tell you, I’ll text you, I’ll send you the whole story in a few days.” I just wish he would have told me the whole story somewhere in the 310 pages of the book. There will be no Part 2 of the Dead Sea Chronicles for me.
November 13, 2018
“...I have no secrets from my family. There’s not a chance in a million they’d have had anything to do with this.”
What is so important that a member of Dr. Berman’s family was nearly murdered in their home? Could it be related to daughter Nicole’s archaeological dig last year...which promised new answers to age-old questions?
Characters, some of whom lived 4000 years ago, are revealed chapter by fast-paced chapter in Jerry B. Jenkins’ latest novel, Dead Sea Rising. Readers must wonder if the lineup is complete or will Jenkins reveal major surprises in book two of what may become his next Biblical-based series. Second guessing allowed.
Dr. Craig Evans, Biblical Consultant #deadsearising #jerryjenkins co-author of Left Behind series
What is so important that a member of Dr. Berman’s family was nearly murdered in their home? Could it be related to daughter Nicole’s archaeological dig last year...which promised new answers to age-old questions?
Characters, some of whom lived 4000 years ago, are revealed chapter by fast-paced chapter in Jerry B. Jenkins’ latest novel, Dead Sea Rising. Readers must wonder if the lineup is complete or will Jenkins reveal major surprises in book two of what may become his next Biblical-based series. Second guessing allowed.
Dr. Craig Evans, Biblical Consultant #deadsearising #jerryjenkins co-author of Left Behind series
May 8, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one in the series. However, the description of the book did not match the story. It wasn't until page 259 (over 80% into the book) that the reader finally discovers anything about the dig Nicole is trying to do.
I enjoyed the various timelines, especially the one in Ur, Mesopotamia.
I enjoyed the various timelines, especially the one in Ur, Mesopotamia.
November 13, 2018
I was very happy to get a copy of the first book of Jerry Jenkins' new series "The Dead Sea Chronicles". This first book is entitled "Dead Sea Rising" and I am happy to say that this book is fantastic!
I did a review of Jerry's "The Valley of the Dry Bones", which was a post-apocalyptic novel and I really liked it. Dead Sea Rising, however, is even better in my mind. He changed up his writing a little bit to have much shorter chapters. And I mean really short chapters that vary between 2 to 5 pages on average. It was to the point where I was sitting up at night reading and getting a little tired, but thinking to myself "just one more chapter" and then finding myself wanting to read 5 or 6 more of these short chapters before I fell asleep.
I honestly did have a hard time putting this book down. Jerry's writing style is engaging and the storyline is gripping.
In fact, there are two major storylines in this book. I won't give away the plot, but one storyline is of a current day Messianic Jewish family from New York City who is heavily involved in archaeology. The other storyline takes place 4,000 years in the past in the land of Ur (where Biblical Abraham was from). The chapters cleverly alternate between the two main storylines which at first I thought might be hard to follow, but 3 chapters into the book, and I realized it was very easy to follow along as the two storylines develop throughout the book.
I don't want to give away any spoilers or anything, so here is a quote that succinctly summarizes a portion of the plot from the book's website:
"Nicole Berman is an archaeologist on the brink of a world-changing discovery. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed. While Nicole urgently tries to connect pieces of an ancient puzzle, a dangerous enemy is out to stop her."
In fact, if you go to the book's website, after a few moments on the website, a dialog pops up where you can sign up via email to get the first 10 chapters of Dead Sea Rising (at least at the time of writing this review).
I was very intrigued in chapter one of this book, but I really was completely hooked by the 2nd chapter. With the short chapters, this means I was hooked by page 9.
I cannot wait for the second book in the series to come out. Per a live chat with Jerry Jenkins, the second book should be available in October or November of 2019. I will have a hard time waiting for that book since I am engrossed in the well defined and intriguing characters in Dead Sea Rising.
Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review from Worthy Publishing and all opinions are my own.
I did a review of Jerry's "The Valley of the Dry Bones", which was a post-apocalyptic novel and I really liked it. Dead Sea Rising, however, is even better in my mind. He changed up his writing a little bit to have much shorter chapters. And I mean really short chapters that vary between 2 to 5 pages on average. It was to the point where I was sitting up at night reading and getting a little tired, but thinking to myself "just one more chapter" and then finding myself wanting to read 5 or 6 more of these short chapters before I fell asleep.
I honestly did have a hard time putting this book down. Jerry's writing style is engaging and the storyline is gripping.
In fact, there are two major storylines in this book. I won't give away the plot, but one storyline is of a current day Messianic Jewish family from New York City who is heavily involved in archaeology. The other storyline takes place 4,000 years in the past in the land of Ur (where Biblical Abraham was from). The chapters cleverly alternate between the two main storylines which at first I thought might be hard to follow, but 3 chapters into the book, and I realized it was very easy to follow along as the two storylines develop throughout the book.
I don't want to give away any spoilers or anything, so here is a quote that succinctly summarizes a portion of the plot from the book's website:
"Nicole Berman is an archaeologist on the brink of a world-changing discovery. But someone doesn't want the truth revealed. While Nicole urgently tries to connect pieces of an ancient puzzle, a dangerous enemy is out to stop her."
In fact, if you go to the book's website, after a few moments on the website, a dialog pops up where you can sign up via email to get the first 10 chapters of Dead Sea Rising (at least at the time of writing this review).
I was very intrigued in chapter one of this book, but I really was completely hooked by the 2nd chapter. With the short chapters, this means I was hooked by page 9.
I cannot wait for the second book in the series to come out. Per a live chat with Jerry Jenkins, the second book should be available in October or November of 2019. I will have a hard time waiting for that book since I am engrossed in the well defined and intriguing characters in Dead Sea Rising.
Highly recommended. You will not be disappointed.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for this unbiased review from Worthy Publishing and all opinions are my own.
November 14, 2018
NYT best-selling author Jerry Jenkins’ DEAD SEA RISING is a compelling and suspenseful novel. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and shifted between three different time periods and countries. Each time period introduced characters that captured my interest.
Many novels that I read are overflowing with too many paragraphs devoted to the description of characters or scenery. When this happens, I become distracted from the action of the plot and will essentially skip these paragraphs. However, Jerry Jenkins’ writing style is clear and concise which inspired me to read every word.
Furthermore, there were three particular reasons why I liked this novel. The first reason was the plot. It was a believable mystery and it was fun to “transfer” myself into the main character, archaeologist Nicole Berman’s life. I was also drawn into the other characters as well and found myself transported to Mesopotamia and Vietnam while reading those chapters. The second reason was the credibility of the characters. Each character was well-defined and researched. Because of this, the storyline showed a solid, logical progression as each character developed.
The third reason I liked this book was because I could not put the book down. Jerry Jenkins succeeded in capturing my attention from page one and my interest kept growing to the end.
I highly recommend reading DEAD SEA RISING. Enjoy!
Many novels that I read are overflowing with too many paragraphs devoted to the description of characters or scenery. When this happens, I become distracted from the action of the plot and will essentially skip these paragraphs. However, Jerry Jenkins’ writing style is clear and concise which inspired me to read every word.
Furthermore, there were three particular reasons why I liked this novel. The first reason was the plot. It was a believable mystery and it was fun to “transfer” myself into the main character, archaeologist Nicole Berman’s life. I was also drawn into the other characters as well and found myself transported to Mesopotamia and Vietnam while reading those chapters. The second reason was the credibility of the characters. Each character was well-defined and researched. Because of this, the storyline showed a solid, logical progression as each character developed.
The third reason I liked this book was because I could not put the book down. Jerry Jenkins succeeded in capturing my attention from page one and my interest kept growing to the end.
I highly recommend reading DEAD SEA RISING. Enjoy!
November 12, 2018
Dead Sea Rising by Jerry B. Jenkins is the first book in a great new series, Dead Sea Chronicles. This story is so full of action and suspense. It grabbed me from page one. This book actually contains two stories in one. The modern day story is that of the Berman family. Nicole is an archeologist that has followed her father on digs from a young age. Now she is applying for permits to be allowed to dig in the Middle East. Being a Messianic Jew is making this process difficult for Nicole. While waiting for the permits, her mother is attacked in her home and Nicole and her father are suspects.
The second story is taken from the Old Testament. It focus on the birth of Abram and the steps Terah took to save his life.
The book is written in short chapter style, alternating between modern day and Old Testament time. The story is so well written it is easy to imagine being in both places and watching the characters go through their struggles. The characters are all well developed, strong characters. I appreciate the research the author has done to keep this book true to life. I also enjoyed the humor with the detectives.
This is a must read book for anyone who likes suspenseful stories or stories based on Old Testament times. I received a copy of this book as part of the launch team. This is my honest review.
The second story is taken from the Old Testament. It focus on the birth of Abram and the steps Terah took to save his life.
The book is written in short chapter style, alternating between modern day and Old Testament time. The story is so well written it is easy to imagine being in both places and watching the characters go through their struggles. The characters are all well developed, strong characters. I appreciate the research the author has done to keep this book true to life. I also enjoyed the humor with the detectives.
This is a must read book for anyone who likes suspenseful stories or stories based on Old Testament times. I received a copy of this book as part of the launch team. This is my honest review.
December 20, 2018
I need to mention, I got this book for free in exchange for a review on my blog and various other sites. That being said, I promise only to ever give an honest review. That being said, this is a good one.
I'll say this, Jerry B. Jenkins can tell a story and in this book he tells two. One a modern day whodunnit, featuring a Messianic Jewish father and daughter being investigated for attacking the mother/wife they both love. The other is the fictionalized tale of the birth of Abraham to his devout mother and his idol making father. Both stories are page turners and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I sometimes wish a half star option was available, because I would like ding this great book, just a little bit in that it spends it's entirety setting up the sequel. I should not be surprised by this. Jenkins is half of the team that created one of the best selling book series of all time, but I got to the end of the book and was still wondering what these two great, well written stories have to do with each other. I'm sure it will be masterfully shown in the coming sequel(s), but I would have liked a little insight in this volume. Please don't get me wrong, I still highly recommend this book, and you will find it thoroughly entertaining, and I am really excited to read book two, I just wish he had given me a little more to tie the two stories together. Still a great book. Get it.
I'll say this, Jerry B. Jenkins can tell a story and in this book he tells two. One a modern day whodunnit, featuring a Messianic Jewish father and daughter being investigated for attacking the mother/wife they both love. The other is the fictionalized tale of the birth of Abraham to his devout mother and his idol making father. Both stories are page turners and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. I sometimes wish a half star option was available, because I would like ding this great book, just a little bit in that it spends it's entirety setting up the sequel. I should not be surprised by this. Jenkins is half of the team that created one of the best selling book series of all time, but I got to the end of the book and was still wondering what these two great, well written stories have to do with each other. I'm sure it will be masterfully shown in the coming sequel(s), but I would have liked a little insight in this volume. Please don't get me wrong, I still highly recommend this book, and you will find it thoroughly entertaining, and I am really excited to read book two, I just wish he had given me a little more to tie the two stories together. Still a great book. Get it.
November 10, 2018
We've been waiting for Jerry B. Jenkins to release another series to captivate, inspire, educate, and cause us to think the way he did with the global phenomenon Left Behind series. His new novel, Dead Sea Rising, is written in an easy-to-follow format with each chapter changing time periods between present and Abram's world 4,000 years ago. I devoured this book in one day and am ready for Book 2!
Dead Sea Rising sets the stage for the series and introduces characters and storylines that will weave together. We enter the modern day adventure of Dr. Nicole Berman from NYC, a Messianic Jew working to uncover the greatest mysteries buried in the Saudi Arabian desert that may prove the middle east religious conflicts are based upon faulty history. Then we jump to Abraham’s birth and early life, 2,000 BC to understand how Muslims, Jews, and Christians all came to be so close yet so far from one another. However, someone in the present day does not want the truth of the past to be uncovered. Will Nicole survive let alone find what she seeks? What is the secret buried in the desert?
I can't wait to see where Book 2 will lead us in this adventure.
Dead Sea Rising sets the stage for the series and introduces characters and storylines that will weave together. We enter the modern day adventure of Dr. Nicole Berman from NYC, a Messianic Jew working to uncover the greatest mysteries buried in the Saudi Arabian desert that may prove the middle east religious conflicts are based upon faulty history. Then we jump to Abraham’s birth and early life, 2,000 BC to understand how Muslims, Jews, and Christians all came to be so close yet so far from one another. However, someone in the present day does not want the truth of the past to be uncovered. Will Nicole survive let alone find what she seeks? What is the secret buried in the desert?
I can't wait to see where Book 2 will lead us in this adventure.
July 25, 2023
This booked seemed promising, however for over 2/3 of it I was very disappointed. The writing was fine, just the story was slow to develope despite covering 3 storylines at once in quick chapters back and forth. At long last it started to show promise toward the end after I nearly did not finish it. Now I finally finish only to find out there is no end because it is continued in the next book. Ugh. There was no indication on the book itself that this was not a complete novel. Very frustrating. Not sure if the end peeked my interest enough to read the next one or not. The last 75 pages or so did raise it from a 2 star to a 3 though.
January 7, 2019
I had never read a book by Jerry B. Jenkins before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I do not know if "Dead Sea Rising" is written in his normal manner, but it flips back and forth between modern day Manhattan and Biblical Ur where we follow Terah (Abram's father). The longest chapter was 8 pages. The majority of the chapters were 3 pages or less, including one that was only about 1/4 of a page long. I found it distracting to flip back and forth so much. I thought it would be better to have larger chunks in each setting at least. There didn't seem to be any sort of tie in with the two timelines, either, other than I'm assuming she is wanting to find something to do with Abraham in the archaeological dig in Saudi Arabia. I'm assuming that the tie in becomes more apparent in future books. I did find the book to be well written even though I didn't appreciate the style with which it was written. I found the mystery surrounding Ginny Berman's injuries to be interesting. I was disappointed that we didn't get a complete wrap up of the story and have to wait for the next book to continue the mystery. I didn't very much like Terah and his personality. I also thought that it strayed from what we do know of him. The Bible says "Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran." In the book, he takes it to mean that Terah was 70 when he had his firstborn--Abram. I do not believe that Terah was 70 when he had his first child, nor is it evident that Abram was his firstborn. The Bible frequently lists the person most important to the Jews first (Shem, Ham, and Japeth, for example) and therefore listing them out of age order. The book also makes it that Terah has one wife. He obviously had at least 2 wives/concubines as Abram's wife Sarai was also his half sister, the daughter of his father but not of his mother. I am interested in finding out how Jerry B. Jenkins resolves the issues of Terah's other children in subsequent books.
I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.
I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.
November 13, 2018
The effort Jerry put into his research is so evident from page one, and his attention to detail remarkable. When I first started reading the book I remember thinking, “Yup, I couldn’t have done this. His research game is on point!” If you’re wanting a credible suspense book that will keep you turning pages get a copy of Dead Sea Rising. 195 books later, Jerry’s still giving his best!
October 12, 2022
This book switched back and forth between the past in area of UR then to then to the present where an archeologist is trying to get a grant to go dig and do research in the area of the Dead Sea. What will she find if she gets there?
June 28, 2025
Interesting plot and themes at first; I liked the jumping between three timelines. I quickly found myself terribly bored with the dialogue and most chapters being only campy dialogue. Some of the short chapters were vexing because they seemed to be short just to make the book feel like it had a faster pace.
Not great writing, only surface level characters, tired troupes. Just very clean beachy level read with a dragging amount of dialogue.
Not great writing, only surface level characters, tired troupes. Just very clean beachy level read with a dragging amount of dialogue.
July 28, 2021
This was an okay book. I bought it on a whim (thankfully for a very cheap price) because I have read other books by this author that I have enjoyed. The character development is okay; the "action" (such as there was) is practically non-existent. It is more of a mystery than an "action-thriller." The story held my interest throughout, so that is a good thing. There were some things that were done that were "horrific in nature" but did not generate any real sense of horror, in my opinion.
The story starts out in modern day Manhattan involving a family of archaeologists before jumping back in time to Nimrod and Terah, Abram's father. It then makes a final jump to the closing days of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. None of the story threads really tie into each other from what I can tell; I assume these ties will be made clearer in the second book? In any case, I guess there are "three mysteries" in this book .
Some of the "problems" I had with the book: The "time jumps/slips" were more of a distraction than a help or aid to the story. I wanted to read more about the mystery taking place in Manhattan and really did not care about what was transpiring in ancient Ur between Nimrod and Terah. The story lacked any real suspense, to be honest, and it felt like the author was biding time until the next book is released. I think it would have been better if it had felt like it was truly a standalone book that could have been read on its own merits as opposed to possibly setting up the stage for a second book. I never really got to the point where I really cared about any of the characters, to be honest. I liked a couple of peripheral characters, but that was about it. No real emotional involvement in the story. The "conclusion" this book felt a little "too neat" and was "wrapped up too nicely," as it were. And, of course, it ends on a note meant to encourage the reader to read the next book to find out how the story continues. Sadly, I am enough of a sucker I will probably at least check it out at my local library to read it if I don't first find a cheap copy at a thrift store or something and buy it. Also, the blurbs by other authors praising the book as well as the synopsis on the dust jacket for this book must be for another book because nothing that was said felt like it matched up with what I actually read.
It was an okay book. It had a lot of promise but failed to fulfill those promises. It took a bit to build up steam, but it did hold my interest until the end (well, the modern part and "Vietnam War" part). I don't know that I would recommend this to anyone, and I was not really "wanting to read it," but I suppose the second book will determine if I am actually happy I read it. I suppose, if nothing else, the author did a nice job of getting me curious enough to see how everything is resolved in the second book, so there is that.
On a "final (side) note," when I first saw the title on the shelf, I thought it said, "Cold Sea Rising," which is a "technothriller" I read back in either the late 80s or early 90s and have been searching for to reread it. So it was amusing to me when I opened up the dust jacket at home (I know, I know - why didn't I check the dust jacket at the store? Good question to which I have no good answer) and realized my mistake, that this was not the book I was looking for.
The story starts out in modern day Manhattan involving a family of archaeologists before jumping back in time to Nimrod and Terah, Abram's father. It then makes a final jump to the closing days of America's involvement in the Vietnam War. None of the story threads really tie into each other from what I can tell; I assume these ties will be made clearer in the second book? In any case, I guess there are "three mysteries" in this book .
Some of the "problems" I had with the book: The "time jumps/slips" were more of a distraction than a help or aid to the story. I wanted to read more about the mystery taking place in Manhattan and really did not care about what was transpiring in ancient Ur between Nimrod and Terah. The story lacked any real suspense, to be honest, and it felt like the author was biding time until the next book is released. I think it would have been better if it had felt like it was truly a standalone book that could have been read on its own merits as opposed to possibly setting up the stage for a second book. I never really got to the point where I really cared about any of the characters, to be honest. I liked a couple of peripheral characters, but that was about it. No real emotional involvement in the story. The "conclusion" this book felt a little "too neat" and was "wrapped up too nicely," as it were. And, of course, it ends on a note meant to encourage the reader to read the next book to find out how the story continues. Sadly, I am enough of a sucker I will probably at least check it out at my local library to read it if I don't first find a cheap copy at a thrift store or something and buy it. Also, the blurbs by other authors praising the book as well as the synopsis on the dust jacket for this book must be for another book because nothing that was said felt like it matched up with what I actually read.
It was an okay book. It had a lot of promise but failed to fulfill those promises. It took a bit to build up steam, but it did hold my interest until the end (well, the modern part and "Vietnam War" part). I don't know that I would recommend this to anyone, and I was not really "wanting to read it," but I suppose the second book will determine if I am actually happy I read it. I suppose, if nothing else, the author did a nice job of getting me curious enough to see how everything is resolved in the second book, so there is that.
On a "final (side) note," when I first saw the title on the shelf, I thought it said, "Cold Sea Rising," which is a "technothriller" I read back in either the late 80s or early 90s and have been searching for to reread it. So it was amusing to me when I opened up the dust jacket at home (I know, I know - why didn't I check the dust jacket at the store? Good question to which I have no good answer) and realized my mistake, that this was not the book I was looking for.
March 11, 2023
I loved this book. Very fast paced and I couldn't wait to find out what was on the next page! Looking forward to #2. Highly recommend.
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