Customer Reviews

The Dead Sea Cipher

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

*The Dead Sea Cipher* is surprisingly undated for a mystery written in 1970. In fact, the only element that gives it away is the ease with which the characters move through Lebanon, Syria, and Israel on a bus tour of Biblical sites.

Opera contralto Dinah van der Lyn is trying to soak up a little history between singing engagements when she overhears a murder in the hotel room next door. The Beirut police are at first dubious and then suspicious of Dinah's own politics -- she's the granddaughter of a rabbi and the daughter of a minister.

Other mysterious characters begin following and questioning Dinah, including handsome government agent Tony Cartwright and Biblical scholar Jeff Smith. Soon she's looking with imsgivings at every member of her multi-cultural tour group. There's an antiquities smuggler in their midst, a spy or two ... and a killer.

Elizabeth Peters uses her archeology background to illustrate the heat and backbreaking work of the scientists as well as the exhilaration of a rare find. And the "find" in *The Dead Sea Cipher* is exciting, indeed: a cave full of ancient Biblical scrolls with one special payoff.

Clear and interesting information on Sidon, Tyre, Damascus, Jericho, and other Biblical sites is well mixed with entertaining, even outrageous characters. And unlike other heroines of 30 years ago, Dinah is self reliant and intelligent as well as spunky.

Much to my delight there seems to be no end to the output of Elizabeth Peters. My count of the inside cover list of this recent reissue (which was first published in 1970) lists 31 novels, which is an astounding output. Especially since they are rarely repetitious and also have plenty of the old Peters charm. While she tends to write 'comfy' mysteries, with a romantic twist, she manages to provide basic entertainment for all her readers. Another surprise for the reader is how well her stories hold up to time. Even this one, set in the Middle East, is as fresh as if it had been written yesterday

"The Dead Sea Cipher" is somewhat more serious than the Peabody series or "Summer of the Dragon," but it still has plenty of humorous touches. When singer Dinah van der Lyn overhears an argument and murder in her Beirut hotel room she finds that her archeological tour through the Middle East is to be perpetually interrupted by a procession of spies and government officials. Two of these, Tony Cartwright and Geoffrey Smith, seem to crop up everywhere but the bathroom. She knows that at least one of them is a spy, but is never sure which.

Dinah becomes more and more frustrated as her tour of sites from Byblos to Jerusalem is perpetually disturbed by the appearance of one or the other of these gentleman. Both want her to reveal what she overheard, and neither believes that she knows nothing. Despite that fact that she has no understanding of Arabic. She manages to work out that Tony, Jeff, and a whole host of other agents are chasing after rumors of a new set of Dead Sea scrolls. Even that information is of little help to her in what becomes a comic peripatetic chase through archeological sites and ancient churches.

Common to all Peters novels, there is no lack of gem-like characters. Dinah finds herself touring in a touring limousine with French newlyweds, a British widow, a priest, a doctor, and a Dutch diplomat with his attaché. Dinah suspects all of them at one time or another. Certainly, all contribute to the confusion as they seem to tumble towards the surprise conclusion. This isn't so much a 'whodunnit' as it is a 'whatisgoingon' type novel. As usual, it is all over too soon, and we find ourselves wishing for yet another Peters novel with its own fresh and audacious heroine.

This is a great read, if you are looking for a romance/thriller book. I characterize it as light, because it does not bog you down with heavy espionage capers or explicit and frequent sex scenes.

The subject material for the book is interesting and well thought out. Ms. Peters touches on many different and, in some cases, volatile issues. The charm of her work is that she does not so much MAKE the reader think about the issues as much as she puts them out for the reader to explore, or not, as they choose. Issues such as: relationships between generations, traditional enemies, individuals from different walks of life, and religious dogma and tradition are all to be found in this novel. For the casual reader, the issues are can be overlooked or ignored, for the most part. The thinking reader will be intrigued and will continue to analyse the attitudes displayed in the novel.

As always, Ms. Peters writing ability is unquestioned. She has done her research regarding the Holy Land in the late 1960's, and brings the image vividly to mind for the reader. She manages to capture the humanity in her characters, which makes her work a joy to read, and the characters live.

Many E. Peters fans have found that her strongest works are the series books, especially Amelia and Vicky Bliss (though Jaqueline Kirby does have her admirers). The non-series aren't so good in general, partly because they're all earlier books, and partly because having to wrap characters up in one go seemed to encourage her to make them flatter.
If you're out of Amelias and want something new for a change, this is one of her better non-series books. Interesting (more than the Jackal's Head) and fun (more than 400 Rabbits).
Camelot Caper and Legend in Green Velvet are decent choices too.

Fans of Amelia Emerson should be warned: this is an entertaining, sometimes witty, and profoundly human story on a group of international visitors to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel in the late 60s by the future author of Amelia, but not yet the author of Amelia herself. In comparison with the Egyptological background of the Amelia series, Ms Peters research into Biblical Archaeology, even according to the standards of the late 60s, is disappointing. It is inconceivable that even a lay reader of 'Biblical Archaeological", as the heroine is supposed to be, would not recognize the ciphers at her first glance; it is impossible to swim through the Jordan river opposite of Jericho and get on's mouth full of water, as the hero is said to have done (did he crawl with his nose in the mud?). The plot and the characters are not without interest, but in order to keep up with Ms. Peters later production, the novel would need thorough rewriting.

Like other mysteries by Elizabeth Peters, The Dead Sea Cipher is a fun, well-written puzzle. Peters manages to combine comedy, suspense, and a few "Beautiful Thoughts" in this tale of the intrigue a young tourist stumbles into on her tour of archaeological sites in the Middle East.

Dinah, a minister's daughter on a Biblical sightseeing jaunt, is faced with a classic dilemma for a young heroine: which of the mysterious young men shadowing her is the one she should trust? The dashing Mr. Cartwright and the erratic Mr. Smith pop up in the most unexpected places as each tries to convince her that he is the "good guy."

This choice may not be too much of a challenge for veteran readers, but the rest of the puzzle (for example, who among the odd assortment of characters in Dinah's tour group is involved, and for that matter, involved in what?) will keep everyone guessing right up to the last page.

This mystery, with its backdrop of Palestinian archaeology and tourism in the Middle East, makes for an entertaining read from start to finish. Peters' description of the scenery is vivid enough to give the reader an excellent mental picture of the terrain, but it never interferes with the pace of the story.

The mystery Dinah must solve is almost as tangled as the politics of the countries she visits as she tries to unravel the various political, religious, and scholarly motives of everyone involved. In this exciting and often humorous chase through ancient ruins and modern cities, Peters scores high marks for romance, laughs, adventure, and history.

Again I enjoyed reading another book by Elizabeth Peters. The settings were a regular tour of historic places in the holy land. I liked the biblical history lessons interwoven with the romance and suspense. And, as always, I enjoyed the touches of Ms. Peters' good sense of humor.

Love Elizabeth Peters! This is a good, fun read without too much violence or nastiness.

I really enjoy Elizabethe Peters books. This is just another in a long list of enjoyable light reads.

After reading the customer reviews on this book I had to put some ameliorating comments in. I've been a fan of Elizabeth Peters' books since she first began writing them (yes, I'm old.) Most of them have been out of print for so long that I'd forgotten them, and I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to rediscover them! This one has held up really well - not dated at all -except for the references to that irritating new group, the Beatles. The important thing is that the scholarship is impeccable, the characters are likeable and the story moves right along, even if it does get a little muddled in the middle. I thought Dinah was a charming heroine, and not at all "whiny," as one reviewer commented. My favorite book ever by Peters is CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK, which is, unfortunately, not yet on Kindle. Do find it and read it, and I'm sure you will be hooked! I'ma Peters fan for life!