This book should have been an action-packed adventure, but there were too many down times which were filled with excessive dialogue and descriptive passages. A disappointing read. ( )

Thinking back to my younger days and sensing what types of movies and book really appealed to me, I'd have to say action-adventure with a twist of romance. Now I was fortunate enough to find myself with the opportunity to review Don Hoesel's latest novel, Serpent of Moses which will leave you a bit breathless.

The book opens with a murder of a German, a Dr. Felix Hoffstatter while members of the Mossad try to prevent it from happening in the dead of night. The mystery will begin to deepen as archaeologist Dr. Jack Hawthorne finds himself fleeing from armed men in a cavern in the mountainous part of northeaster Libya attempting to locate a historical biblical artifact. However once he finds himself cornered and no where to run or hide anymore, he is taken back into the main part of the cavern to find the item.

The men who have kidnapped him are working for the Israeli government that want to ensure that any and all biblical relics that are discovered are turned over to them. However they aren't in the position to bargain for anything but the return of their discovered item which turns out to be a staff Moses created called the Nehushtan, to heal those inflicted by the snake bites that Moses called forth during the plagues of Egypt.

The Israeli's have hired an Egyptian giant, who goes by the name of Imolene working alongside an Englishman named Martin Templeton who have vowed to acquire the staff and leave no witnesses remaining. Now Jack has to work at finding a way to escape along with the staff before he is killed and no one knows where he is at. His only luck is his connection with Milo Sturdivant, a museum curator, who has hired Jack to locate the staff and bring it to him.

When Jack doesn't show up for his appointment, his long time friends, ex-CIA agent Jim Duckett, Dr. Esperanza Habilla and her brother, Romero, will have to use all their skills to find Jack before it's too late.

I received Serpent of Moses by Don Hoesel compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and was immediately drawn in from the first page. As a reader, I compared this one to those Indiana Jones movies I was captivated by, with our hero looking for a hidden biblical artifact that can only be found using a series of clues, meanwhile being hunted by others who want the fortune and glory all for themselves. This one is amazing and well worth a 5 out of 5 star rating. It delivers action, adventure, suspense and a touch of romance in this Christian novel. This is the second novel from Don Hoesel that I've had the opportunity to review and I know it will not be my last. This is the sequel to Elisha's Bones which I have on my Kindle and will be reading next. ( )