Review
"Fry has a unique talent to take the reader there, to believe the unbelievable, and to invest heavily in the characters he creates and portrays. If you love conspiracy theories, if you're a Dan Brown fan, (Fry is better), or if you simply love a rollicking, racing, twisting, mystery story, The Patmos Enigma is a winner for you. This is a superb story, beautifully told by an ultra-talented storyteller." - Readers' Favorite 5-Star Review
"I like the way the reader is drip-fed the archaeological find at the beginning with the various consequences and cameo flashbacks to characters of ancient times. Then the Pandora's Box of paranormal and underground forces suddenly begin to bloom as the story progresses. Everything comes to a very dramatic climax. A very enjoyable read."
"Excellent read, especially for fans of Dan Brown. A mixture of history and archaeology, difficult to put down, once started."
"THE PATMOS ENIGMA is a superb book. If you're into Dan Brown or Indiana Jones, you'll enjoy it just as much as me."
"Author Ken Fry has once again written an intriguing, fast-paced tale well-grounded in biblical archaeology. There is such an abundance of mystic, mystery and edge-of-your-seat excitement in THE PATMOS ENIGMA that it certainly set my heart to racing..."
From the Inside Flap
Tel Aviv UniversityInstitute of ArchaeologyIsraelThe Present Day
THE DEPUTY ARCHAEOLOGY Director barged into Professor Simon Rockwell's study and slapped a roll of papers across his desk. "I think we're on to something."
Rockwell raised an eyebrow. "What might that be, Julian?"
Dr. Julian Gallo had not been blessed with height. He was a chunky, well-rounded man with prominent, unkempt black eyebrows, brown eyes, and a fleshy mouth. His skin had an oily sheen.
Rockwell grabbed the roll and spread it across his desk. It appeared to be a map of their team's excavation sites. He stood and bent closer to look. Towering over Gallo by several inches, he was thin, with an athletic physique. A stark contrast to his deputy. Streaks of silver can be seen in his dark hair as he focused on the map, his dark blue eyes scanning the paper.
"It's a blueprint of our dig," Gallo said.
"I can see that. So, what's new about it?"
Gallo's stubby finger poked at the most northerly point on the chart. "Just eighty kilometres south from here are the hills and terrain of Beit-Guvrin. As you know, much of our excavation has been concentrated or near the amphitheatre, right here at this point." He stabbed at the location. "We know from our previous digs that a temple, albeit a small one, existed there until it was razed to the ground, like the Temple of Jerusalem and many others in the same time period."
"Your point being?" Rockwell growled. As Professor of Ancient and Religious History and in charge of all things archaeological, he didn't need lessons.
"My point is, I had a phone call earlier this morning from Joshua. He has discovered a mass of bones, and an item he got excited about. He needs us to go there and examine them."
"You should have told me earlier. What are we waiting for? Let's go."
"I tried to, but you didn't answer your phone."
"Never mind that." He shouted into the next room, "Rachael, I'm off for a while. You can come along, if you want."
Dr. Rachael Carver, Rockwell's Assistant Director, had grown used to his sudden and unscheduled activities. "Hold on a moment please, Simon!" She stepped into his study. She was a pretty and petite, thirty something brunette, dressed in khaki shirt and army-style trousers. She bustled with energy.
"How long are you going to be?" Even as she asked, she realised the question wouldn't be answered.
"How long, I've no idea. But we're going down to Beit-Guvrin now. C'mon, be quick." He gave her a grin, like a naughty boy being caught doing something he shouldn't and darted out of the room.
"I'm coming." She raised her eyes skyward and emitted an exasperated sigh. She liked him, and if pressed, would have admitted to more than that.
†
The Jeep, driven by Gallo, barrelled its way at speed down the main highway.
"Why's Josh getting excited over a pile of bones and a few religious bits? He must have seen enough in his time, Julian?"
"No idea, but boy, he sounded excited. All he said was this find was different from the usual."
"We've had plenty of false alarms before. I hope this isn't one of them."
The conversation came to a natural break and they sped on in silence. Rockwell was the acknowledged authority in his chosen field. At thirty-seven years old, his dazzling talents of observation and intuitive accuracy were legendary, and all at such a young age. His biggest discovery was a sealed urn found behind an ancient wall. Perfectly preserved, he had deciphered the manuscript inside, and it is now accepted by some as The Gospel of Ephraim, Son of Mary Magdalene. If speculation was correct, and Jesus did indeed marry Mary Magdalene, Ephraim would have been his son. That discovery, and its implications, had stirred scholars and the religious world into fervour. Of course, the Vatican and all other Christian denominations, barring a few fringe groups, rejected it. Not that Rockwell cared. He delivered what he found, and avoided subjective arguments.
An hour had passed before the Jeep finally rolled into the site's parking area. The three leapt out and were greeted by an excited looking Joshua Agar, the site and excavation supervisor. Joshua stood at around six feet, and had a Mediterranean appearance; with his tanned olive skin, dark wavy hair, and surprisingly green eyes. He shook hands with vigour, and began to explain the nature of the discovery.
"This way, please." He led them through rough paths and over low stone walls that were being excavated, revealing themselves after more than two thousand years of neglect.
Joshua stopped at a broad tented area, shielded from the blazing sun by an array of massive canopies. Inside, a dozen trestle tables were scattered, on which were displayed various packed, photographed, and labelled artefacts dug up from the site. On one table, conspicuous by its solitary position, sat a stone item that looked like an ossuary of some kind. Several photographs and bones of varying sizes surrounded it.
Rockwell's attention was captured. "Where did you find this?"
"In an area where there was an altar of some sort, wedged under a solid flat stone slab. My guess is that it has remained that way for two thousand years or so. It looked undisturbed and must have been there since the time it was placed."
Rockwell picked up the ossuary, and at once, he saw letters or figures etched into the stone. He produced a lens and peered at the markings long and hard. For a fraction of time, the hairs on his arms bristled. He gave a long, low whistle.
Gallo remained expressionless. "What do you think it is?"
"It's a mixture of words and symbols; some Coptic, others Aramaic. I'll tell you quickly, offhand, and without real investigation, what it says and suggests, before we open it. This is it...
Blessed John, the leader of us Guardians, spoken to and delivered by Yeshua, tells you that the key is almost in your hands..."The rest had been defaced or has worn away, and is unreadable. Who the hell the Guardians were, I've no idea. We all know the name Yeshua means Jesus, a common enough name at the time. Let's see if we can open this thing. Joshua, please..." He held his hand out for a scalpel. He gripped the instrument placed in his hand, hovering above the ossuary. "Someone start taking pictures, please ... NOW!"
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