Rating: 
Summary: Def MORE!
Review: I haven't read a book in a long time quite like this one that is packed with romance and thrilling moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved this book although at times I have to admit I was turned off by the comments about different religions. This is def a book to be recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Fun!
Review: I just had this book delivered and had it finished four days later. The reason it took four days is because I spent the previous two days reading "A Skeleton in God's Closet" also by Paul Maier. The story is about a present day man who claims to be the returned Jesus and how Jonathan Weber tries to verify this. I found myself asking the question, "How would I have reacted in 30 A.D., had I been a Jew, witnessing the historical Jesus?" The only problem with both of Paul Maier's "Skeleton" books is his writing of female characters and his writing of romantic scenes. He writes how the characters in the story see the women as brilliant, wonderful, etc, when there is no evidence of this. In fact the women are vapid and banal. His romantic sections left me feeling embarrassed for him as they were so High Schoolish. In conclusion any faults in this book are minor compared with the overall entertainment value. For those that need to know, any Christian can read these two "Skeleton" books without objection. Excellent Christian fiction with sound theology.
Rating:
Summary: Fun!
Review: I just had this book delivered and had it finished four days later. The reason it took four days is because I spent the previous two days reading "A Skeleton in God's Closet" also by Paul Maier. The story is about a present day man who claims to be the returned Jesus and how Jonathan Weber tries to verify this. I found myself asking the question, "How would I have reacted in 30 A.D., had I been a Jew, witnessing the historical Jesus?" The only problem with both of Paul Maier's "Skeleton" books is his writing of female characters and his writing of romantic scenes. He writes how the characters in the story see the women as brilliant, wonderful, etc, when there is no evidence of this. In fact the women are vapid and banal. His romantic sections left me feeling embarrassed for him as they were so High Schoolish. In conclusion any faults in this book are minor compared with the overall entertainment value. For those that need to know, any Christian can read these two "Skeleton" books without objection. Excellent Christian fiction with sound theology.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic
Review: I love this book. Paul Maier is a great writer. Being a Lutheran I can relate to many of the ideas/comments in this book. He truly brings to light what many of us believe. When I saw that this book was out I had to get it because I had read A Skeleton in God's Closet which I also loved. Thanks Mr. Maier for a great book filled with mystery and laughter! I am now looking forward to reading some of his older books like Pontius Pilate!
Rating: 
Summary: Nowhere near "A Skeleton in God's Closet"
Review: I loved the book A Skeleton in God's Closet, the novel to which this is a sequel of sorts. I read the last 200 pages in one sitting; it was that gripping. When I heard there was a sequel, I got excited. Big mistake. This novel is subpar, and contains some of the most awkward, clunky prose I've ever read. Honestly, I couldn't get through it. I gave up. Most of the complaints I have are similar to the ones listed in other reviews, but I will reiterate: none of the characters seemed like real people, especially when they opened their mouths. Maier aims for hip, semi-humorous dialogue, but it falls flat with too many "darlings" and "no problemas". Maybe, just maybe, some of the dialogue would have worked on screen, but in a novel moments where the characters joke with each other by taking on accents they don't normally have don't work. Everyone got to be so annoying that I just gave up. There are tons better books for you to read. Don't waste your time here.
Rating: 
Summary: More than a Skeleton: More than a Simple story
Review: I read this book in a single sitting...then went back to do it more slowly and savor it. This is Maier's BEST work, and it stacks up to any other contemporary author, mystery, religious or otherwise. Perhaps it is more than time that the majority of Christian believers have their viewpoint explained in this thoroughtly entertaining fashion. I'm sure the "Left Behind" fans will find it difficult to believe that they are a minority, but they are.
I've recommended the book to all of my reading friends and a couple of people who read reluctantly. And I hereby recommend it to any and all readers looking for a good story, a tight mystery, and a thoughful discussion of the "end of time" prophecies. This is the best book I've read in quite a while!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was excited when I found out there was a sequel to the wonderful book, SKELETON IN GOD'S CLOSET. My excitement turned to dread, however, after reading 2/3 of MORE THAN A SKELETON. There are just too many plot holes in this book, and many of the secnarios are just unbelievable. Also, the snide remarks aimed at Evangelicals served no purpose at all. The Scooby Doo-type revelation when, after the hero stumbles blindly into a trap and the villain spills his guts, is just amateurish writing. If the author had used his hero to do some biblical exploration as to the legitmacy of the fake messiahs'claims instead of making fun of Evangelicals, we would have seen a more satisfying conclusion. Also, I would like to think that Christiandom as a whole would not be so easily fooled as their fictional counterparts were in this book. Maybe, just maybe, Maier is actually trying to use satire in this book but is so clumsy, you really can't decipher it. Any believer, armed with his or her Bible, should have been able to do the following:
1. Determine if the claims of this false messiah matched up with Scripture.
2. Determine if the persona of this false messiah matched up with the biblical account of Jesus.
3. Determine if this false messiah actually was living out the message he was teaching. Instead, we get "romance novel" love scenes, a "beat up the detective" scene straight from any Dick Francis novel, and a science fiction B-movie origin of the villain. As it was several years between the two SKELETON books, it's a mystery why this book was so poorly written when the previous book in the series was so satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: The Theological Thriller--End Times & Christian Judaism
Review: Maier is a favorite of mine. As he demonstrates consistently, he can write and hold our attention by having well researched, layered plot veins, and then wordsmithing them into the mystery attention holder that is fast becoming his reputation with these last two novels. Dr. Jon Weber again becomes the focal point as he seeks to verify the factuality of Joshua Ben-Yosef. For 249 pages one is left in the deepening sense that the eschatological progrosticators want to take us to an intermediate state with Jesus' return. Much like the scheme of Gerzone's bestselling "Joshua" series, however, with the addition of much more reasonable theology, Maier sets Ben-Yosef as a more likely returning Messiah. Almost convinced of his authenticity, Maier suddenly leaps forward with the crack in the case which his loyal reading followers were waiting for, explodes into the work. The intricacy and reasoning behind the conspiracy and its discovery show forth the active, sophisticated and informed intellect of this author. Although I found the final resolve and public disclosure of this solution slightly more "trumped up" than his previous theological thriller with Dr. Weber, it was a riveting and enjoyable read. Interested in the topic readers might check out Philip Jenkins fine work: "Mystics and Messiahs:Cults and New Religions in American History." My only wish for this book would have been the author's resisting interjection of his own opinions concerning the troubles in our synod, i.e. Yankee Stadium comments and overal ecumenical, fellowship slants at times. However, Dr. Maier certainly with his background and accomplishments derservedly has the right to express them. This humble reviewer however expresses his regrets for their inclusion into this fine work dispelling the unbiblical "Last Things" phenomena, which somewhat distracted the overall taste for this otherwise superb fictional work.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and provocative
Review: Paul L. Maier has done it again. His use of science and archaeology have once again blended well with theology. The return of Christ has been one of history's biggest questions. When will it occur? How? What would I do if it occured in my lifetime? These and other questions are beautifully posed in a story that captivates the reader's mind, heart, and soul. The characters are real, easy to identify with, and could have easily come off the pages of today's newspapers. Dr. Maier has spun a wonderful tale worth reading by anyone looking forward to the return of the King.
William Schuh, author of Gathering Pearls
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Informative and Refreshing
Review: Paul L. Maier's A SKELETON IN GOD'S CLOSET found theologian Dr. Jonathan Weber involved in an archaeological dig; such a dig opens his latest novel, MORE THAN A SKELETON (with its tag line of "It was one man against the world.") Here, a small but significant find at that dig draws Weber over to Israel and finds him interested in a young man who has begun to captivate the world beyond Jerusalem: Joshua Ben-Yosef, whose personal traits, curriculum vitae and Apostles-like band of followers have already convinced many people that he is The Christ. Maier, a specialist in ancient Rome, is a personally conservative but intellectually liberal academic who has clearly modeled his protagonist on himself: when fundamentalist preacher and television personality Dr. Melvin Merton begins to espouse Ben-Yosef as Christ in his Second Coming, Jon Weber's well-credentialed hackles rise almost instantly. If this really is Jesus, where are His miracles? Where is His death and resurrection? While Shannon Weber seems to fall under Ben-Yosef's spell as her husband doesn't (causing inevitable conflict in their sunny-side-up marriage), Jon waits for Proof. He doesn't have to wait long, since Ben-Yosef starts evincing not just run-of-the-mill miracles, but miracles that nearly replicate those in The Gospels. Water into wine, becalmed seas, and a blind man seeing are all not just run-of-the-mill miracles, but so close to The Gospels that they confirm Ben-Yosef's status for so many people that the world media begins to pay attention --- very, very close attention --- to the man who would be the Messiah. Soon, as his research attempts into Ben-Yosef's past point again and again to the probability of his telling the truth, Weber himself begins to believe. Maier has a brilliant premise for a plot, but his academic execution of pacing, dialogue and setting mean that some readers will drop off before the going gets interesting. Professor Maier has clearly modeled his protagonist on himself, and perhaps his well-credentialed self was well-intentioned --- but Jon Weber speaks stiffly and unnaturally both when he's whispering sweet nothings into Shannon's slightly-too-perfect ear and when he's chatting heartily with his colleagues. On the other hand, sometimes Maier is dead-on accurate and even funny, as when Weber's father tells him that his mother is at a Lutheran ladies' get-together: "I hope the coffee, cookies, and green Jell-O are good!" The plot has its problems, too: it's very hard to believe that in the post-millennium "global village," Ben-Yosef and his merry men would be able to hide out so effectively and so often --- even if he is the real thing, surely Christ walked more often among the people. And unless Maier meant to tip his hand, the interaction between Ben-Yosef and Shannon seems wrong. Nonetheless, MORE THAN A SKELETON is entertaining, informative and refreshing, about as different from the Left Behind series as you can get while still staying within the realm of Christianity and Christian questions. Perhaps Maier will write more thrillers and gain more authority with the elements of suspense writing so that his smart, thoughtful stories will be supported by tight, fresh writing. --- Reviewed by Bethanne Kelly Patrick
| 
