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Rating: 
Summary: The first Theological Thriller
Review: Dr. Paul Maier recently released a sequel to this book, a classic that I read almost 10 years ago. The sequel is called "More than Just a Skeleton, it was one Man against the World" and was one of the best books I've read in years.A Skeleton in God's Closet is well worth reading and I have reread it and enjoyed it many times. Not only will this book make you think about issues of faith versus knowledge, but it will also introduce you to the world of scientific verification of archaeological discoveries. It is the only accessible book to this highly technical feild that I have ever encountered. The characters in Dr. Maier's book are realistic and easy to identify with. Some have criticised his inability to create deep female characters in his book, and perhaps there is some validity to this as the female character in this book is not really well-developed. The romance is juvenile, unrealistic and annoying. (My wife unfortunately never finished the book because of the cheesy romantic scenes). However the other strengths of the book make it well-worth skipping the remantic passages. I highly recommend reading this book as a introduction to Dr. Maier's new work, which I believe is the best book of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote the "Great Divorce".
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Summary: The End of Christianity Can Be a Blast!
Review: I have been working on my Master's degree at Western Michigan University where Dr. Paul Maier serves as a highly esteemed professor of ancient history. I had the thrill to take his class on Biblical Archaeology and History and he is a natural story teller. Besides being an award winning teacher and author, he is also a Lutheran minister who was able to share his faith in class while doing a professional job of maintaining objectivity while discussing biblical history.I've read "Skeleton In God's Closet" and found it to be a gripping story that displays Maier's extensive knowledge of archaeology and of Israel. My wife and other friends have read it and gave it very positive reviews. All of them remarked how it gave a positive view of Christianity without trying to slam it down your throat. Anyone who thinks Maier had a devious motive by suggesting that Christ was not resurrected have either not read the book or are too shallow to get it. I also recommend his novels "Flames of Rome" and "Pontius Pilate", they are historical fiction that are more historically accurate than any other novels of its kind. His translation of the writings of "Josephus" is also excellent, surpassing any of the other antiquated translations because it is very easy to read while maintaining scholarly excellence.
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Summary: A Religious, Archaeological Mystery-Thriller
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up because I'm interested in historical fiction, and the cover caught my eye. When I first read the book three years ago, I found it really gripping, and wished I had someone to discuss the story with. I decided to pick it for my bookclub this month, and just re-read it in anticipation of our discussion. I finished the whole thing in a day, and it was as good as I had remembered. Personally, I did not think the love interest detracted from the story, and I thought it was handled in a very appropriate way. I think the author has really done a good job of imagining all the things that could realistically happen if Jesus' bones were discovered, and I liked the intrigue the main character had to go through to solve the mystery. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone interested in archeology, historical novels, or religious themes.
Rating:
Summary: A Stimulating and Provocative Read.
Review: This is the first book I read in the genre 'Theological Thriller'. The book represented the world really well. It depicted one way the world could react to the discovery of Jesus' bones. It was an intense read at times forcing me away from sleep to continue another chapter. I enjoyed the book thoroughly except for one thing, the romance. There was a relationship between the main character and another character that seemed out of place and a bit forced. This was a pretty minor thing though. I just dismissed the relationship as just a vessel for more conflicts and complications to intensify the situations. I give it a 4 out of 5 because there were some instances where it was slow but they were pretty slight, but this combined with the relationship brought it down a little. As I said, overall I love the book and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good, captivating read.
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful novel highlights interesting theological ideas
Review: This novel succeeds as a work of entertainment. It is also a very informative examination of archeology, with lots of interesting details about digs and the verification of artifacts. The characters are reasonably well drawn, though the females seem to be celebrated more for their beauty than for their personality or character. There was room in this novel for an older or unattractive woman known for her warmth, wisdom or expertise. I liked the main female character in the book, I just felt that her chief virtue in the author's mind was her beauty. Perhaps the book's greatest feature is that it encourages us to think about the nature of faith. The plot is very cleverly designed to make us think specifically about the details on which Christians base their faith in Christ. The key theological issue in the book involves questions about the truth of the physical resurrection of Christ in the body. Whether Christ lived on after the crucifixion is not the consuming question of this novel, but rather whether he lived on in physical form. The question is not whether he ascended into heaven, but weather he did so in the flesh and blood body he bore while here on earth. As a result, this book is really a text written for Christians by a Christian in order to argue a particular theological point of interest primarily to Christians. The argument seems a bit contrived at times because it sets up those who believe in a physical resurrection of Christ against those who believe that Christ had no true divinity. There is no room in this book for those who believe in a non-physical resurrection or who believe that Christ is not tied to the physical body he wore while on earth. Even if one believes in the physical resurrection of Christ, I'm not sure that one must believe that he currently resides in heaven in the physical body he adopted while here on earth. Yet this is the point on which the gripping plot of this book hinges. Dr. Maier is an expert on the subject of Biblical history. I think, however, that he puts too much weight on the value of the historical record in "proving" the articles of faith in the Christian religion. Ultimately, Christianity is a matter of faith, and there has so far been no true historical verification of the most important details in the Christ story. I greatly admire Paul Maier's ability to introduce interesting philosophical and theological material and wed it to a suspenseful plot. Too often we have to choose between tedious novels that have interesting themes and thrillers that are totally vacuous. This books finds a fruitful middle ground that puts it ahead of most of the books on our best seller lists. The style of the text is breezy and entertaining, but not always aesthetically pleasing. Many might find the style a bit old fashioned at times. There is one point where a woman in the book is described as a "winsome lass," which is not necessarily a common manner of speaking in America. However, I tended to find these flourishes to be engaging rather than detrimental. Overall, an unusually good book. I would recommend it to Christians who enjoy suspenseful entertainments with a strong theological twist.
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