The Moses Expedition by Juan Gómez-Jurado

By J. H. Bográn

The Ten Commandments, even if not accepted as God’s word by some people, are still accepted as general guidelines for decent behavior in any society. Always one of the Sunday school favorites: Moses coming down from Mount Sinai with the Decalogue tablets, then destroying them upon finding the people of Israel worshipping a Golden Calf. The remains were gathered inside what is known as The Ark of the Covenant, since lost in the realms of History.

In his latest novel, The Moses Expedition, the award-winning Juan Gómez-Jurado weaves a thrilling adventure that is sure to keep the pages turning.

After fifty years in hiding, the Nazi war criminal known as the Butcher of Spiegelgrund has finally been tracked down by Father Anthony Fowler, a CIA operative and a member of the Vatican’s secret service. He wants something from the Butcher –a candle covered in filigree gold that was stolen from a Jewish family many years before.

But it isn’t the gold Fowler is after. As Fowler holds a flame to the wax, the missing fragment of an ancient map that uncovers the location of the Ten Commandments given to Moses is revealed. Soon Fowler is involved in an expedition to Jordan set up by a reclusive billionaire. But there is a traitor in the group who has ties to terrorist organizations back in the United States, and who is patiently awaiting the moment to strike. From wartime Vienna to terrorist cells in New York and a lost valley in Jordan, The Moses Expedition is a thrilling read about a quest for power and the secrets of an ancient world.

An avid researcher, here is what would sum up his methodology:

“My research for each book is conducted through a combination of reading, talking and walking. Once I get an idea, I try to stay at home and read everything that I can find on the subject. Four months and one hundred books later, I jump on a plane to study my subject firsthand.”

We see action spanning over three continents and for a theme of this magnitude he took many a trip as Mr. Gomez-Jurado says himself in his website about his most exotic location for example:

“I then traveled to Jordan where I spent a week living in a tent in the desert with Bedouins. This experience was amazing. I learned the Gahwa ritual of coffee, which is described in the novel, and took 10,000 photos of the dunes and wadis. I learned 12 words in Arabic to say “sand” and I learned to fear simooms (hot, sudden and mortal winds) and thirst.  I also rode camels, which is an uncomfortable thing to do all the time, and a VERY uncomfortable thing to do if you are a man descending a mountain. I drove jeeps and quads in the dunes, which is really great fun. And dangerous too.”

Juan Gomez-Jurado is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author. The Moses Expedition and his prize-winning first novel, “God’s Spy”, have been published in more than forty countries and have become international bestsellers. In 2010, Juan celebrated reaching 3 million readers worldwide. He is a recipient of the prestigious Premio de Novela Ciudad de Torrevieja. Gomez-Jurado lives with his family in Madrid, Spain. Visit his website: www.themosesexpedition.com