THE JUDGMENT by D.J. Niko

Publisher:     Medallion

Published:     May 10, 2016

ISBN:        978-1942546221

Genre:      Historical Fiction

Format:     Print  

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

THREE -1/2 HEARTS

 

Solomon’s daughter, Basemath, finds herself in the middle of a battle unlike any other on the heels of her father’s death.  Adored by her father, as much as she adored him political intrigues swirl around her—intrigues she has no idea about.  At the root of these machinations is her mother, Nicaule, a minor daughter of Pharaoh Psauennes II.  Some 40 years ago as a young king Solomon journeyed to Egypt to negotiate for both Israel and Egypt’s mutual futures.  In the midst of the negotiations Solomon first lays eyes on Nicaule and in an instant he knows he must have her. Nicaule, however, is not flattered by the Israeli King’s attraction—she is in love with another.  One she has promised herself to.  And so begins forty years of subversion to the goals set by Solomon, subversion that will ultimately pull apart his family and perhaps destroy the future of his beloved country.

I’m such a huge fan of D.J. Niko that the moment I saw her newest book, THE JUDGMENT, I requested it for review.  I was anticipating another addition to her fantastic Sarah Weston Chronicles which, if you haven’t’ read them, you really need to check them out.  THE JUDGMENT is a new venture for Niko and she does not disappoint.  Admittedly I’m a fan of well written and particularly well researched historical fiction.  Niko relates her historical facts with an intriguing story, one that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages. 

Once I realized this was not a Sarah Weston book it was easy to fall into Basemath and Nicaule’s story.   There were points when I had a little problem following and some of the religious-based dialogue did not appeal to me.  I felt at times it was almost like reading a religious tract or the Bible which is no problem if that’s what you are looking for. The well-known wisdom of Solomon isn’t seen the pages of the story but because of his place in history it isn’t necessary.  What Niko does really well is showing how love or infatuation can color our ability to see reality or follow what is really the best path.  Given what we mostly hear about Solomon his weakness when it came to his first wife was an eye opener.

Parts seemed to drag a points but always picked up.  THE JUDGMENT isn’t a bible story per se but it does factor in, but the story wouldn’t be the story it is without that aspect.  It is historical fiction and while the elements of betrayal in love and intrigue in relationships is part of the story it could not really be told in any other time period.

What would be very cool is for Niko to tie this story into one of her Sarah Weston books….now THAT would be a story to tell and read!

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

THE ORACLE BY D.J. Niko

Publisher:     Medallion

Published:     November 15, 2015

ISBN:        978-1605426273

Genre:      Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Format:     Print – Paperback ARC

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

FOUR HEARTS

393 CE a woman flees her captors, seeking sanctuary in a hidden cave.  This is no ordinary woman—she is a seer, a priestess of Apollo. But despite evading her captors she still cannot evade her death.   In one final act she tries to leave a record of her story.

Recovered from a horrific plane crash, one caused by human design rather than accident or act of nature, Daniel Madigan is back doing what he loves best—working on an archaeological dig.  But his partner and the woman he loves, Sarah Weston, knows something is wrong.  Despite all they have been through together, Daniel simply will not confide what is going on to Sarah.  Instead he turns to Valium and endures sleepless nights.  Such is the price to pay for a deal with the Devil.

When part of that unholy deal takes Daniel away from the dig Sarah is angry, yet determined to find out what is going on with him.  While Daniel takes instructions, following a path to an object he knows only has minor historical significance, but one several powerful people want.  Sarah too looks for the item.  Seeming at cross purposes they pursue the same object, always missing each other, keeping their knowledge from each other when they do find themselves together.

Each is taken prisoner by a madman—but a well-connected one who is determined to bring about the destruction of the world as we know it.  Can they trust each other to find the object and stop the man behind the pending carnage?  Or will they find themselves as the young priestess did…writing their stories on the walls of a cave before they die?

I’ve enjoyed D.J. Niko’s Sarah Weston books from the beginning with THE TENTH SAINT.  Niko combines non-stop action against a fascinating historical backdrop.  To that she adds a hint of romance between Daniel and Sarah.  They love each other.  There is no doubt about that.  But time and circumstances keep pulling them apart.  In her latest, THE ORACLE, Niko puts them through the ultimate test of trust—the secret Daniel is keeping from Sarah is perhaps the most painful of all.  I found myself practically yelling at the character “Tell her, just tell her!”  But if he did, he would no longer be the Daniel readers have come to know. 

While the series is the Sarah Weston chronicles, THE ORACLE is very much Daniel’s story.  Switching focus is not an easy thing for an author and reader to do, but the way Niko does it is seamless.  There is no way Sarah’s story in this book could be told without Daniel’s being in the forefront.

Both Sarah and Daniel are smart, professional and above all ethical.  They seek historical objects to preserve, not own them.  And they would never use them for their own gain yet in THE ORACLE Daniel is put in the position of having to perhaps compromise his very value system.  Niko does a fantastic job showing how he battles not only that demon, but his own inner fears in the aftermath of the plane crash that almost killed him in THE RIDDLE OF SOLOMON. 

I also enjoyed the inner weaving of what is in many ways a parallel story with the events of the fourth century with Sarah’s in the modern day.  It is almost as if Sarah is righting the wrong done centuries before.

This series makes me want to go on an archaeological dig myself or at least take a class in the subject.  I can’t wait for the next instalment.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

Riddle of Solomon by D.J. Niko

Publisher:    Medallion Press

Published:   July 1, 2013

ISBN:       978-1605425290

Genre:    Suspense

Format:   Ebook   

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina  Ginalrmreviews@gmail.com

FIVE HEARTS

In the midst of an archaeological dig in Saudi Arabia Sarah Weston and anthropologist Daniel Madigan, stumble on a rare, ancient scroll.  When local Bedouins attack the dig site, take demand the scroll and threaten their lives if they don’t leave, Sarah and Danny do what any self-respecting scientist would do—they start digging into the history of the object.

They turn first to a specialist in ancient languages—an Israeli working at King Saud University.  While she offers some help, the puzzles of just where the scroll came from remains.  When Danny and Sarah return to the dig site it is to find it in flames and raiders intent of destroying everything in their path.  Determined more than ever to solve the puzzle of the scroll they venture beyond the Saudi desert and make their way to Israel. 

But their mission is not without missteps and intrigue.  A man by the name of Briton, Trent Sacks is also looking for the scroll.  He believes that he is, in fact, the last descendant of the House of David in the line of Solomon.  He is determined to prove he is the Jewish Messiah.  Step by step he dogs Sarah and Danny’s steps…or are they following in his?  With danger at every turn and death following them where ever they venture next, Sarah and Danny are more than ever convinced that the scroll holds the key to more than just a buried treasure.  Can they find the truth before Sacks finds them?

I read D.J. Niko’s THE TENTH SAINT a few years ago and really enjoyed the story as well as the characters.  Sarah and Danny aren’t fresh out of college kids off on an adventure—they are mature adults, approaching their 40’s.  They are intelligent, creative, strong willed and perfect foils for each other.  In THE RIDDLE OF SOLOMON, draws on Biblical and historical lore and knowledge to weave a fabulous story.  I’m glad I started the book while on vacation because I pretty much sat for two days straight reading the almost 500 pages, unable to put it down except when I was just too tired to stay up and read any longer. 

Archelogy and anthropology fascinate me, but readers do not have to be fans of either to really enjoy the RIDDLE OF SOLOMON.  All you need is to be looking for a good story with well-drawn characters.  Niko doesn’t just tell a good story—her scenes are fleshed out with marvellous descriptions of the locales the characters find their way in to.  When the story wends its way to India, and Niko describes the litter, debris and treatment of the Ganges, the reader knows exactly not only what it looks like but how it smells.  When she describes the fine sheen of sand covering Sarah’s arms in the desert, you know just what it feels like.  Niko knows how to evoke visceral responses in her readers and does a fabulous job bringing them out. 

If you are looking for a truly outstanding read, RIDDLE OF SOLOMON is definitely one to check out.  You do not have to have read book 1, THE TENTH SAINT to be up to speed but I’d recommend picking it up if for no other reason it too is a great read.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.

 

THE TENTH SAINT by D.J. Niko

Publisher: Medallion
Date published: January 25, 2012
ISBN 9781605422459
Thriller, Paranormal
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina
Obtained by Publisher


Archeologist Sarah Weston has been trying to leave her family legacy behind and carve out a career that is all her own. On a dig in Ethiopia she stumbles on something very curious—a body in a plain wooden box buried in a cave. Something tells her this is an incredibly special find and despite admonitions from her university and the local authorities, Sarah continues on the site. Much to her chagrin television personality, pseudo archeologist in her book, Daniel Madigan arrives at the dig. Despite her best efforts, Daniel undertakes the investigation with her—just who is the man in the coffin and why was he such an odd fashion? With the death of an Ethiopian national, the dig is shut down and Sarah and Daniel told to leave.

But Sarah does not comply. Rather she heads to a monastery where she believes she will find the answers to why, among other curious things, a Coptic cross was found at the site. Sarah cannot reset until she learns just who the man in the coffin was. There are tales of nine saints, was this man perhaps a tenth, saint? If so, why has he been hidden away? Someone doesn’t want Sarah and Daniel to find out and their research explodes before them in more ways than one.

Meanwhile, a man known only as Gabriel finds himself rescued by a group of nomads. They take the blond haired man who remembers nothing of his life into their tribe, they teach him their ways and shelter him until one day Gabriel wakes and finally remembers his own past. There are things Gabriel knows that he cannot explain to the tribe and one day he knows he must leave. It is when his journey and Sarah’s intersect that Sarah’s life is in danger. But how could a simple man, once lost in the desert, be the instrument that could eventually end Sarah’s life?

When I first picked up D.J. Niko’s THE TENTH SAINT I anticipated a thriller. Plain and simply an action packed thriller. D.J. delivers on that and then goes a step further. She weaves a second story, that of Gabriel’s, into Sarah and Daniel’s story. But she does it oh so subtly. Reading the two stories, in a sense side by side, you are drawn into Sarah’s dig and quest as to who the man in the coffin was and at the same time, mesmerized by Gabriel’s journey. You ache for Gabriel and his lost love and for the life he had. Yet are inspired by the life he now leads. What you don’t see coming is what happens when Sarah and Gabriel’s stories intersect. It certainly blindsided me! When I read it I went back to several other chapters, still reeling from the revelation of their connection. I didn’t miss anything but at the same time Ms. Niko drew me so deeply into both stories I never saw the answer coming. What a brilliant twist! There are hints along the way and you think “maybe, just maybe” but you just don’t expect that final outcome.

I was pleased to see that Sarah Weston will be back in another thriller before too long—I wonder how Ms. Niko will surprise me then.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.