Is it time, yet again, for another hair-raising adventure where religious beliefs get turned upside down as a new "truth" comes to light? If you immediately think of The Da Vinci Code, I wouldn't be surprised. But for me, the first fictional religious adventure story I remember as a child was the first Indiana Jones movie. Dan Brown didn't start this genre, but he did give it a boost. For this review, I focus on a novel called The Eighth Scroll by Dr. Laurence B. Brown (no relation that I know about).

What if, when the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered, there was a scroll we, the public, had not been told about. What if this "eighth scroll" was hidden by the powers that be because it reveals things the Church would rather keep hidden. These "truths" are at odds with the teachings of the Christian church, and there are those who would kill to keep them from coming to light. And this is where main character, Michael Hansen, starts the race of his life.

This novel starts out with a little background. The terrifying manner in which this scroll is hidden by an Essene Jew almost 2,000 years ago is played out with graphic detail as his religious brothers are slaughtered by Romans. Jump to the modern era when a prominent archeologist runs across a reference to the scroll. Like all those who gain knowledge of what might be the Gospel of Jesus or his brother James, this archeologist dies. Michael is linked by way of his father who worked with the man.

As Michael races across the world being chased by the likes of the Vatican, the Mossad (Israel's Intelligence Agency) and the CIA, which of these groups is trying to kill or quiet him, and which is trying to help him and watch his back? It takes about 250 pages before the contents of the scroll are revealed. I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll just say that if you are a highly religious Christian, you will probably be offended. All I can say is that this is fiction, which means pretend. You don't have to believe the message to enjoy the journey.

While Dr. Laurence B. Brown has written several books, his day job is the medical director of an eye center in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he was an officer in the Air Force. According to his website, he spends his time between the U.S., England, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. His nonfiction books God'ed?: The Case for Islam as the Completion of Revelation and MisGod'ed: A Roadmap of Guidance & Misguidance in the Abrahamic Religions focus on the history and similarities between the religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. They demonstrate that Brown has done the research and has the background to write a fiction novel like The Eighth Scroll.

The Eighth Scroll was a decent read. I have now read several novels in the vein of The Da Vinci Code. While the characters might be different and the plot twists or the surprise of the eventual "religious truth" that is revealed might be unique to the individual novels, they all seem to follow a similar pattern -- there is a secret that must remain hidden at all costs, the hero of the book wants to expose the truth, chases ensue and characters die, readers eventually have an OMG! moment as they ponder the thoughts of "what if this were true?" and "what do we NOT know about Christianity?" But in the end, we all know that we read these novels for a fun time, not for spiritual enlightenment. At least I hope that is the case. And if you are looking for a fun read, then I don't think The Eighth Scroll will disappoint. If you are looking for a more spiritual time, check out the good doctor's nonfiction. You can agree or disagree with him as you see fit.