On this occasion Jonathan is asked to examine an unusual artifact, a map fragment carved in stone. The piece leads him on a chase through tunnels beneath Rome and, eventually to Jerusalem. Rome is not unfamiliar to Jonathan who as a student at the American Academy in Rome had decided on a doctoral thesis involving Flavius Josephus’s relationship with the Roman general Titus. Jonathan was never able to adequately support his thesis concerning the relationship between the two men and left school under a cloud.

Jonathan is back and dealing with people he knew from his student days. Emili Travi, now Dr. Emili Travi works for the United Nations as a preservationist. As the duo begins to explore the underground of Rome they discover unauthorized excavations using methods which would make most archaeologists cringe. Their search leads them to Jerusalem and they trace the Jews flight from that city to Rome. A cherished treasure was supposedly taken with the fleeing Jews and may now reside somewhere within Rome.

Obviously someone else is also on the same quest because as they begin to make headway on their project they are ambushed. To make matters worse, someone in the carabinieri (the Roman military police) appears to be abetting those involved in the unauthorized excavations.

That the author has extensive knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages, the history of Rome and Jerusalem and archeological methods is evident from the opening pages of this literate thriller. The facts related to the main plot are clearly and, I assume, accurately delineated as well as anecdotal information sure to be useful in informal conversations. The thriller reader who likes nonstop action from page one may find this effort a bit slow going from the beginning but the information junky will be in hog heaven. The tale as such can be enjoyed from an informative standpoint or an action adventure in which good confronts evil.

There is more of a message here than immediately meets the eye. As the unauthorized excavations proceed, little or no regard is taken toward the preservation of unexpected archaeological materials. It would appear from the context of the story that practices such as these are alive and well today. In addition the author makes an important point that the materials that are found should be interpreted on their own merit. Researchers should not approach an archeological site with preconceived notions of what they will find and discard or distort that which does not fit their theories. Rather the materials should guide researchers to a logical explanation.

The Last Ember bears many of the elements of a Dan Brown style action thriller. Readers are cautioned to adopt their most liberal willing suspension of disbelief frame of reference. Many of the action scenes involve efforts of superhuman strength, unbelievably good luck, and situations which might conceivably be possible are highly improbable. I admire Mr. Levin’s encyclopedic knowledge of Roman and Greek history, but I can’t quite get my mind around some of the feats that his main protagonist was able to pull off. All in all, an impressive debut.

--Andy Plonka