The Ezra Scroll

Book excerpt: In 2009, U.S. Marine Sergeant Ron Keller is advising an Iraqi Police unit in Fallujah, when he discovers an ancient Hebrew scroll. Knowing the Iraqis will not be overjoyed at any discovery that reminds them of the presence of Jews in Iraq for thousands of years, he removes the scroll without anyone's knowledge. Determined to discover the authenticity and meaning of the scroll, Keller covertly summons help from a navy rabbi and an Iraqi-born professor, unaware that more than 2,500 years ago, two scribes set out to rescue sacred scrolls from a burning temple amid the uncertainty of the Babylonian conquest. After the brothers divide the scrolls and leave on separate journeys to hide them, each experiences triumph and tragedy while attempting to ensure the survival of the parchments until the fortunes of Judah are restored. In this thriller, the modern discovery of an ancient text reveals both long-held secrets and the identity of the author of the original Five Books of Moses.