[.ca] A Skeleton In God's Closet (ISBN 1595543317)

Went Beyond My Hopes!!:
I've never been a big fan of Christian fiction, as I usually read books on Christian theology, philosophy, history, and apologetics. I saw Paul Maier interview on the Michael Coren (Christian Journalist/Personality in Toronto Area) Show and I thought I'd give this guys books a try. Well I bought both of his "Skeleton" books and took four days to read them both. This one is about finding the bones of Jesus. The book is suspensful, but would have been more so if I didn't know that the author is a Christian. Overall this was a fun book and very addictive. I had to keep reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next. This book would have received five stars if he had just left out the romantic parts. They seemed the sort of romance in teenage novels. He could also write his women with more depth of character as I found them vapid. Over all this is a tremendously fun read, and could be read without offense by any orthdox or standard Christian.

Thought Provoking Theological Fiction:
Dr. Maier's book is a very thought provoking story about what it would be like if something were uncovered that might possibly signal the end of Christianity. A word of caution to Christians reading this book. At the outset the book seems heretical in its subject matter, however, have no fear the author is Christian and makes all right in the end, once again proving that God can take evil intent and turn it to his bidding. The only problem I had with this book was a small amount of sexual content. I only bring this up because my twelve year old son wanted to read it and I had to tell him it was a little above him. I realize Dr. Maier wrote this for adults and not children. However, I feel a Christian writing a book about Christianity, albeit the subject matter ficticious, still has responsibilities to his fellow Christians. Having to explain to my son that he cannot read this book because of a minor amount of PG-13 material was a bit difficult, since it was written by a Christain. Otherwise the book was very good. It's a mysterical pager turner in the classic sense, and for Christians especially, it will be impossible to put down.

The first Theological Thriller:
Dr. Paul Maier recently released a sequel to this book, a classic that I read almost 10 years ago. The sequel is called "More than Just a Skeleton, it was one Man against the World" and was one of the best books I've read in years. A Skeleton in God's Closet is well worth reading and I have reread it and enjoyed it many times. Not only will this book make you think about issues of faith versus knowledge, but it will also introduce you to the world of scientific verification of archaeological discoveries. It is the only accessible book to this highly technical feild that I have ever encountered. The characters in Dr. Maier's book are realistic and easy to identify with. Some have criticised his inability to create deep female characters in his book, and perhaps there is some validity to this as the female character in this book is not really well-developed. The romance is juvenile, unrealistic and annoying. (My wife unfortunately never finished the book because of the cheesy romantic scenes). However the other strengths of the book make it well-worth skipping the remantic passages. I highly recommend reading this book as a introduction to Dr. Maier's new work, which I believe is the best book of Christian fiction since C.S. Lewis wrote the "Great Divorce".

intelligent and intense:
I took a History at Western Michigan that Dr. Maier taught in the 1980's> I can still remember details of his lectures. He has a gift to tell a good story. And his books are also very good. He knows his subject very well. I just finished reading the Skeleton and The Di Vinci code. The skeleton is far better written far more interesting and far less mis-leading then the Di Vinci code. Dr. Maier clearly states that this is a work of fiction. He clearly states that the words are his own. He respects his readers intelligence. Most of what I have read by Dr. Maier has been very good indeed. This is worth hunting down. Because it is out of print you will need to find creative ways to find this book. Maybe buy used or look around at differant resources. My husband is reading more than a skeleton right now but I will start that one as soon as he finishes.The story is very intense and interesting. It is also easy to follow and read because it is well written.

Suspenseful novel highlights interesting theological ideas:
This novel succeeds as a work of entertainment. It is also a very informative examination of archeology, with lots of interesting details about digs and the verification of artifacts. The characters are reasonably well drawn, though the females seem to be celebrated more for their beauty than for their personality or character. There was room in this novel for an older or unattractive woman known for her warmth, wisdom or expertise. I liked the main female character in the book, I just felt that her chief virtue in the author's mind was her beauty. Perhaps the book's greatest feature is that it encourages us to think about the nature of faith. The plot is very cleverly designed to make us think specifically about the details on which Christians base their faith in Christ. The key theological issue in the book involves questions about the truth of the physical resurrection of Christ in the body. Whether Christ lived on after the crucifixion is not the consuming question of this novel, but rather whether he lived on in physical form. The question is not whether he ascended into heaven, but weather he did so in the flesh and blood body he bore while here on earth. As a result, this book is really a text written for Christians by a Christian in order to argue a particular theological point of interest primarily to Christians. The argument seems a bit contrived at times because it sets up those who believe in a physical resurrection of Christ against those who believe that Christ had no true divinity. There is no room in this book for those who believe in a non-physical resurrection or who believe that Christ is not tied to the physical body he wore while on earth. Even if one believes in the physical resurrection of Christ, I'm not sure that one must believe that he currently resides in heaven in the physical body he adopted while here on earth. Yet this is the point on which the gripping plot of this book hinges. Dr. Maier is an expert on the subject of Biblical history. I think, however, that he puts too much weight on the value of the historical record in "proving" the articles of faith in the Christian religion. Ultimately, Christianity is a matter of faith, and there has so far been no true historical verification of the most important details in the Christ story. I greatly admire Paul Maier's ability to introduce interesting philosophical and theological material and wed it to a suspenseful plot. Too often we have to choose between tedious novels that have interesting themes and thrillers that are totally vacuous. This books finds a fruitful middle ground that puts it ahead of most of the books on our best seller lists. The style of the text is breezy and entertaining, but not always aesthetically pleasing. Many might find the style a bit old fashioned at times. There is one point where a woman in the book is described as a "winsome lass," which is not necessarily a common manner of speaking in America. However, I tended to find these flourishes to be engaging rather than detrimental. Overall, an unusually good book. I would recommend it to Christians who enjoy suspenseful entertainments with a strong theological twist.