When Sarah Weston, a Cambridge archaeologist leading a dig in Ethiopia, stumbles upon a seemingly untouched tomb, she realizes that her find could be historically significant. As Sarah works to uncover the identity of the tomb's occupant, she quickly learns that there are those who will do anything to keep the truth hidden. Determined to carry on with her work in spite of threats, Sarah joins forces with anthropologist and TV personality Daniel Madigan. Working together, Sarah and Daniel learn that the body belonged a man known as Ethiopia's tenth saint, a man whose prophecies describe in detail the earth's final days. But Sarah and Daniel's discoveries continue to place them, and those they associate with, in direct danger. As Sarah and Daniel come to learn more about the tenth saint's prophecies, they realize that much more is at stake then just their professional careers and, potentially, their lives. For if the prophecies hold true, the end of days is near.

The Tenth Saint, the first novel in D.J. Niko's Sarah Weston Chronicles, is a modern-day thriller that will keep readers eagerly turning the pages. One of the things I liked best about this novel is that it doesn't fit neatly into any one genre. While the bulk of the narrative focuses on Sarah Weston and her quest (the thriller aspect), certain chapters also flash back in time to the days of the tenth saint. This gives the book a historical flavour. I found the prophet's chapters, while initially slow to get going, every bit as intriguing as those set in the modern-day, especially as the truth of his life is slowly revealed. Sarah Weston is a well-developed character. I admit that I didn't warm to her right away, but by the novel's end she'd won me over. Another strength of this novel is its setting. Most thrillers I've read recently are set in the United States and/or Europe. While parts of this novel are set in these common locations, much of the book takes place in Africa, which is not a typical setting for thrillers. While certain aspects of the narrative are predictable and others not entirely plausible, the suspense is maintained throughout the story. For this reason I found The Tenth Saint difficult to put down, and ended up racing through it in a matter of hours.

Recommended to fans of thrillers, especially those with a historical touch. I'm looking forward to reading The Riddle of Solomon, the next book in D.J. Niko's Sarah Weston Chronicles.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: I received a copy of this novel as part of D.J. Niko's Virtual Book Tour in exchange for a fair and honest review ( )

The Tenth Saint had several hooks that drew me to reading it: the archaeology, the less well-known setting of Ethiopia, ancient prophecies, and modern technology are just a few. The story, told in alternating chapters and timelines-- from the fourth century story of a tall, mysterious white man traveling with nomads in the desert to the modern-day tale of Sarah and Daniel-- is a little bit Indiana Jones and a little bit Da Vinci Code. However, the familiar plot elements are more than made up for by the book's fast pace, historical details, two very engaging characters, and a nice twist at book's end.

Sarah Weston is the daughter of an English lord and a Hollywood actress, and that combination of parents led to the expected dysfunctional childhood. Sarah is an interesting blend of scholar, adventurer, introvert, and dreamer, and I can see her taking charge of several more books in a series. Her colleague and romantic interest, Daniel Madigan, is the more outgoing of the two, and every bit as intriguing as Sarah. In fact, I wish there had been more scenes with Daniel in the book, so I'm happy to see that they are a team again in the next (The Riddle of Solomon).

If you're in the mood for a story of adventure, history, treasure, and two intrepid heroes written by an author with an eye for setting and character, you might just want to curl up with The Tenth Saint! ( )

Sarah Weston is an archaeologist from Cambridge, working at a dig in Ethiopia, this is her first opportunity to be the leader of the dig. She has a lot riding on this, especially since Cambridge rarely allows a woman to lead this kind of foray. She’s been working at the site for about 5 months, not finding anything spectacular, but plenty of encouraging signs they are in the right area, when she has a chance encounter.

Sarah has a meeting with a local who offers to show her where to find a good stash of ancient artifacts. There are some caves in the hills overlooking the dig site. She has a feeling about this one and so agrees to go with the man for a look. She has an accident and finds strange stones that look like someone closed off a cave. What she finds behind them could change the world, though she might figure it out too late.

There are also some rather violent men who are bent on keeping anyone from bringing the find to light. On top of all this no one wants to believe Sarah has found anything more important than a thorn in her fathers side.

This was a very well written book and I enjoyed it a lot. There was two intertwining stories that would take turns and I kept wanting to know how they related. After a little while I was pretty sure, but then I’d have questions, ‘if this...’ then ‘that should be...’. Every time I thought I found a reasonable hole or flaw in the story (like a Dan Brown book) often a few chapters later she would fill it in with a very good piece. The whole thing was thought out well and I was very impressed. This is the first in a series and I do have to wonder this series will lead. It seems hard to top the surprise in this one. ( )