The Gold of Exodus

When a millionaire adventurer goes in search of the true Mount Sinai, he gets more than he bargained for. Spies, missiles, and secret military installations are just some of the obstacles that Larry Williams and his sidekick Bob Cornuke must confront in their unprecedented journey to find the lost treasures of Moses. In The Gold of Exodus , award-winning journalist Howard Blum records a page-turning story of an adventure that makes history. While risking their necks by sneaking into the xenophobic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, amateur archaeologists Williams and Cornuke become pawns in a game of international espionage that eventually leads them to the top of the most sacred mountain in the world, and into the hands of shotgun-wielding Bedouins. The Gold of Exodus is a true story that is too unbelievable to be fiction, too suspenseful to be put down, and too significant to soon be forgotten. From Library Journal As recounted by best-selling journalist Blum, two men using the Old Testament as a guide set out to find the spot where God supposedy talked to Moses?and the gold the Hebrews brought with them from Egypt.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews Tom Clancy meets Indiana Jones in this far-fetched but gripping account of archaeology, biblical treasure, and international espionage. Former New York Times journalist Blum (Gangland, 1993; Out There, 1990) has crafted a rousing narrative from the recollections of two American thrill seekers. The pair became convinced in the 1980s that the real Mt. Sinai was not in fact the tourist trap of that name on the Sinai peninsula, but an obscure peak in the Saudi Arabian desert. But their quest to find this mountain, Jabal al Lawz, was thwarted at nearly every turn, first by the difficulty of getting visas, then by ever-present spies, and finally by a frightening discovery: The entire mountain is now the site of a top-secret Saudi military operation. Called Project Falcon, the plan ensures that the Saudi Air Force can deal effectively with an air strike or even mount a missile offensive. Blum muses on the irony that the modern state of Israel could be annihilated from the holy site where God once descended to give the law to Moses. But questions remain about whether Jabal al Lawz is, in fact, the real Sinai. The circumstantial evidence is impressive, including the fact that the site is the correct distance from various landmarks given in the Bible. The Americans report that the top of the mountain is scorched black, as though by fire. But there is no corroboration for these claims, and given Blum's grand assertions that the Saudi military has overrun the area and laid exclusive claim to the ``gold of exodus'' buried there, it is unlikely that future confirmation will be possible. Still, this is a spine-tingling yarn, full of intrigue and adventure. It should translate well to the screen; film rights have already been sold to Castle Rock Entertainment. (16 pages b&w photos, not seen) (First printing of 100,000; first serial to Vanity Fair) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. ...Blum ... keeps the story moving briskly, jumping between Saudi Arabia, Montana, London and C.I.A. headquarters. -- The New York Times Book Review, George Robinson Joseph Telushkin Author of Biblical Literacy The Gold of Exodus is compusively readable—and more. The fact that several prominent biblical scholars support the book's assertion that the true Mount Sinai is in Sadi Arabia transforms this into the ultimate and perfect adventure story. -- Howard Blum is an award-winning former New York Times journalist, and is currently a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair, as well as a bestselling author. His books include Gangland, Out There, I Pledge Allegiance: The Story of the Walker Spy Family and Wanted! The Gold of Exodus is being made into a motion picture by Castle Rock Entertainment from a script by John Sayles. Blum lives in Connecticut with his wife and three children. Read more