Bone Box

by Bob Hostetler

Book Overview

Will They Find the Truth? Archaeologist and agnostic Randall Bullock has come to Israel to try to resurrect his crumbling career and shattered life. Teaming up with Miri Sharon, a beautiful sergeant... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416566473
• ISBN13: 9781416566472
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Howard Books
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A Great Read

I just got back from vacation where I finished "The Bone Box." I had to write this comment and let others know how much I enjoyed it! Anyway- a great story! I love to read a good book and have quite a few stacked on my bookshelf to get to, but put this one on the top of the list for vacation. I'm glad I did. Hostetler has a good writing style and the content kept my attention throughout. I developed a relationship with the characters so I actually cared about what happened to them. I liked the back and forth between the two main story lines- current time and in Jesus' day. I liked the short chapters; makes it easier to read, I think. I also liked the "common language" style which helped the story feel more real- as if I was hearing the story from a friend. I found myself rushing to the end to see what finally happened. I couldn't put it down for the last fourth of the book! This is a fine fiction story that ties many Christian truths and facts into it. The author has done a lot of excellent research and there is a section at the end with notes about that research that added to the overall experience. Included is a thoughtful reason why some people don't want to accept Jesus. Read it- you'll like it!

The Bone Box won't turn you loose!

THE BONE BOX is a roller coaster ride that grabs you on page one and won't turn you loose until the end! Present day danger mingles with historical deception. A life altering discovery is rejected by the community that should embrace it, and a surprise redemption unfolds in this fast paced story. I highly recommend this read! You will not be disappointed.

Intrigue and Suspense

Randall Bullock hasn't had much time for personal relationships. He loves his wife, Joy, but he has been too busy building his career to be around much. As for his daughter, Tracey, he's practically a stranger. When her softball team went to state, he was in Greece. The night of her prom he as in Crete, and the night her mother died, he wasn't there either. Now he's at an important excavation in Israel that must be completed in days and he can't allow anything to distract him. That's when Tracey shows up with the news that she has been expelled from school and has nowhere else to go. Her being there creates a problem for him, but after all, she is his daughter, and he has to take care of her. Tracey knows he doesn't want her, but she is determined to be a help to him, and somehow build a relationship with her only remaining parent. Randall is an agnostic. When he finds a scroll documenting the death and resurrection of Jesus he is caught in a political and religious storm that threatens to destroy him. A fascinating story of intrigue and suspense that will keep the reader enthralled to the end. I hated to put it down. Bob Hostetler is a new writer for me, but I am looking forward to reading more of his books.

The Bone Box

The Bone Box combines historical facts with fictional tales in an interesting and pulling way. I could not put down The Bone Box, I just had to find out what more Randall could find in the ossuary and what else could happen between him and his daughter. It is packed with emotion and intrigue. I highly recommend The Bone Box.

Review from "It Is To Write" (www.brucejudisch.blogspot.com)

Rather than keep you in suspense of the inevitable, I'm going to begin my review of Bob Hostetler's "The Bone Box" with a digression. That'll get it out of the way up front. One of the great things about Biblical fiction is that it allows us the freedom to examine the record in greater detail than what Scripture often actually gives us. However, that's a two-edged sword. On one edge, there's a danger of the writer weaving his own agenda into the Biblical record and straining, sometimes to the breaking point, reasonable inference (witness accusations against Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code). On the other edge, through careful research and skillful storytelling, the author can present angles on events and people that are entirely plausible and in keeping with the Scriptural account, but lend a novel (pun intended) perspective on them. In doing so, she offers something perhaps we hadn't thought of before. The unexpected inference--or `twist'--not only enhances the entertainment value, but can also broaden our spiritual horizons. The latter requires intellectual honesty. The former requires...well, nothing to commend. Happily for us, Mr. Hostetler's "The Bone Box" is guilty of the latter and not the former. Dr. Randall Bullock is an archaeologist who has pretty much mucked up his personal life in deference to his professional one. Recently widowed, Dr. Bullock tries to put himself back on an even keel by immersing himself in a new dig outside Jerusalem. When a construction project collapses an ancient tomb nearby, he is offered the opportunity to solo the project to examine its contents before having to turn them over to the Antiquities Authority. He discovers no less than the ossuary (bone box) containing the remains of one Joseph bar Caiaphas. Yup, the same Caiaphas who presided over Christ's trial. In the ossuary is a small scroll, the contents of which cast a stunning light on the events of over two thousand years ago. Enter daughter Tracy, recently expelled from college, who shows up in Israel in search of a father she barely knows--and respects even less--due to his absence from all the significant events of her life, including the death of her mother. They both embark on an awkward road of attempted reconciliation, which comes at a particularly difficult time as the demands of this momentous archaeological discovery pull at her father's attentions. Just like before. Just like always. Interspersed with Dr. Bullock's story are flashbacks to the first century ad, with Caiaphas playing the central role. From his installation as Kohen haGadol (the High Priest), through the preaching of John the Baptist, to Jesus' trial, Caiaphas is shown in a very interesting light--and as the subject of a most fascinating twist. I don't think you're going to anticipate this one. Mr. Hostetler's careful research is evident throughout the story. You'll learn loads about modern and ancient Israel through the pages of "The Bone Box". The only possible criticism I