Chasing Eden
S.L. Linnea
Reviewed by Michelle Boucher-Ladd
Set in the first days of the War in Iraq, S.L. Linnea’s new book
Chasing Eden is everything a good thriller should be. The premise of
this story is that in the days leading up to the war ancient artifacts
were stolen from the Iraqi Museum in Baghdad and Mosul. Specific items
of interest are the sword of Abraham and tablets containing clues to
the existence of the Garden of Eden. With her ability to read ancient
cuneiforms, Chaplain Major Jamie Richard finds herself a target for the
Aryan Nation as they race to find a door into Eden.
One of the things that this novel does well is build a strong main
character. Jamie Richard is used to dealing with loss even before she
makes it to the warfront of Iraq. She loses her parents to an accident
at a young age and more recently loses her husband to a bombing in
Israel. The role of an Army Chaplain is well described and her
interaction with soldiers in this regard gives her character depth and
believability. There could have been a bit more insight into the
spiritual journey to becoming a Chaplain as sometimes the religious
aspects get lost in the fast pace of the novel.
Subtle details played out in Chasing Eden capture the feel of an Army
field base, military tack and gear, vehicles, convoys, etc. While the
ancient wonders of Iraq such as the ruins of Ur and Babylon give the
novel an interesting and often contrasting backdrop. The setting,
whether it be a Army tent, ancient ruin or secret Iraqi bunker add a
panorama that strongly contributes to the well thought out plot. Also,
a great deal of information about the history and motives of the Aryan
Nation build an intensity that allows the real time experience of
reading this novel most thrilling.
What I wish Chasing Eden had, was a better description of modern
Iraqis, and a native personalization of war. Better depictions could
also have been made in portraying the morale and motives of troops on
the front. The role of the imbedded journalist could have been
described by a military viewpoint, and the characters of Liv Nelsson
and Rodriguez could have been made more substantial. I also wanted more
of the spiritual journey to becoming an Army Chaplain and a tie in to
the loss of Jamie’s husband with the race to Eden.
There were too many bad guys to keep tabs on in such a fast paced
novel. Having to do away with all of them made the ending seem anti
climatic. Also, Jamie never solved any cuneiform puzzles or came to any
intellectual conclusions as to what the existence of Eden implies or
its spiritual and religious aspects. Where is the church in all of
this? Wouldn’t other religious organizations be willing to risk the
intensity of war or even be more informed about Eden’s existence? One
last thing that I felt was underdeveloped in this novel was the
character of Yani. For a novel that exploit’s the aspects of war and
supremacy you would think some good old fashion sex would not be taboo.
Over all, Chasing Eden is a quick reading book with a great plot but
kind of fizzles at the end.