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Chester D. Campbell

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Secret of the Scroll (Greg McKenzie Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Chester D. Campbell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 678 ratings

Book 1 of 5: Greg McKenzie Mysteries

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Retired Air Force OSI agent Greg McKenzie thinks his troubles with the Metro Nashville Police are a problem. Then he brings a "souvenir" Dead Sea Scroll home from the Holy Land and things go from bad to worse. A Palestinian terrorist group invades his home, fails to find the scroll, and takes his wife, Jill, hostage. Greg finds himself with an ancient Hebrew scroll worth millions, wanted by both the Palestinians and a radical far-right Israeli organization. When he tries to exchange it for Jill's freedom, everything goes wrong. Then the police target him as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, and he sets out alone on a perilous chase to save her life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gripping. I could not put it down." -- Stephane Daimlen-Völs (Hour of the Wolves)

"Grabs you from beginning to end. A great read." -- Don Goldman (What Goes Around)

About the Author

I got bitten by the writing bug when I started work as a newspaper reporter while a journalism student at the University of Tennessee. That was more than 60 years ago. Since then I've worked as a freelance writer, a magazine editor, a political speechwriter, an advertising copywriter, a public relations writer and an association manager. I started writing novels after retirement. I write the Greg McKenzie mysteries featuring a retired Air Force OSI agent. The first, SECRET OF THE SCROLL (2002), takes place in Nashville and Israel. The second, DESIGNED TO KILL (2004), is set around Pensacola, FL, and the third, DEADLY ILLUSIONS (2005), wanders about Nashville. The fourth, titled THE MARATHON MURDERS (2008), involves the long-defunct Marathon Motor Works in Nashville, and the fifth is A SPORTING MURDER (2010), dealing with professional sports in Nashville. My second mystery series follows the adventures of Nashville PI Sid Chance. The first book, titled THE SUREST POISON (2009), deals with a toxic chemical spill in a suburban county.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00124KDQY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Night Shadows Press; 1st edition (July 23, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 23, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 385 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 209 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,007,532 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,331 in Terrorism Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #6,001 in Terrorism Thrillers (Books)
- #49,144 in Suspense (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 678 ratings

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Chester D. Campbell

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After following a snake-like career path that writhed about from newspapers to magazines to speechwriting to advertising to PR to association management, I settled on novel writing after retirement. I'm having a blast. My PI characters do things I'd never dare attempt. The reviewers love 'em, and so do the fans. Most of my stories are drawn from life, from all the weird and wonderful things that go on around me. Since I've been observing this for the last 90 years, there's no shortage of stuff to draw on. Lately I've finished work on a trilogy of Post Cold War political thrillers. The first, Beware the Jabberwock, and the second, The Poksu Conspiracy, are joined by Book 3, Overture to Disaster. They're set in the early nineties, a time that arrived just after my retirement. My newest novel is Hellbound, a suspense story I practically lived.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

678 global ratings

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Bill

People - Details - Action well balanced to make great reading!

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2014

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This was the second book in Campbell's series I read and I decided to read it as I had read a later book in the series first. I will be following up on the rest of the books in the series, as the books I have read so far have been really enjoyable. His style of writing is relaxed, and easy to read. Not sure that is the proper words to use but both books were just fun to read. There is enough detail regardless of where the setting of the story takes place to make all of the book real! I have not been doing a lot of reading till recently and it was difficult to do anything else till I finished the book. So I guess that is why I will be reading all the books in this series. The other nice thing about his style is if you do stop reading and then pick up in a day or so later, you do not have to go back and reread a portion of the book as the events and people stay in your mind which helps to make the book so much more enjoyable. Would love to see this series in a TV series!

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Carl E. Ahlm

"A Wonderful Thriller That Is Hard To Put Down!"

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2012

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What a pleasant surprise! When I got this kindle book from Amazon, I really expected little. What I did get was a book that slowly captured my interest and pulled me into its pages. Before I got the e-book, I worried a bit about the plot line as it sounded just like another of the Dan Brown "wanna-bes"; however, the "Secret of the Scroll" by Chester D. Campbell delivers on all levels and is a wonderful read and a thriller that is hard to put down.

Retired Air Force OSI Agent Greg McKenzie and his wife Jill are on a trip to the Holy Land. Shortly before they return home, a souvenir street vendor convinces Jill to purchase a "souvenir" that turns out to be an ancient scroll. When they innocently return home, the McKenzie's world turns upside down as Jill is taken hostage in a battle between militant Palestinians and radical Israelis to recover this ancient scroll. The police, however, target Greg as a suspect in his wife's disappearance, and with a little help from his friends (and a few others), he sets out alone in a perilous chase to save his wife as she is spirited out of America and back to Israel.

The "Secret of the Scroll" is honestly a classic page-turner; I often kept reading when I knew I should go to sleep. I just kept saying; "Just one more chapter." It is a thriller without a large body count; it is a book about an historical artifact without trying to clone Dan Brown. Yes, there is plenty of action and intrigue, but the real suspense comes from all of McKenzie's efforts to save his wife while trying to stay a step ahead of the mysterious figures who will stop at nothing to get the scroll. While there are many twists and turns in store for the reader, there is as well a strong realism in the characterization of the main character who seems to be a bit more like your neighbor rather than a James Bond super-hero type. You will like these characters and you will like the book - "Secret of the Scroll" (Greg McKenzie Mysteries #1).

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Michael Ciko

Interesting

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015

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Very good storyline, but very convoluted and unrealistic for the time frames involved. The main character, although very intelligent, was shown as not being very smart for an intelligence officer. However, I would recommend it for it's informative value and very interesting, and intertwining story.

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BooksthroughBifocals

AWESOME ON ALL COUNTS! Move over Don Brown!

Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2014

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"Secret of the Scroll" is the best of its genre that I've read! The characters are well developed and believable while the plot is a page turner that never slows. McKenzie, retired from the Air Force and police force as an investigator, is at times a bit too quick to share unpopular opinions and to overlook procedure to get the job done, making his share of enemies along the way. He and his long beloved wife Jill, decide to take a tour to Israel, hoping to escape the limelight after his critical remarks regarding the police department make the front page. Following an uneventful and pleasant trip, and just prior to their return, Jill convinces him to purchase a souvenir that proves to be a genuine first century Jewish scroll. Mayhem erupts when multiple middle-eastern groups pull out all stops to gain access to the scroll. Greg, alienated from just about every agency he might have turned to for help, must rely on himself along with a few stalwart friends and acquaintances to resolve some serious issues. Does he return the scroll in return for his kidnapped wife and possibly ignite WW III, or does our aging hero earn his HEA? Infrequent bad language, no explicit sex, not unnecessarily violent but a great, entertaining read!

Helpful

Joan A. Adamak

Fast Moving, Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2012

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An Arab youth finds an old jar in a cave in Jordan and in it is a scroll. He takes it to Ramallah to his cousin to get it translated because it might have Kabbalist secrets and is questioned by an Israeli security service. His body is found after being rammed by a car.

Greg McKenzie, retired OSI from the military, is hot headed and blurts out his opinions, which keeps him from advancement in the military and makes enemies for him with the Nashville Police Dept. when he worked there as a Detective for the D.A.'s office after retirement from the military. Greg and his wife Jill visit Israel and the mid-east where a souvenir street vendor convinces Jill to purchase what appears to be an old scroll and she tucks it in her carryon. After picking up their luggage at the airport on their return, they find the locks on the cases have been cut off and the luggage rifled. Immediately after returning home, Jill suddenly disappears and Greg gets a phone call telling him they will exchange Jill for the scroll. Greg takes it to two different professors who translate the scroll for him. The story continues filled with murder, close escapes, car chases, a Palestinian radical group, an Israeli radical group and Jordan all after this scroll. The story is page turner, fascinating, fast moving and not very long. It is an easy read and entertaining. I recommend it.

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