I love this book! Not only a good story, but a well told history and almost a travelogue of Palestine. I want to go and explore the Old City as seen by Mary Russell, visit the monasteries, eat the food, and have coffee in the desert. I've been following Mary Russell since the Beekeepers Apprentice, and this is easily my favorite. It's also fun if you read it in juxtaposition with Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody series, which covers some of the same territory at the same time.