The Countershaded Ibex

My name is Max Gilbert. I am an academic researcher in the United States. I am doing a study on the Haredi Jews of Israel. I see. And how did you come to choose Ben for your project? I know, youre going to tell me that you picked him out of a phone book. Max wondered why the woman was barking at him. Mrs. Arad, could I please speak to your husband? Just mention my name to him. Im sure hed want to talk to me. You cant speak to him, the woman uttered in a loud, uninflected voice. And why not? Max asked with petulance. Because hes dead. A tale of murder and suspense that explores the fragility of trust and the certainty of betrayal, The Countershaded Ibex is a thriller seen through the eyes of Max Gilbert, the unlikely hero who finds himself thrust in the middle of the age-old conflict between Israel and the Arab world as he pursues perilous leads in search for the one and only real, fully-documented, two thousand-year old buried treasure whose discovery will either ensure peace or spell worldwide disaster. Maxs single-minded trail takes him from New York to the Judean Desert around the Dead Sea, and from there to the ghettos of London and even inside the highest offices of the Vatican. His quest not only provokes some of the worlds most sadistic villains but risks involving the Pope himself. Will Max solve the mystery of his own countershaded ibex theory? Or will he find himself responsible for the destruction of Israel and the eventuality of a third world war?