The Healer’s Daughter Book Review

Can these three women defeat ISIL terrorists, criminal oligarchs, and corrupt officials? Can they even survive?

About The Healer’s Daughter

A terrorist bombing in Bergama, Turkey kills twenty-three people including three children. Modern Bergama is built on the site of ancient Pergamon, a city whose art and wealth and culture rivaled Athens. It was also the home of the Aesklepion, the world’s greatest healing center, and the birthplace of Galen, the Roman Empire’s most famous doctor.

Tuğçe Iskan, a Turkish Ministry investigator, finds evidence that links the terrorism to a powerful criminal family and to Galen’s life and Pergamon’s lost treasures. But Iskan is alone, an outcast in the Ministry because she is honest, diligent, and a woman.

As Iskan delves more deeply into the heinous attack, she needs allies outside the Ministry. She must turn to Özlem Boroğlu, a local archeologist, and Boroğlu’s daughter Elif, an artist with an affinity for ancient Aegean goddesses. Can these three women defeat ISIL terrorists, criminal oligarchs, and corrupt officials? Can they even survive?

My Thoughts

The Healer’s Daughter is a thrilling novel that takes you on a political, cultural and historical journey. It is the type of novel that you just can’t put down as it pulls you right in with the injustice and corruption.

The novel takes place mainly in present time but pulls in historical events through Galen, the Roman Empire’s most famous doctor. The novel starts off with a terrorist bombing in Bergama, Turkey which kills twenty three local residents and tourists. From here, we plunge right in to this fast paced story.

The novel has several layers as we learn about Galen (his teachings), archaeological findings and plundering by black markets to sell these artifacts, as well as terrorists and an element of spirituality. The story centres around Ozlem and her family. Ozlem is a local archaeologist who finds evidence of a long hidden treasure. This sparks interest by several wealthy collectors who want to sell this item on the black market. These same individuals are protected by local and international government and use ruthless methods to get what they want.

This finding sets off a series of events that centre around Ozlem, her family and her colleagues that involves betrayal, murder, bombings, deception, greed and so much more. Ozlem and her daughter have to think several steps ahead and keep themselves firm in their beliefs in order to stay alive.

This novel had an excellent pace and the plot was incredible. I have never read a book like this before and it kept me engaged throughout the whole novel. I loved how we had glimpses of the past that connected to the present and even had meaning and guidance for our future. It is a truly special novel that you will not want to put down.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Amika Press.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Jay Amberg is the author of twelve books. He received a BA from Georgetown University and a PhD from Northwestern University. He has taught high school and college students since 1972. His latest book, The Healer’s Daughters, is now available from Amika Press. Amberg has also published Bone Box, Cycle, America’s Fool, Whale Song, and compiled 52 Poems for Men. Prior to Amika Press, Amberg published thriller novels Doubloon (Forge), Blackbird Singing (Forge) and Deep Gold (Warner Books). Among his books on teaching are School Smarts and The Study Skills Handbook, published by Good Year. Amberg wrote The Creative Writing Handbook (Good Year) with Mark Henry Larson and Verbal Review and Workbook for the SAT (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) with Bob Boone.

The Giveaway!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.