UK title: A Long Way to Shiloh

I can’t tell you how excited I was to get my hands on another adventure novel by Lionel Davidson! I’m not one to go shopping on Amazon for used books if I don’t have to, so while I’m sure there’s a plethora of copies out there for the taking, I prefer to mine for them at used books stores, much like the heroes of his novels would.

The Menorah Men is Davidson’s third novel and would have provided greater context for me as a reader had I read if before some of his other books (though they’re all completely standalone), particularly The Sun Chemist (1976) and Smith’s Gazelle (1971). Set once more in the Holy Land, this novel follows the adventures of a British professor called upon to help locate clues which might lead to the discovery of the holy menorah stolen from the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Davidson’s slow-paced style could easily be described as “meticulous” or “laborious,” yet wonderfully so, as it’s what makes his thrillers so uniquely believable. While the pace of this book is much faster than The Sun Chemist or Kolymsky Heights (1994), it still bears that telltale Davidson style which makes him one of my all-time favorite authors. This story includes a number of intricately described action scenes and the character’s thought processes as he endures them, providing some wonderful edge-of-your-seat thrills.

Different in this book from his others was his incessant use of “Jesus Christ” as an invective, probably because (in his view) it fit so nicely as a curse word among his Jewish characters. Had this been the first book of his I’d ever read, I’d probably never have read anything further (much like what happened when I read Robert Ludlum or James Clavell). There’s just no point to the gratuitous blasphemy! Thankfully, that’s not characteristic of his other works that I’ve read.

Another notable difference in this book from most of the others (except, if I recall correctly, The Night of Wenceslas) was the sheer amount of sex the Briton has with his engaged driver, Shoshana. It’s almost all described in a gentlemanly way via inuendo, but it’s obvious. At one point they debate whether it’s wrong or not, and while they both feel that it’s probably wrong…whatever, as long as it stops when she gets married. It’s the free love of the ’60s, I guess, and something to be expected with such books in this vein. As a Christian reviewer, though, I feel like these things should be noted.

Lionel Davidson only wrote eight novels for adults, of which I’ve so far read six (see links below). He also wrote four novels for children and youth, sometimes under a pseudonym, of which I’ve yet read none.

Despite the language and promiscuity, I really enjoyed this thriller as a break from all my studies and travels. I don’t yet own any of his others, so it may be a while before I can get my hands on the next, but I’ll keep digging. One of these days I’m bound to strike gold.

©2023 E.T.

Read More from Lionel Davidson:

• Adult Novels:
  The Night of Wenceslas (1960)
  The Rose of Tibet (1962)
  The Menorah Men (UK title: A Long Way to Shiloh, 1966)
  Making Good Again (1968)
  Smith’s Gazelle (1971)
  The Sun Chemist (1976)
  Murder Games (UK title: The Chelsea Murders, 1978)
  Kolymsky Heights (1994)
• Youth Books:
  Soldier and Me (UK title: Run for Your Life, 1965, as David Line)
  Mike and Me (1974, as David Line)
  Under Plum Lake (1980 )
  Screaming High (1985, as David Line)