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Lily Sampson #3
The Scorpion's Bite
"A fast-paced story set in a fascinating time and place."―Historical Novel Society
It is 1943 and the world is at war. Archaeologist Lily Sampson has been sent to Trans-Jordan by the OSS, along with Gideon Weil, the famous director of the American School of Archeology in Jerusalem. As part of their survey, they roam the beautiful, silent desert where the indelible presence of Lawrence of Arabia still lingers, and where the ancient Nabateans once ruled an empire from their capital in Petra. But soon Lily and Gideon are stranded in the Wadi Rum, and their Bedouin guide is murdered. Could Gideon be guilty of the crime?
Then the pair learn that two oil pipelines run from Iraq through the desert to ports on the one through Trans-Jordan supplying the Allies, the other through Syria supplying the Nazis. Syrians and Vichy French are raiding across the border, threatening to destroy the Trans-Jordan pipeline. Lily and Gideon's real mission is to help safeguard the pipeline and to prevent oil from reaching the Nazis. At the same time, Lily uncovers a Nazi plot to kidnap and kill the eight-year-old King Faisal of Iraq.
Can Lily and Gideon clear Gideon's name, protect the Trans-Jordan pipeline, sabotage the Syrian line, and rescue Faisal to prevent the Nazi takeover of Iraq?
It is 1943 and the world is at war. Archaeologist Lily Sampson has been sent to Trans-Jordan by the OSS, along with Gideon Weil, the famous director of the American School of Archeology in Jerusalem. As part of their survey, they roam the beautiful, silent desert where the indelible presence of Lawrence of Arabia still lingers, and where the ancient Nabateans once ruled an empire from their capital in Petra. But soon Lily and Gideon are stranded in the Wadi Rum, and their Bedouin guide is murdered. Could Gideon be guilty of the crime?
Then the pair learn that two oil pipelines run from Iraq through the desert to ports on the one through Trans-Jordan supplying the Allies, the other through Syria supplying the Nazis. Syrians and Vichy French are raiding across the border, threatening to destroy the Trans-Jordan pipeline. Lily and Gideon's real mission is to help safeguard the pipeline and to prevent oil from reaching the Nazis. At the same time, Lily uncovers a Nazi plot to kidnap and kill the eight-year-old King Faisal of Iraq.
Can Lily and Gideon clear Gideon's name, protect the Trans-Jordan pipeline, sabotage the Syrian line, and rescue Faisal to prevent the Nazi takeover of Iraq?
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2010
About the author
Aileen G. Baron
8 books2 followersAileen Garsson Baron is retired from a distinguished career as professor of archaeology, where her research took her to many parts of the world, and numerous seasons of fieldwork in the Middle East. She taught for twenty years in the Departmant of Anthropology at California State University, Fullerton. Her many years of archaeological fieldwork in the Middle East include a year at the American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem as an NEH scholar, and director of the overseas campus of the California State Universities at the Hebrew University.
She began writng mysteries after her retirement from CSUF. Her first two mysteries, A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes, and The Torch of Tangier, feature an American archaeologist, Lily Sampson, working in the Middle East in the 1930's and 40's. Her latest Mystery, The Gold of Thrace, a stand-alone, is a tale of danger and deceit in the antiquities trade.
She began writng mysteries after her retirement from CSUF. Her first two mysteries, A Fly Has a Hundred Eyes, and The Torch of Tangier, feature an American archaeologist, Lily Sampson, working in the Middle East in the 1930's and 40's. Her latest Mystery, The Gold of Thrace, a stand-alone, is a tale of danger and deceit in the antiquities trade.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 16, 2019
Enjoyable, particularly because of its setting and historical background.
December 12, 2018
In this 3rd outing, archaeologist Lily Sampson aids in the WWII war effort in the Middle East by attempting to blow up the Axis' oil pipeline, while at the same time attempting to rescue child King Faisal II from a kidnapping. The author again includes a wealth of information about the region, time, and history, unfortunately at the expense of the story line.
August 18, 2019
A very short book set in the Middle East in 1943 during WWII. The main character is Lilly Sampson who is an archaeologist. The book was a very quick easy read.
February 26, 2011
Third in the Lily Sampson series, The Scorpion's Bite is another archaeological thriller written by Aileen G. Baron. As in Baron's novel, The Torch of Tangier, Lily is the archaeologist who is purposely placed by the OSS in the Middle East during World War II to do more than dig around ruins.
Lily's job is to perform an archaeological survey of Trans-Jordan amid assassination plots and battles over oil. Behind the scenes, Lily and her associate, Gideon Weil, are called upon to protect the Trans-Jordan pipeline and sabotage the pipeline that ran through Syria and delivered oil to the Axis.
As if those tasks weren't enough to keep them busy, they're also directed to prevent the assassination of King Faisal, the eight-year old King of Iraq. The Scorpion's Bite takes a piece of history and turns it in to a spellbinding novel based on real events.
The Scorpion's Bite takes place in the turbulent year of 1943, when the world is very much engaged in war. The place is the eerie and vast Trans-Jordanian desert - where Lawrence of Arabia once roamed and ruins are left behind from an empire once ruled by the ancient Nabateans.
Lily and her archaeologist associate, Gideon Weil, become stranded deep within the Wadi Rum when their Bedouin guide is suddenly and mysteriously murdered. Their plight becomes even more complicated when Weil is accused of the murder and Lily must struggle to clear his name.
When Baron began the research for the third book in her series, she found that there had been two oil pipelines during World War II that supplied the Allies with much needed oil. This pipeline ran through Haifa - the other pipeline directed oil to the Axis and went through Tripoli.
Baron also found that there was a real Axis plot to kill the young King of Iraq so that they could easily take over the oil fields while the area was in turmoil. Another historical truth in The Scorpion's Bite is that there was an archaeologist named Nelson Glueck who performed an archaeological survey for the OSS.
Aileen G. Baron actually completed the Negev Survey that Glueck had begun for her dissertation and modeled her character, Gideon Weil, after this legendary archeologist. Glueck was once featured on the cover of Time Magazine for his incredible and event-changing work in the Middle East.
The Scorpion's Bite is based on real and historical events. Aileen G. Baron is a former archeologist and professor who knows her stuff and has taken great pains to research places and events in her book to make sure they're true and accurate.
Review by Lauren Smith
This review covers The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Baron.
Article Source: History Buffs and Suspense Aficionados Will Love The Scorpion's Bite
Lily's job is to perform an archaeological survey of Trans-Jordan amid assassination plots and battles over oil. Behind the scenes, Lily and her associate, Gideon Weil, are called upon to protect the Trans-Jordan pipeline and sabotage the pipeline that ran through Syria and delivered oil to the Axis.
As if those tasks weren't enough to keep them busy, they're also directed to prevent the assassination of King Faisal, the eight-year old King of Iraq. The Scorpion's Bite takes a piece of history and turns it in to a spellbinding novel based on real events.
The Scorpion's Bite takes place in the turbulent year of 1943, when the world is very much engaged in war. The place is the eerie and vast Trans-Jordanian desert - where Lawrence of Arabia once roamed and ruins are left behind from an empire once ruled by the ancient Nabateans.
Lily and her archaeologist associate, Gideon Weil, become stranded deep within the Wadi Rum when their Bedouin guide is suddenly and mysteriously murdered. Their plight becomes even more complicated when Weil is accused of the murder and Lily must struggle to clear his name.
When Baron began the research for the third book in her series, she found that there had been two oil pipelines during World War II that supplied the Allies with much needed oil. This pipeline ran through Haifa - the other pipeline directed oil to the Axis and went through Tripoli.
Baron also found that there was a real Axis plot to kill the young King of Iraq so that they could easily take over the oil fields while the area was in turmoil. Another historical truth in The Scorpion's Bite is that there was an archaeologist named Nelson Glueck who performed an archaeological survey for the OSS.
Aileen G. Baron actually completed the Negev Survey that Glueck had begun for her dissertation and modeled her character, Gideon Weil, after this legendary archeologist. Glueck was once featured on the cover of Time Magazine for his incredible and event-changing work in the Middle East.
The Scorpion's Bite is based on real and historical events. Aileen G. Baron is a former archeologist and professor who knows her stuff and has taken great pains to research places and events in her book to make sure they're true and accurate.
Review by Lauren Smith
This review covers The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Baron.
Article Source: History Buffs and Suspense Aficionados Will Love The Scorpion's Bite
November 7, 2010
The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Baron is the third book in a series about Lily Sampson, an archaeologist and intelligence agent in the Trans-Jordan desert during World War II. When her Bedouin guide is murdered and her traveling companion accused of the crime she doesn't know who to trust or where to turn. Shortly after that she learns that her real mission is to protect the Trans-Jordan oil pipeline from being destroyed by the Nazis and simultaneously trying to destroy the oil pipeline supplying the Nazis. Sound confusing? Now add a plot to kill the 8 yr old king of Iraq and you can't keep anything straight.
There were just too many plots, murders, double agents, and betrayals for me to keep track of in this short mystery. I listened to it on audio and that probably didn't help. Still, I got so lost as to who was on what side that the book didn't make much sense to me in the end. I did like the characters. Lily in particular seems to be an appealing mix of strong and savvy, but still feminine and emotional. The landscape is beautifully described and I loved the few archaeological parts. I had not read the first books in the series, so maybe I will go back and start at the beginning.
Again, I listened to this book on audio. It may be that it is just too densely packed with action to listen to without losing some of the detail. Kirsten Potter reads the book. Its hard to accurately critique her reading given how I felt about the book, but I thought she did a good job of bringing Lily's character out.
There were just too many plots, murders, double agents, and betrayals for me to keep track of in this short mystery. I listened to it on audio and that probably didn't help. Still, I got so lost as to who was on what side that the book didn't make much sense to me in the end. I did like the characters. Lily in particular seems to be an appealing mix of strong and savvy, but still feminine and emotional. The landscape is beautifully described and I loved the few archaeological parts. I had not read the first books in the series, so maybe I will go back and start at the beginning.
Again, I listened to this book on audio. It may be that it is just too densely packed with action to listen to without losing some of the detail. Kirsten Potter reads the book. Its hard to accurately critique her reading given how I felt about the book, but I thought she did a good job of bringing Lily's character out.
May 13, 2010
From my blog...
A beautifully descriptive and mysterious novel, The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Barron is a definite page-turner. WWII is waging on when two archeologists, Gideon Weil and Lily Samson, along with photographer Klaus Steiner set out on an archeological mission from the OSS to survey Trans-Jordan, or so they are lead to believe. Then one morning their Bedouin guide, Qasim ibn Achmad disappears, later to be found murdered and even though Gideon has an airtight alibi, he is arrested. Lily is sheltered and lead through the Nabtean lands by various kind Bedouins to Petra where she is to meet with Colonel John Glubb and learn of her next directive. Gideon, Klaus and Lily are in for more than they bargained for and their very lives may be at stake and the killers have followed them to Azraq but to say more would give the entire novel away. Dr. Barren writes a compelling historical mystery with such extraordinary detail one feels as though one is beside Lily in the desert. The characters, good and evil, are wonderfully detailed, portrayed and realistic in a plot that will keep the reader thoroughly engaged until the last word is read. I highly recommend The Scorpion's Bite to anyone who is interested in history, WWII, archeology, or merely intrigued by an excellent mystery novel.
A beautifully descriptive and mysterious novel, The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Barron is a definite page-turner. WWII is waging on when two archeologists, Gideon Weil and Lily Samson, along with photographer Klaus Steiner set out on an archeological mission from the OSS to survey Trans-Jordan, or so they are lead to believe. Then one morning their Bedouin guide, Qasim ibn Achmad disappears, later to be found murdered and even though Gideon has an airtight alibi, he is arrested. Lily is sheltered and lead through the Nabtean lands by various kind Bedouins to Petra where she is to meet with Colonel John Glubb and learn of her next directive. Gideon, Klaus and Lily are in for more than they bargained for and their very lives may be at stake and the killers have followed them to Azraq but to say more would give the entire novel away. Dr. Barren writes a compelling historical mystery with such extraordinary detail one feels as though one is beside Lily in the desert. The characters, good and evil, are wonderfully detailed, portrayed and realistic in a plot that will keep the reader thoroughly engaged until the last word is read. I highly recommend The Scorpion's Bite to anyone who is interested in history, WWII, archeology, or merely intrigued by an excellent mystery novel.
January 10, 2012
From My Blog...[return]A beautifully descriptive and mysterious novel, The Scorpion's Bite by Aileen G. Barron is a definite page-turner. WWII is waging on when two archeologists, Gideon Weil and Lily Samson, along with photographer Klaus Steiner set out on an archeological mission from the OSS to survey Trans-Jordan, or so they are lead to believe. Then one morning their Bedouin guide, Qasim ibn Achmad disappears, later to be found murdered and even though Gideon has an airtight alibi, he is arrested. Lily is sheltered and lead through the Nabtean lands by various kind Bedouins to Petra where she is to meet with Colonel John Glubb and learn of her next directive. Gideon, Klaus and Lily are in for more than they bargained for and their very lives may be at stake and the killers have followed them to Azraq but to say more would give the entire novel away. Dr. Barren writes a compelling historical mystery with such extraordinary detail one feels as though one is beside Lily in the desert. The characters, good and evil, are wonderfully detailed, portrayed and realistic in a plot that will keep the reader thoroughly engaged until the last word is read. I highly recommend The Scorpion's Bite to anyone who is interested in history, WWII, archeology, or merely intrigued by an excellent mystery novel.
January 23, 2011
Because “archaeologists can go anywhere without raising suspicion,” in this third Lily Sampson mystery, The Scorpion's Bite, Lily and Gideon Weil are sent to do an archaeological survey of the Trans-Jordan by the OSS in 1943. But the true mission, involving oil pipelines that supply Axis and Allied forces, gradually becomes clear. Along the way, allegiances are revealed, and blood is repeatedly spilled, beginning with that of their first Bedouin guide, a murder for which Gideon is blamed and made to undergo an ancient ordeal to determine guilt or innocence. As their survey group joins the British officer known as Glubb Pasha, danger increases, and a threat to Lily eventually turns deadly. Yet despite sexist attitudes about her worth in wartime, Lily, who would fetch a good price as a Bedouin bride, proves intrepid. Retired archaeology professor Baron stays true to history and weaves vivid descriptions of ancient sites into the narrative. The sometimes clunky plot gets in the way a bit, but the wealth of action and fascinating setting—a less-explored WWII theater—help make up for it. --Michele Leber
May 1, 2011
After reading some of the reviews from others who have read this book, I can understand how they thought it was confusing. It did have a lot of technical terms and was about a culture that most of us do not understand. However, I did not let that keep me from enjoying the story. Even with all the technical jargon, I found the book very enjoyable. In America, we are used to what we experience on a daily basis, and that is a means of comfort to us. Reading books like this one remind us that we are not the only culture in the universe, and that there is a different world out there than the one we know. I found myself applauding Lily Sampson as she searched to find truth and meaning throughout the story. As a woman archaeologist in a land full of men who typically don't view women as being able to have so much freedom, Lily sought to prove that she could do whatever a man could do. It was this motivation that helped to keep her alive during her many struggles throughout the book. This was very well-written, and I hope the technical language and culture shock doesn't dissuade people from reading an incredible book.
September 7, 2014
It is 1943 and the world is at war. Archaeologist Lily Sampson has been sent to Trans-Jordan, by the OSS, along with Gideon Weil, the famous director of the American School of Archeology in Jerusalem. As part of their survey, they roam the beautiful, silent, Trans-Jordanian desert where the indelible presence of Lawrence of Arabia is still lingers, and where the ancient Nabateans once ruled an empire from their capital in Petra. Soon Lily and Gideon are stranded in the Wadi Rum, and their Bedouin guide is murdered. When Gideon is accused of the crime, Lily must clear him of the accusation.
I enjoyed this book having lived in Saudi Arabia for 4 years. The story could have been much richer. I felt like someone had a gun to the author's head for deadline and the story was more of a geographical description than novel.
I enjoyed this book having lived in Saudi Arabia for 4 years. The story could have been much richer. I felt like someone had a gun to the author's head for deadline and the story was more of a geographical description than novel.
March 16, 2011
The books time period is 1943 and the story takes place in the Middle East. While on a pretense of being on an archeological dig, Lily and Gideon's guide is murdered and Gideon is thought to be the killer. The location names and peoples names were distracting to me in this book. It is a short book but the storyline wasn't all that interesting.
February 4, 2012
There was quite a bit of what seemed to be aimless wandering in the desert before the plot of the book was revealed.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews