Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley

Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley tells the story of Tiamat, the daughter of King Nebuchadnezzar during his seven years of madness.  Princess Tia has anything she could ever hope for: she is rich and has luxuries coming out her ears.  Her husband has just recently died, and she revels in her newfound freedom.  She runs wild in the palace, driving her mother crazy with her “silly, childish exploits.”  Fed up, her mother, the queen, plans to wed her to another prince, which Tiamat despises.  But all is not well in the palace.  A body turns up one day in the Hanging Gardens where her mad father lurks, and Tia is determined to find the killer.  However, in her quest to find truth and answers for herself, she ends up learning a greater Truth than she could ever have imagined.  It takes the help of her family, the king’s friend Daniel, and her late husband’s brother Pedaiah for Tiamat to make the ultimate decision that will result in risking everything she’s ever known for Yahweh, the One True God.


I picked up this book because I am practically in love with historical fiction, especially when it tells of ancient cultures.  I didn’t get around to reading it for a while, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.  It took me only the weekend to finish it.  The story moved along at a frantic pace, and the characters developed so much from the beginning to the end.  However, my favorite part about it was that the author did a splendid job of weaving multiple plot lines together without losing the reader.  I was gripping my seat in anticipation of the resolution, and it was well worth the wait.  I found myself disappointed the story was over, but pleased with the conclusion.  I would recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction, mystery, romance (yes, there was a touch of this), or anyone who just loves a good story.  I definitely look forward to reading future novels from this author, and will hopefully enjoy them as much as I did this first one.


Thanks to Booksneeze.com for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for a review.