I, Saul
(Worthy Publishing) is the latest masterpiece from the
brilliant mind of Jerry B. Jenkins written with James S. MacDonald. It is, in
fact, two epic stories in one, both centered around a manuscript, said to be
written in the apostle Paul’s own hand. The manuscript is really a memoir about how Paul, a Pharisee who pushed the Sanhedrin to stomp out the Jesus
movement, later converted and preached the gospel everywhere he could.
Half
the story takes place in modern day, when a tour guide becomes tangled in a
dangerous situation. While shoring up the walls of the ancient dungeon which
once housed the apostle Paul, a worker uncovers a package wrapped in “primitive
burlap.” The site is shut down while waiting until authorities can arrive the
following morning.
Before
the Art Squad gets there, the package is stolen, revealed to be St. Paul’s
memoir, and becomes the most valuable and sought after archeological find in
history.
Jenkins
introduces a modern-day Indiana Jones type character whose friend, the tour
guide, pulls him into a global search for the ancient parchments. The
present-day and first century stories, both with life and death elements laced
with romance, are layered in alternating chapters, keeping the reader wondering
what will happen next.
The
part of the novel chronicling the time Luke spends visiting Paul in prison
while awaiting execution reveals inhumane, heartless, and merciless conditions.
Paul is kept in the dark and fed only gruel twice a day. The days were stifling,
the nights freezing as Paul tried to sleep on a stone slab.
Paul
had only two requests of Luke: “Keep me alive until my execution” and aid in
his work on the precious parchments, the memoirs he hoped would be shared with
the brethren after he was gone.
This
book is, in a word, excellent! The dual story lines are gripping. There is
history, murder, romance, intrigue, and mystery included within the pages of I, Saul. What’s not to love? Look for
the follow up, I, Paul, to be released by Christmas 2014.
Click
HERE to read the description of I, Saul and to purchase!
Reviewed by Deborah Ponceti