I, Saul
Unassuming young seminary professor Augie Knox finds himself drawn into a frantic race to rescue a friend in Rome who has supposedly discovered the archeological find of the century. Antiquities thieves conspire to steal the treasure through trickery or violence. Channeling Indiana Jones but sans creepy critters, Augie must sift through motives and lies as ancient as the manuscript discovered in the caves beneath the Eternal City. Will the memoir of Paul the Apostle prove genuine, or is Augie risking his life for a fraud? More than anything, this suspenseful tale proves the storytelling mastery of Jenkins (Left Behind series). He and MacDonald intertwine Augie's modern race against time with Paul's measured 1st-century journey from prison to executioner's block. Two strengths emerge from this setup: first, by alternating between modern and historical scenes, the authors balance out the frenetic pace of one with the quiet stillness of the other, all the while ratcheting up tension. Second, Paul's "memoir" paints a vivid, plausible picture of his early years and conversion. While this work won't create the frenzy of a real biblical memoir, it does offer an entertaining and ultimately uplifting experience. Agency: Alive Communications. (Sept.)