"This captivating book of adventure is historical fiction in its most polished form. Cold-blooded murder following God's prophets, enemies made slaves, prophets dying in dungeons on bread and water, the unbelievable cruelty of frenzied hatred and uncontrolled revenge--the overwhelming mystery throughout is the failure of biblical justice. In the astonishing power of the narrative, this violent era of regicide emerges with wisdom for the ages, wisdom about peace, told with the author's brilliant intellect." --Clifford Christians, University of Illinois "This compelling narrative traces the unraveling of Israel and Judah through the eyes of kings, commanders, prophets, and queens. We see prophets speak the word of the Lord at great cost to themselves; we watch kings and queens ruthlessly pursue power. Between these two, other characters walk a road familiar to many of us--how to live in alignment with God's purposes in a world that is anything but. In walking this road with the characters, the author also has us delve into deeper questions of justice, duty, identity, and the puzzlement of following a mysterious God." --Meika S.

Weiss, community development director.