J. R. Lankford

The Jesus Thief (The Jesus Thief Series, Book 1) J. R. Lankford

Dubbed "great stuff" by Booklist in a starred review, translated into six languages, nominated for awards, and twice optioned for film, The Jesus Thief is a scientific-religious thriller about an attempt to clone Jesus of Nazareth. Relevant Magazine calls it "the best ride so far," in the Christ-cloning genre and John Grant, co-Editor of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, summarizes, "Wealthy Dr Felix Rossi is part of the latest team permitted by the Vatican to examine the Turin Shroud. He has plotted to snip a tiny thread from one of the apparently bloodstained areas in order to attempt to create a clone of Christ. His plans become more urgent when he discovers, just before his trip, that, while raised a Catholic, he is in fact the child of Jews who sought refuge from Nazism in the USA and adopted Catholicism ... since Jews are held responsible for Christ's death and persecuted as a result, reasons Rossi, then his restoration by a Jew might decrease the attacks .... Despite opposition, Rossi has enough money to evade pursuers ... It's all tremendous page-turning fun, and it has also some more thoughtful elements that make it -- unlike so many thrillers -- a rollercoaster ride that one actually remembers after finishing the book."