Thirty Pieces of Silver

Carolyn McCray

“In the garden, I was playing the tart. I kissed your lips and broke your heart.” – U2, Until the End of the World

What if the bones of Christ were found, and could prove, once and for all, if the story of the  resurrection were true?  What if a tight-knit, secret sect were focused solely on keeping said bones hidden, regardless of the cost? Carolyn McCray takes this premise and runs with it. The reader is off on a non-stop adventure, following a team of scientists and military special ops agents as they race against time and the protectors of the bones (and all their secrets) to determine if Christ did exist.  I could see the action happening in my head, page after page. And while some of the plot may seem fantastical and downright impossible, well, to that I say, who hasn’t enjoyed a blockbuster thrilling movie with heroic feats that left their heart pounding and them cheering for the hero/heroine? Because that’s what this book does, draws the reader in from page 1, and with a fabulous plot twist, leaves you wondering “what if?…”

While the story is set in modern times, it is also told in part from the perspective of Judas and his relationship with Jesus leading up to the crucifixion, which I really liked because I’ve always considered Judas to be a bit of a hero in the crucifixion history. If you believe in christian doctrine, acceptance of the resurrection is fundamental to belief. And whether this is a literal or metaphorical resurrection, it would not have happened without death. The crucifixion.  And Judas was the catalyst for that crucifixion, turning Jesus over to the soldiers for thirty pieces of silver.  That’s always fascinated me.  Judas, one of Jesus’ intimate twelve, yet he betrayed Jesus for money. And he’s been demonized for it ever since, despite the whole metaphor of being “reborn in christ” falling apart with out a death and “rebirth” legend to accompany it. Without Judas, the story of christianity couldn’t move forward.  I really liked seeing McCray’s perception of Judas’ role in this whole saga.  It’s this part of the story that leads to the plot twist at the end that really gave the whole book a new and interesting angle.

I’m looking forward to reading more of Carolyn McCray.

You can find Thirty Pieces of Silver here.