Prolific authors Bodie and Brock Thoene have earned a loyal readership for their fictional sagas of Jerusalem's stormy history. In The Jerusalem Scrolls, the fourth book in the Zion Legacy series, the husband-and-wife team surprise readers with a new spin, creating a story within a story and swapping time periods. It's 1948 when the tale opens, and flames are engulfing the Jewish Quarter. The battle for Old City Jerusalem is lost. Moshe Sachar and Alfie Halder escape the chaos through a secret passageway that leads to a cavernous, subterranean library, where the most sacred Jewish texts lie safely hidden. As Moshe prepares for their long confinement, he finds a tightly rolled papyrus scroll inscribed with the names Miryam and Marcus. He reads, and the scene shifts to the first century A.D., where a love story unfolds. Faithful fans of the series may have to stretch a bit to make the transition from following characters they've come appreciate to enjoying this diversion to a biblical epic. But the Thoenes have the skill to pull it off. Their ability to craft a historical novel and their careful attention to detail and description have resulted in sales of 6 million copies of their books in print, and eight Gold Medallion awards. --Cindy Crosby

Genre: Mystery