Miriamne the Magdala – (The First Chapter in the Yeshua and Miri Novel Series)

HISTORICAL:  Yeshua knows his destiny is bigger than himself, but wants Miri to be a part of that destiny from the moment he sets eyes on her in the marketplace. His father, Joseph, is very ill and Miri’s mother, Salome, promises to get her husband to help him, and hopefully to find a cure for him. For this, Yeshua’s mother Mary is forever grateful. When everyone travels to Nazareth to come for Joseph, tragedy happens and Yeshua is cast out of the town forever.

A work of historical fiction, "Mariamne the Magdala" is well-researched and obviously a work from the heart of author J.B. Richards. She tells of those lost years in the life of Jesus, starting when he is fourteen. There are however, inconsistencies that take away from the story. Laz is said to have a lisp, but it appears he only has said lisp some of the time. Mara has the same problem. There is also far too much detail. The story starts getting bogged down in the details so that the storyline itself is almost lost. Incorrect word tenses are used, sometimes words are missing in sentences or they have extra words - all things another edit could catch. The story is interesting and captures the reader’s attention. This piece is rich with well-developed characters that pique one’s interest. This is the first in a series of books and is a good story for young and old alike.

Belinda Wilson