Man at the Cross Road

by Jeanne Blanchet

First published 2016

Amazon

3.8(8)

Marcus Casca commands the Roman detail responsible for crucifying Jesus and returns to Rome carrying memories he cannot suppress. Unable to adjust to civilian life, he descends into violence, theft and exploitation until illness leaves him dependent on a Jewish Christian household. Through them he encounters Peter, Paul and the small communities spreading the teachings of the man whose death continues to haunt him.

Convinced that the believers may be dangerous, Marcus becomes an informer and enters their meetings to gather evidence for Roman authorities. Their practices initially appear to him as sorcery, cannibalism and political subversion, yet their treatment of him begins to undermine his certainty. When money for life-saving treatment is offered in exchange for betraying the group, he must choose between self-preservation and allegiance to people who would recoil from the truth about his past.