The Thief by Stephanie Landsem

Book Description:
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?

Nissa is a Jewish woman with a sharp tongue and no hope of marriage. Abandoned by the God she once loved, her only recourse is to depend upon Mouse, the best thief in Jerusalem, to keep her blind brother, Cedron, fed and the landlord satisfied. 

Longinus is a Roman centurion haunted by death and failure and is desperate to escape the accursed Judean province. Accepting a wager that will get him away from the aggravating Jews and their threats of revolt, he sets out to catch the thieves harassing the marketplace. 

When a controversial teacher miraculously heals Cedron, Nissa hopes for freedom from her life of lies. But the supposed miracle brings only more misfortune, and Longinus, seeking to learn more about the mysterious healer, finds himself drawn instead to Nissa, whose secret will determine the course of both their futures. 

Cedron, Longinus, and Nissa are unexpectedly caught up in the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus. As danger closes in on them from every side, they must decide if the love and redemption Jesus offers is true or just another false promise. How can the so-called Messiah save them from their shackles, when he cannot even save himself?

My Thoughts:
This was good.  It was an intriguing story on the last days of Christ.  Mouse is a thief.  He looks like a poor beggar, but is truly a remarkable thief.  Nissa has been abused her whole life and the only one who truly loves her is her blind brother.  When he is healed by Jesus, the miracle brings about a chain of events where Nissa and her brother struggling.  Along with that, Longinus is determined to catch the thieves!  All of this is happening in Jesus' last days on earth and everyone has a part to play.I was completely taken in with this story.  I mean, the basics of it we know from the Bible, but the author does a wonderful job of telling a story within the story.  The characters were well written and I was drawn to them.  I thought the story line flowed smoothly and though it is a story we know, the fictional part of it was woven through the 'real' part making it all too real.  The author did a great job of making you feel the emotion of the characters and I admit, you may cry!I rate this a 4/5.  I will be looking for more from this author!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via litfuse).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.