Every Christian has heard of the Good Thief... this is his story
Contact: Barry Connolly, 203-748-1033, barry.connolly@yahoo.com
BETHEL, Conn., Aug. 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- It is one of the most compassionate scenes in the New Testament. In his final agony on the cross, Jesus promises paradise to Dismas, the "Good Thief." Who was Dismas, and what events led him to Golgotha that fateful day?
In his novel, "The Good Thief," author Barry Connolly weaves a powerful and exciting story of love, loss, revenge and redemption. Set in the tumultuous weeks leading up to Christ's passion and crucifixion, "The Good Thief" follows the life of Dismas, a young Jewish man, whose peaceful world is suddenly and violently turned upside down.
Returning home to announce his engagement, Dismas finds the family vineyard in flames and his brother and sister dead at the hands of an arrogant Roman tribune. Dismas becomes obsessed with finding and punishing the tribune. Against the advice of his fiancée and others who love him, Dismas embarks on a dangerous quest that takes him from the shadowy back alleys of Jerusalem to a thieves' lair in the remote mountains of Judea and finally to a fateful confrontation with the man he has sworn to kill.
"Traditionally, many have seen the Good Thief as simply a hardened criminal who had the grace and good fortune to be granted a last-minute pardon," Connolly said. "I was inspired to take a different approach, to see his story as richer and more complex -- a good man confronted with overwhelming tragedy, engaged in a painful struggle between faith and love, and pride and revenge. It's a story as relevant today as it would have been 2,000 years ago."
"The Good Thief" by Barry Connolly, (308 pages; ISBN: 978-1-4502-3287-6) is published by iUniverse, based in Bloomington, Indiana. "The Good Thief" is available at iUniverse.com; Amazon.com; BarnesandNoble.com, and other online and local booksellers. (Ed. Note: A JPEG of the cover is available at www.amazon.com/Good-Thief-Barry-Connolly/dp/1450232876/)
The author is a member of St. Mary R.C. Church, Bethel, CT.
