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Book Review of Dark Passage

Dark Passage
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Dark Passage

by Junius Podrug

"Marie started at the offending hand cupped around her breast more with stunned curiosity than shock..."

When a pair of freelance terrorists slips through a hole in time that leads to the Israel of the Roman Empire, three uniquely qualified individuals follow them to prevent them from interfering with the most significant event in Western civilization-the Crucifixion. The author of Frost of Heaven and Presumed Guilty spins a fast-paced, action-filled tale of time travel and suspense that ranges from a research laboratory in New Mexico to the court of Queen Salome. Appealing characters and faithful attention to the period make this a good choice for most libraries.


What if Islamic assassins from the present were somehow able to go back in time to Galilee circa A.D. 30 and target Jesus for termination? Podrug takes this melodramatic premise and runs with it in this gripping adventure yarn that melds elements of science fiction with the big-screen biblical epics of the 1950s. Three unlikely but resourceful characters--an action-film star, an ex-nun who ministers to prostitutes, and an Israeli engineer-convict--are sent back in time in a desperate attempt to foil the terrorists' plan to change history. The historical details are fascinating--filled with enough sword fights, chariot races, and orgies to make Cecil B. DeMille proud. The one-dimensional modern-day terrorists pale in comparison to the real villain, the wickedly salacious Queen Salome, who pops up now and then to seduce a centurion or torture an unfortunate prisoner. The provocative ending may offend some of the fundamentalist folk, but adventure, alternate-history, and historical fiction fans should find this an enjoyable read