Yes, so what did happen to Pontius Pilate? I think that was one of the questions rattling around in my head when I set about writing, ‘The Senator’s Assignment’. The bible gives us a fairly accurate account of what was taking place in Jerusalem through records kept by the disciples, but the people that wrote it were Jews under Roman occupation and their letters, stories and writings centred around the Christian message. Their main objective was to point to Jesus, to invite, challenge, rebuke, encourage and comfort. The Romans and their political pressures played a relatively small part as far as the scriptures are concerned.

When Jesus arrived on the scene, Rome was the most powerful state in the world.
Rome ruled with an iron fist and with cruelty, but it wasn’t all bad. The Romans built roads, introduced technology and brought a more civilised way of living to the lands they conquered – as long as the sovereignty of Rome and the divinity of their emperors was acknowledged. Tough one, especially for the Jews.

‘The Senator’s Assignment’ is the story of Senator Vivius Marcianus who is sent by the Emperor Tiberius to Jerusalem to investigate the cruel and corrupt practices of Pontius Pilate. But Vivius finds his assignment obstructed by Jewish Zealots and unexpected and disturbing flashbacks from his childhood. The intelligent and resourceful Vivius finds he needs to use all his strengths if he is to survive the calculating Pontius Pilate, his conniving and seductive wife, Claudia and his ever deepening and dangerous mission.

Into this story comes Aurelia, who is left in Rome feeling like a woman of no consequence when Vivius postpones their marriage then leaves Jerusalem with barely a word of explanation. Through no fault of her own she finds herself thrust into the political intrigues of Rome and a world dominated by men.
This tense historical thriller is due to be launched by John Hunt Publishing on 26th October.

I’m so excited and I’m even more delighted that the reviews have been pretty good so far. You’ll find the book on Amazon and your local book store in the coming days. Do buy a copy.

I’ll let you know how it goes.