Bathsheba: Reluctant Beauty

Prolific novelist Hunt (Esther) adds the biblical story of Bathsheba to her Dangerous Beauty series. Bathsheba is happily married to Uriah, who is off on a military campaign when her rooftop bath catches the eye of the virile and determined King David. Those familiar with the story know that David arranges to have Uriah, his loyal soldier, killed, so David can escape the stain of adultery and quickly marry the pregnant widow. Hunt brings all this to life in a tale that alternates between the viewpoints of Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet, who acts as the king’s conscience. Hunt sticks to the biblical narrative and doesn’t attempt to resolve all the contradictions in David’s character; she is tethered to a proto-Gothic story of one mightily dysfunctional royal family. The target female audience may be troubled by Bathsheba’s tendency to blame herself for David’s predation. On the whole, Bathsheba is more fully realized than the storied hero-king of Israel, and to Hunt’s credit she makes a familiar story a page-turner. Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates. (Sept.)