Book of Judas

In Stasi’s jaunty second religious thriller featuring New York City reporter Ali Russo (after 2013’s The Sixth Station), Russo’s friend Roy Golden entrusts her with a sealed brass tube containing a codex known as the Judas Bible. Roy’s father, who stole the tube decades earlier from a safe-deposit box at the Long Island bank where he worked, gave it to Roy on his deathbed. Originally unearthed in Egypt in the 1970s, the codex may contain the secret to raising the dead or even triggering Armageddon. Russo foolishly rushes out the relic’s story, which attracts plenty of attention, including that of Father Paulo, who asks her to bring the tube to Israel. The Catholic priest claims that he’s the only one who can open it, interpret the codex, and sell the so-called Bible for at least $10 million. Russo goes to Israel, where the action heats up with a murder and the unexpected reappearance of a major character. The plot follows predictable lines, but fans of Indiana Jones–style adventure should be satisfied. [em]Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Literary Agency. (Sept.) [/em]