Judas

From Australia to the shores of the Dead Sea, "Judas" follows a tale of treachery, betrayal and murder. As people die in Amsterdam, London and Israel, Negus, a writer about religious artefacts becomes involved in the hunt for the truth about the killings, and the search for priceless diaries alledged to be written by Judas in Biblical times.

They claim to witness the birth and death of Jesus Christ.

Over Christmas people associated with the diaries die violently in ways described by Negus in the thesis he wrote for his doctorate, which involve the torture and execution practices of religions throughout the ages.

The settings include a former Viet Cong interrogation centre, a disused warehouse in London, Lincoln Cathedral and the mysterious Eingedi in the Wilderness of Judea.

"Judas" is a highly controversial thriller, not least for the biblical content where Negus attempts to show that not everything in the Christian Bible is necessarily as true as believers insist, but in itself is woven from a web of historical intrigue and political manipulation.

This is particularly so of the Gospels, with Negus outlining the way they were determined in the 4th century AD, and offering conflicting theories about their truth, including the story of the Magi which is central to the book.

"Judas" is graphic in its violence but equally has an undercurrent of romance as a young police woman working on the case begins to believe in Negus' innocence.