When high-profile evangelist Benjamin Kuros is murdered, it is a child-like homeless man named Zeus who is charged and thrown into a Florida jail cell.  All too quickly the public turns on Zeus and bays for blood in a familiar snapshot of society today, one that all too quickly condemns the mentally disabled as dangerous and violent.

And if Zeus is a thumbnail sketch of the forgotten homeless, then Rick Bullock (ex Madison Avenue advertising man turned homeless shelter Director) represents those who work silently to support these people.  The extent of Rick’s support is limited by the nature of his work, minimum wages, lip-service support from philanthropists and his own internal battle following the death of his wife. None-the-less, Rick undertakes to go to Florida, confident of Zeus’s innocence and ready to prove it with the assistance of two of his centre’s residents in tow.

The trip is only made possible through the begrudging assistance of old friend and professional fund-raiser Doug Kool, born into money and privilege and doing all he can to make sure it stays that way.  Doug fixes Rick up with plane tickets and accommodation to get him and his cohorts to Florida, but of course there is a catch. The means for the trip will only be provided if Rick also escorts local mobster Manny Maglio’s niece, Twyla Tharp – dancer and prostitute, to an interview at Universal Studios.  It is this tight group of travellers who take us through the book, with Twyla providing most of the comic relief.

At the centre of this story, and the reason for the death of Benjamin Kuros, is a newly discovered Bible text, the titular Book of Nathan. Purporting to disclose the moment when a foetus obtains a soul it is set to escalate the debate over abortion; unfortunately the book went missing from Kuros’s murder site. Understandably the pro-life and pro-choice factions are equally keen to get their hands on it and there are people who believe that Rick is the key to finding the book.

The Book of Nathan is set up as a comedy/mystery and it stumbles slightly but doesn’t fail in this aim. The plot is well developed, the main characters likeable and certainly worth cheering for, some of the dialogue could have been tightened and in some cases shortened for sharper effect.  But at the end of the day this was an enjoyable read with enough twists to keep any mystery fan interested.

Reviewed on 12/04/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Helen Bryen

Book of Nathan
Authors:  Curt Weeden and Richard Marek
Publisher:  Oceanview Publishing
ISBN:  978-1933515-91-5

After the death of his wife, Rick Bullock leaves the pressure filled world of the advertising game and becomes the director of a homeless shelter.  Not a great salary, but a feeling of hope and healing that helps him deal with the painful loss of his beloved wife.  Things are moving along well when Zeus, a longtime shelter resident with limited mental capacity is arrested and chanrged with the brutal murder of a well known religious icon and evangelist , Benjamin Kurios. 

Rick has known Zeus, a gentle child-like giant of a man, for a long time.  He is convinced that Zeus could not possibly be the murderer.  But should he risk his own life to find out the truth?

By turns suspenseful, hilarious, heartrending and unexpected, this is a wonderful mystery.  The wide range of characters are all finely and fully drawn, with more than enough detail to keep the reader enthralled, but still withholding enough to keep you on the edge of your seat.  Ranging from Rick, a man with a mission and a heartfull of grief to a lawyer with designs on a stripper with mob ties, to a philanthropist with a special biblical book interest to assorted gunmen and a cynical fund raising executive along with Zeus and other homeless folks, I found myself really marveling at the twists and turns of this interesting novel. 

Kudos to the authors for a book that crosses all the genres and never lets the reader down.  Highly recommended!

Reviewed on 09/07/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member LAURI COATES