Missing

A husband and wife arrive, tired and hungry, at an inn on their way home to Nazareth. They search in vain for their son, whom they assumed to have been travelling with the group. Twelve he may be - nearly a man, but not yet - and the city of Jerusalem is no place for a youth wandering about on his own. His name is Yeshua, and he is eventually found engaged in debate with rabbis in the temple. His knowledge of scripture is formidable, and some find his questioning precocious and interesting. However, the young Rabbi Caiaphas finds the boy's views outrageous. Eventually reunited with his parents, Yeshua leaves Jerusalem to travel home. But he will return, for he is the lynchpin in the greatest spiritual revolution the world has ever known.

Missing: Three Days in Jerusalem is a refreshing and accessible account of the life of Jesus Christ, from his disappearance in Jerusalem as a boy to his earliest ministries, foreshadowing his future teachings. We meet him 21 years later, at the moment of his arrest, leading to his crucifixion, death and, on the third day, his resurrection. His companions reminisce about his miracles. Then he appears! He tells them he has been freeing souls from hell and commissions them to spread his truth. His followers have life-changing experiences as they engage in the slow but certain spreading of the 'Way', of Christianity, throughout the world.

This is not just a story about divinity: it is about ordinary people finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. The world of occupied Judea in the early years of the first century is brought dazzlingly alive, and the message is clear: the 'Way' is open to everyone, no matter their background or creed, no matter their doubts and uncertainties. Missing is a work of historical fiction that will appeal primarily to Christians, but also to spiritual seekers, who will find it a fresh approach to the Gospel story. Sonia Falaschi-Ray has taken inspiration from Susan Howatch, especially her Starbridge novels.