Malachi's Child

The holy land of Herod I, the Great

is a time of religious zealotry and turmoil; a time of brutality, of incest, and of superstition. Into this mix comes Mary, daughter of Rebekah, whose beauty and power of healing gives her unwanted power over all who come under her influence.

When her cousin Elisabeth is sold into marriage and her mother killed by the High Priest, Marys loneliness drives her to seek forbidden love. Soon she is with child, but her lover dies and she is alone again with a secret she cannot tell. Herod steals Mary to his bedside. She must heal him. If he dies she will be blamed, but if he lives, she will fall victim to his lust. Joseph rescues her.

When the king discovers that Mary is gone, he rages and offers a fortune for her return. The hunted pair fall exhausted into a lonely cave near Bethlehem where Mary starts premature labor. Can Elisabeth, who rushes to Marys side, save the dying girl and her child?

Malachis Child is a startling and provocative alternative to the traditional story of Mary and the birth of Jesus.