Living off thievery and evading the Roman authorities, Dismas is a man who looks out only for himself. But when a sudden misfortune leaves him stranded in a small village on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Dismas has an opportunity to leave his fugitive existence behind. As a hired hand on a fishing boat, Dismas finds pleasure in work for time, and peace out on the sea. It’s an honest life—and … life—and he may have even found a woman to share it with. But then tragedy strikes, and Dismas sets out on the road again to seek a man he’s been told is capable of miracles. However, being touched by the divine grace of this man cannot save Dismas from the Roman authorities if they finally catch up with him for his past misdeeds. As Passover approaches, Romans and Jews alike converge on the chaotic city of Jerusalem, where Dismas navigates trials of persecution, conspiracy, and murder that ultimately lead him to be an eyewitness to the most pivotal moment in human history. With vividly imagined depictions of familiar events from the New Testament, Redemption at the Eleventh Hour is the exciting and heart-wrenching tale of one man’s difficult journey towards salvation.
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The Thief Who Personally Encounters Jesus
Redemption at the Eleventh Hour is a historical fiction by Andrew Crown. Set during Roman Empire’s rule over the Jews in Israel, the story revolves around the life journey of Dismas.
Dismas is a 30-year-old man who works at an olive grove in Thella. He runs away from his cruel employer and intends to flee to Jerusalem. But, before leaving, he steals some of his master’s money and one of his horses. He leaves in haste as he is afraid the Roman soldiers might come for him. Unfortunately, his mount dies of exhaustion and frailty. Thus, Dismas is compelled to continue his journey on foot.
Eventually, for some reasons, he finds himself in a fishing village near the Sea of Galilee. He stays in the house of Asher, a fisherman. Asher lives with his daughter Leah. To compensate for his accommodation, Dismas helps Asher catch fish. Life for these characters is simple and peaceful. Until something remarkable happens that eventually shapes Dismas’ life. He meets Jesus.
Life in Jerusalem
After his brief meeting with the Messiah, Dismas needs to run for his life once again. He heads to Jerusalem, the land of his birth, and intends to find his long-lost brother there. Will he eventually find him in the place with so many people? Jerusalem is no longer the same since he left decades ago. Besides, Dismas has to deal with other challenges here. And, for the second time, Dismas meets Jesus again. Find out what has become of Dismas’ life after this. Will he understand the meaning of these words,
“People who have done terrible deeds can still receive redemption at the eleventh hour” ?
Read Andrew Crown’s Redemption at the Eleventh Hour and unravel the mystery that surrounds Dismas’ life.
The Book and the Author
The story in Redemption at the Eleventh Hour is close to reality. It brings readers to a certain perspective neither mentioned in history nor in the Bible. Thus, leading one to entertain the idea that these events might have actually happened during the time of Jesus.
Meanwhile, Andrew Crown does superb work in this book. Had he not mentioned that this book is fiction, the reader might have believed it’s a true story. What I like the most in the book is Dismas’ struggles in life. I prefer not to disclose the details about this part to avoid spoilers, though. But, I can say that the author shows his adeptness at developing his major character well. It’s realistic, any living person can relate to it.
The Technical Side of the Book
Crown closes Redemption at the Eleventh Hour well. No loose end is left hanging. However, I found at least 13 typographical and grammatical errors in the book. Although they are not a major disruption to the whole story. But, I still suggest Crown submit this book for another round of proofreading and editing before he attempts to reproduce more copies. I’m confident Redemption at the Eleventh Hour will get more patrons through the word of mouth from those who read it.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I could not give a perfect rating for the errors I found. Nevertheless, I highly recommend Redemption at the Eleventh Hour to all age groups, except the young children.
The above review also appears in Goodreads.
Also, a similar review is posted at The Catalyst
Redemption at the
Eleventh Hour from Andrew CrownIs a great Christian story set around the time of Jesus’ Crucifixion, it is a novel full of biblical principles. The book is about a thief who meets the beautiful young woman Lea on Lake Galilee. Lea takes Dismas to her father. Dismas is offered a job as a fisherman and stays with Lea and her father. The Romans don’t make it easy for the Jews and Dismasis also fears that they will arrest him. Lea becomes very sick and in the village they have heard about Jesus of Nazareth who can do miracles and make people well. Dimas goes looking for Jesus at the request of Lea’s father. Dismas is touched by Jesus’ words. It is a well written story where many things happen and bible quotes are quoted. It lets you take a look behind the scenes at the Romans and the side of the other people involved in the crossing. All in all, a very nice book to read. Could hardly put it down either
Such a depressing story. I hesitated to select a novel with a biblical setting because so many Christian authors “preach” to the reader. Kudos (and plus one star) to Mr. Crown for not doing that.
I did not recognize the main character’s name, and therefore did not know whose story I was reading. It wasn’t until the end — when Pontius Pilote enters the tale — that things began to sour for me. The last two chapters ruined the entire story, and I would have liked to see a different resolution for Bricius.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. A thief escaping the roman guards, Dismas is on his own, until he goes to work in galilee as Fisherman. He feel safe enough to try to find love, but then she becomes ill and he must try to find the only man who can save her. The story that then unfold is one of fear, faith, love and death. This book describes a wonderful twist on the events in the bible surrounding the crucifixion.