A Certain Man – Linda Dindzans

In the nearby tree, a pair of doves cooed a quiet evensong, lulling the setting sun and Shechem to sleep. For three days, Ruth slept with her ancestors in the family burial cave. For three days, Abram did not sleep or eat or weep. Finally, when Mara visited this morning, he took a morsel of bread. For three days, Mara had carried Abram’s grief and cast hers away. A Roman runner rushed into the courtyard. Mara’s pulse throbbed in her neck and her swallow was tight.

Johakim and Jareb came out to meet him. Mara gathered her courage and slipped behind a tree. Jareb sneered at the runner clutching his knees, gasping for breath. Johakim looked worried, whether for the man near collapse or the content of his message, she could not say. The runner took out a small parchment scroll wrapped in leather.

Jareb lunged for it and the runner moved the message behind his back. Jareb’s hand went to his sword. Johakim blocked Jareb. “Be still. The runner must follow orders.” The messenger straightened, chest lifted. “To Johakim, High Priest of Samaria, and Jareb, the Avenger of Blood. By order of Pontius Pilate, you must appear in Jericho at the seat of judgment four days hence. Samuel ben Abram has been granted refuge in Jericho until his trial.”

Mara’s heart bumped like a rock rolling down a steep cliff. Praise HaShem, Samuel was alive. She hugged herself and strained to hear over the drumming in her ears. “Bring all witnesses and evidence. Herod, Caiaphas, and Pontius Pilate will render judgment.” The runner placed the scroll in the High Priest’s hand. “I will compose my response.” “Only your presence is required.” A flicker of shock hardened into a look of anger on Johakim’s face.

“Rome and the Jews usurp my authority.” “Make ready for the trip.” Jareb motioned for Okpara, standing near a column. Mara stepped into view. “I will feed the runner.” “Of course.” Johakim nodded absently. Mara led the runner to the kitchen and served bread, honeycomb, and wine. “Tell me, is Samuel well?” Though her eyes were dry, she could not banish the tears from her tone. The runner crammed a piece of honeycomb into his mouth and seemed to study her eyes.

His look softened.

A love story for the ages, set in the turbulent times when Christ walked the earth. A Certain Man is a celebration of love, devotion, persistence, and faith so needed in our uncertain world. Author Linda Dindzans crafts a suspicious death into a tale both harrowing and inspiring—a story about the power of prayer, never-ending love, and ultimately, salvation. A must-read. ​— ​Peter Van Sant, Correspondent, CBS News Linda Dindzans captures the passion of the woman at the well like no other retelling of this Gospel story.

Beautiful writing coupled with solid research makes this novel both thought-provoking and emotionally stunning. I so empathized with the Samaritan woman before Jesus walked into her life at the well that when He spoke of her five previous husbands, I knew without a doubt He must have felt even more compassion and sorrow for her than I did. Her zeal and faith in the Messiah was so well grounded because of all this novel portrays, and I’ll recommend it to every biblical fiction lover I know!

​— ​Mesu Andrews, Award-winning author Linda Dindzans takes us on a transformative journey from heartbreak to restoration, establishing herself as a promising and vibrant voice in Biblical Fiction. ​— ​KD Holmberg, Award-winning author Linda Dindzans hits the nail on the head with her inspiring and moving book, A Certain Man. Set in ancient Samaria and Judea, Mara is a young Samaritan woman who waits to marry the love of her life, Samuel. In an unexpected turn, her father’s greed leads him to devise a marriage to the son of a wealthy High Priest, making Mara’s future unsure.

Written beautifully, with characters that grip the reader, Dindzans spins an endearing story of love that survives the trying events placed before them. A well-done must-read that should be on every bookshelf. ​— ​Cindy K. Sproles, Award-winning author of This is Where It Ends Linda Dindzans’ debut novel, A Certain Man, is a must-read. Based primarily on two familiar Bible stories, she has woven a tale of good versus evil that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

​— ​Deborah Sprinkle, Awarding-winning author of the Trouble in Pleasant Valley Series and the Mac & Sam Mysteries Series A Certain Man breathes life into familiar gospel stories we too often skim. Characters come alive, giving us deeper insight into the hope they find in their world, a world with Jesus in it. ​— ​Marilyn Malcolm, author of The Disciple’s Wife Hearing Bible stories at the knee of my devout grandmother, I wanted to know more about the people in those gospel stories.

A Certain Man weaves the tales of Mara and Samuel into a captivating connection of several Bible stories.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: c4f981194d9fa06e
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 4,053,304 bytes (3.866 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• ISBN: 9781649174031, 9781649174048
• Pages: 348
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 499.46 minutes
• Total Words: 99,892
• Total Characters: 560,472
• Average Words per Page: 287.05
• Average Characters per Page: 1610.55

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