Contact: Barry Connolly, 203-748-1033, 475-206-4286 cell

BETHEL, Conn., Feb. 9, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Christians searching for an inspired selection for a book discussion group or for their own Holy Week reading may want to consider two acclaimed novels by author Barry Connolly.

'The Good Thief' tells the story of Dismas, the 'good thief' crucified with Jesus and pardoned by Him on Good Friday. It is a powerful tale of a young Jewish man's struggle with his faith in God -- a faith torn apart by the unjust deaths of his brother and sister at the hands of a Roman tribune. His quest to avenge their killings becomes an obsession that drives him apart from Rebekah, the woman he loves, and propels him along a desperate and fateful path.

"Barry Connolly's 'The Good Thief' is everything first-rate Biblical fiction should be: it's rich in period detail, sharp and telling in its character delineation, strong but not bossy in its faith, and immediately engaging, as the Gospels themselves always are. Highly recommended." (Historical Novel Review)

"A riveting read with Biblical and historical ties… very hard to put down." (Midwest Book Review)

'On the Road to Damascus: The Story of Rebekah and Lucius' continues the story set in motion in 'The Good Thief.' Rebekah and other early followers of Christ are forced to flee Jerusalem steps ahead of a relentless persecution led by a zealous soldier-scholar, Saul of Tarsus, before his conversion to St. Paul. Racing against time to find and save Rebekah is a Roman centurion in love with her – Lucius, a man struggling to understand and accept her faith as his own.

"A story of high drama set in the aftermath of Christ's death and resurrection. … A skilled storyteller, author Connolly has a positive knack for engaging his reader's total attention from first page to last." (Midwest Book Review)

"Rebekah and Lucius are warmly-drawn characters... and the thread running through the whole narrative...of Christianity's beginnings through the desperate courage of its earliest believers, binds everything together understatedly and gracefully." (Historical Novel Review)

'The Good Thief' (ISBN 978-1-4502-3287-6) and 'On the Road to Damascus: The Story of Rebekah and Lucius,' (ISBN: 978-1-4759-9765-1), are available at www.Amazon.com and www.BarnesAndNoble.com as well as through other on-line and traditional book stores. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/author/barryconnolly.