Judas Iscariot. A name reviled down the ages. It was thought he committed suicide when he realised the enormity of what he had done in betraying Jesus Christ, but his punishment is far worse.
God condemned him to walk the Earth forever, never able to die.
Now he has been given a task. He has to look after a small girl until she passes her seventh birthday. Just a few days. that's all. A simple task, you would think, but, of course, it's never that simple. This is a special girl. One who will prevent Lucifer from entering the world.
Lucifer actively seeks the child, sending his devils in disguise. Murder and meyhem ensue...
I am not saying any more about the plot of this book. I don't want to spoil it for you.
The character of Judas is well drawn. He is complex, as one might expect, having lived 2,000 years. The other characters are believable, too. There is the policeman who is forced to re-evaluate his religious beliefs when confronted with the evidence of his own eyes, and also the hooker dragged into the conflict, who shows courage she didn't know she had.
Finally, Charlotte, the little girl. She is very much like a typical six-year-old, except for the fact that the horrors she witnesses do not seem to faze her. Yes, she is afraid, but a normal child of her age would be traumatised. But then, she's not a normal child, is she?
The pace keeps you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the next event. At first, I thought I would not like the fact that it is written in the present tense, but as I got into the book, I realised it adds to the immediacy and tension of the story. It also helps wit flashbacks, which are written in the past. You know that this is a previous event.
One thing I would say as a negative, is that towards the end, in a part where the characters are all actively fighting, the author does do a bit of head-hopping, which can be disorientating.
All in all, a good read,
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