Prophets and Loss by Martin Roth

Martin Roth’s Prophets and Loss is a deep character study wrapped in an intriguing mystery.

Who can you trust? is the question that runs through the story, with twists and turns on the question in every chapter. Even Johnny Ravine isn’t quite sure he can trust himself, leading him into the deep pits of his character and the hard choices he had to make in his hardscrabble background.

If you’re not familiar with Asia-Pacific geopolitics — as I’m not — you’ll find the story of the East Timorese illegal alien hiding for his life and searching for his identity in Australia a fascinating introduction to the questions and challenges people face in that part of the world.

This is Christian fiction straight-up, with no sugar-coating, an honest look at the difficulties of faith and the costs of nonbelieving.