NEW BOOK REVIEW

                                   Destitutio Quod Remissio ... By Brett Armstrong


For decades, Roman Senator Marcus Servius labored to become a wealthy and admired patrician man. But now, his world is shattered. After he is exposed as a Christian during a time of intense persecution, his home, wealth, and prestige are stripped from him. The most painful loss of all is that of his beloved wife, Cassandra. Destitute and wary, Marcus prays he will be delivered from his enemies' hands as he struggles to realize a new path.

In desperate need of help, Marcus disguises himself and embarks on a dangerous journey to find Benjamin Truvias, the leader of a hidden church and the man responsible for Marcus's conversion. After Benjamin offers aid, Marcus's life finally finds needed direction. Yet, the more he helps the church through persecutions, the closer he comes to finding who betrayed him. Caught in a maelstrom of intrigue and deception, should Marcus discover the awful truth of who caused his fall, he must choose between vengeance and forgiveness--a decision that will affect the fate of all the believers in Rome.

Destitutio Quod Remissio is the timeless epic tale of a man's struggle to rebuild his life amid ancient Rome after he loses everything he loves and his faith is tested in ways he never imagined.


OUR REVIEW

"Incapable of moving. Incapable of speaking. Incapable of perceiving the destruction wrought upon him, in full." Let's face it, readers by now will know they are in for a complete enthralling mystery. Destitio Quod Remissio by Brett Armstrong has done his research of Christian pain and suffering in Roman times.

The detailed descriptions of the building profiles with their angular bases, ornate inscribed reliefs, and creamy stone columns puts us right at home in this setting and ready to walk along side the characters. The opulence of the wealthy magnifies the slavery of the lower class, as well as the danger and possibility of death of being a Christian.

The main character is Marcus, who has lost his beloved wife in a treacherous fire and now on the run to find particular people that could answer many of the questions of betrayal. Each character is brought to life, making me really feel their intense stress of each situation Marcus puts himself in.

Without giving away any spoilers, I have to say I didn't see the twists that came during his search, and a credit to the author that I did get angry at a couple of characters for the parts they played. My reaction was...seriously, how could you did that?!

Strength of overcoming the fear of being found out to be a Christian was sheer terror and how the characters in the novel handled this was very diverse and interesting.


                                          Amazon Review