The Queen's Handmaid-Tracy L. Higley

The Queen's Handmaid Tracy L. Higley Thomas Nelson, Mar 18 2014, $15.99 ISBN: 9781401686840 In 39 BC Alexandria, Egypt, orphan Lydia works as a servant at Cleopatra's court. With one exception elderly Jew Samuel, she trusts no one even as she secretly sells her self-made products to a vendor with the hope one day she can leave the royal service to open up a shop. Lydia also tries to stay clear of the dangerous Cleopatra though she serves young Caesarian, the royal son of the Queen and Caesar. As Governor Herod and his retinue arrive at Cleopatra’s court, Samuel realizes he will soon join the Lord. He frets over having no children to entrust the passing down, like generations of his family have done, of secret scrolls. However, he also accepts the mysterious workings of the Lord as he concludes God chose Lydia as the deliverance of the hidden Daniel prophecy to bring to the right people waiting for the arrival of the true King of Israel. Herod orders Lydia to come to Judea as handmaid to his betrothed wife Queen Mariamme while irate Cleopatra plots his demise before he visits her lover Antony. In Jerusalem where Herod has become the king, Lydia knows what she must do, but the mission of the new ruler’s dark sister is to destroy the scrolls and the bearer. Simon helps Lydia’s efforts to bring the words of the Prophet that soon the Messiah comes. A deep biblical thriller, The Queen's Handmaid is an exciting first century BC historical. The key cast including real persona seem genuine while the lifestyle of the affluent and their servants in Egypt and Judea add depth to an exhilarating storyline; as the brave Chosen One keeps the wonderful premise of the Messiah’s Coming focused. Harriet Klausner