Sex. Violence. Scandal. These are words we rarely associate with the sacred text of the Bible. Yet in this brilliant new book, Jonathan Kirsch shows that the Old Testament is filled with some of the most startling and explicit stories in all of Western literature. These tales of seduction and rape, voyeurism and exhibitionism, intermarriage and illegitimacy, assassination and murder have been suppressed by religious authorities throughout history precisely because they are so shocking. "You mean that's in the Bible?" is the common reaction of the contemporary reader to the stories that Kirsch retells and explores. In The Harlot by the Side of the Road, Kirsch recounts these suppressed and mistranslated tales in the grand storytelling tradition. Here is the tale of Dinah, the young Israelite daughter raped by a princely suitor. The price for her hand in marriage? The circumcision of every man in his kingdom. Here, too, is the story of Lot's daughters, who, when faced with the possibility that they are the last survivors on earth, must copulate with their drunken father to continue their race. And the story of Tamar, the harlot by the side of the road, who must disguise herself as a prostitute and seduce her father-in-law in order to bear the child who has been promised her. Kirsch places each story within the political and social context of its time, and delves into the latest biblical scholarship to explain why each story was originally censored. He also brings to light when and where each story was first written down, and how it found its way into the Bible. And he shows how these stories have something important to say to contemporary readers who might never pick up a Bible. Kirsch reveals that the Bible's real power lies in its unflinching lessons in human nature. And he illuminates the surprising modernity of the Bible's characters: these were, like us, people delicately balanced between their destructive and generous natures. Certain to excite controversy and ignite intellectual debate, The Harlot by the Side of the Road will undoubtedly be one of the year's most talked-about books.

The dark art of desire...

Vicious rumors and rapier wit make for a heated rivalry—until the sparks start flying in this Regency romance by the award-winning author. Maggie, Lady Hawkins, had a debut she'd rather forget—along with her first marriage. Today, she’s a fierce political cartoonist writing under the male pseudonym Lemarc, and her favorite object of ridicule is Simon Barrett, Earl of Winchester. He's a rising star in Parliament—and a former confidant of Maggie's who decided to believe a salacious rumor that vexes her to this day. Still crushed by Simon's betrayal, Maggie has no intention of letting the ton crush her as well. In fact, Lemarc's cartoons have made Simon a laughingstock. But now it appears that Maggie was wrong about what happened years ago, and that Simon has been secretly yearning for her since . . . forever. Could it be that the heart is mightier than the pen and the sword?

Are you missing half the story about the last days? Virtually all attention these days is focused on the coming Antichrist—but he is only half the story. Many people are amazed to discover in Revelation 17 that there is also another mysterious character at the heart of prophecy—a woman who rides the beast. Who is this woman? Tradition says she is connected with the church of Rome. But isn’t such a view outdated? After all, today’s Vatican is eager to join hands with Protestants worldwide. “The Catholic church has changed” is what we hear. Or has it? In A Woman Rides the Beast, prophecy expert Dave Hunt sifts through biblical truth and global events to present a well-defined portrait of the woman and her powerful place in the Antichrist’s future empire. Eight remarkable clues in Revelation 17 and 18 prove the woman’s identity beyond any reasonable doubt. A provocative account of what the Bible tells us is to come.

After World War I, San Francisco is a wild town. Abandoned by her lover, Violetta is swept up in the new, freer ways and becomes America�s first embedded journalist. She finds work in a brothel that caters to San Francisco�s most powerful men, to write her epic story on the conditions of working women. But federal agents looking to clamp down on both vice and workers� rights don�t take kindly to her modern views. Shorter dresses, fair pay for women, and the dark and frightening world of sex and politics give Violetta a learning experience of a lifetime.

Outgoing and flirty, Leslie Jones was boy crazy from the minute she hit puberty. But when she fell for Harold the tall, blonde drummer during summer camp, her heart was hooked. Leslie ignored the warning signs and advice from her lifelong friends, turning her summer romance into a whirlwind of bad choices. With those choices came consequences she would face alone, afraid for her safety and her child. The wide-eyed girl had turned her back on family and God for this man. A man that said he loved her by selling her body, mind, and soul to the highest bidder. Nevertheless, it was God she would call to send her a way of escape. He needed to send her a hero. Rebellious Daniel Armstrong had game with the girls and on the football field. He was handsome, intelligent, and wealthy, well-his family was wealthy. Daniel was doted on by his mother while never good enough for his father. Wanting to get the attention he craved, Daniel got in trouble with the law and sent to a foster home. Momma Mabel’s tough love and Christ-centered home pushed him to do his best, though he still made wrong choices. Then he met his college roomy Harold Gibson who gave him a way to make his own money until one night when he saw the most beautiful girl. She was petite, with long brown hair and eyes full of sadness; Daniel knew it was Harold’s doing. But how could he save her and others like her, and not risk his own life to do it? If only he could be a superhero. Continue the story of The Harlot’s Heart by reading A Harlot’s Hope and now, The Harlot’s Hero. Look for The Harlot’s Healing in the near future. _________________________________________ Since Leslie was a youing girl she was brought up in church and knew God's way of salvation, but all it took was a goodlooking blonde drummer at youth camp to turn her innocence to sin. How would she get out of the choices she had made or the control Harold had over her? Would God even answer her prayers for a hero after all the shameful events she had succumbed to participating in by her own husband? Leslie hadn't seen her family in such a long time; her parents would be so in love with their grandson Jenson, if Leslie was allowed to visit. How could her husband hold their child as blackmail to make Leslie do these unspeakable acts with other men? Not knowing if God would answer a harlot as she was, Leslie asked for a way to escape Harold's grasp along with her son. Then came Daniel.

It is August, 1645, one year since York fell into Puritan hands. As the city suffers through a brutal summer heat, Bridget Hodgson and Martha Hawkins are drawn into a murder investigation more frightening than their last. In order to appease God's wrath—and end the heat-wave—the city's overlords have launched a brutal campaign to whip the city's sinners into godliness. But for someone in York, this is not enough. First a prostitute and her client are found stabbed to death, then a pair of adulterers are beaten and strangled. York's sinners have been targeted for execution. Bridget and Martha—assisted once again by Will, Bridget's good-hearted nephew—race to find the killer even as he adds more bodies to his tally. The list of suspects is long: Hezekiah Ward, a fire and brimstone preacher new to York; Ward's son, Praise-God, whose intensity mirrors his father's; John Stubb, one of Ward's fanatic followers, whose taste for blood may not have been sated by his time in Parliament's armies. Or could the killer be closer to home? Will's brother Joseph is no stranger to death, and he shares the Wards' dreams of driving sin from the city. To find the killer, Bridget, Martha, and Will must uncover the city's most secret sins, and hope against hope that the killer does not turn his attention in their direction, in The Harlot's Tale by Sam Thomas.