Two Biblical figures get the literary treatment this season. In March, Anne Rice's ambitious fictional portrait of Jesus, begun in 2005 with Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, continues with Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Knopf), which traces his life from his baptism in the Jordan to the miracle at Cana. Out this month from Bloomsbury is Irish writer Niall Williams's John, which reimagines the last years in the life of the Apostle John. Also in February, Steeple Hill launches its new "Love Inspired Historical" line with the release of Catherine Palmer's medieval romance, The Briton (see review above). This is the fifth line in the Steeple Hill inspirational romance brand (Steeple Hill Women's Fiction, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense, and Steeple Hill Café). The January publication of Chosen and Infidel (both titles issued by Thomas Nelson) marked the debut of best-selling suspense author Ted Dekker's new young adult series, which follows up on his highly successful "Circle Trilogy" (Black, Red, White). The "Lost Books" series will take place in the same supernatural world as the original series. Books Three and Four, Renegade and Chaos, will be released in May. Dekker's next adult thriller, Adam, will be released in April.

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Tamara Butler (trbutler@bryantstratton.edu) is System Director for Library Services at Bryant & Stratton College in Buffalo, NY. She has several years' experience in collection development and readers' services in public and academic libraries