The Stones of My Accusers

The Brother’s Keeper #2

by Tracy Groot

You’re the one, Nathaniel had said. You go and tell her, “No stones.”

Rivkah knows her own sin all too well. She knows the prophets’ judgments against women like her—and still believes that prostitution doesn’t even compare to the most secret and shameful incident of her past. Not even her best friend knows what she did. Only God knows.

Determined to make her way to Caesarea Maritima to confront the mother of her beloved Nathaniel, Jorah has no time to consider the rumors she hears of her brother Jesus’ resurrection. She’ll stop at nothing to get the answers she needs.

A former Zealot, Joab is wrestling with delivering a message to a woman named Rivkah—a message that challenges everything he ever believed. A message from her son . . . “No stones.”

Genres: Christian Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction

395 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Tracy Groot is the critically acclaimed and Christy Award–winning author of several works of historical fiction. Her books have received starred Booklist and Publishers Weekly reviews and have been called "beautifully written" and "page-turning" by Publishers Weekly, and "gripping" with "exquisitely drawn" characters by Library Journal.

Tracy and her husband have three grown sons and a daughter-in-law and enjoy board games, warm vacations, any kind of travel, Detroit Lions football, foodie experiences, and most anything that gives them time together.

Reviews

[Whit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.25 stars.
Well, this was...okay. It wasn't the best but it also had a lot of good qualities. The one thing I loved was Orion's story and character growth! Within a short time, Orion gained my sympathy and trust. I will say that Orion and Rivkah were the best parts of the story. I became EXTREMELY frustrated with Jorah and Joab. Mainly because of the length of time it took to tell Rivkah about her son was waaaaay too long! AND they had no reason to lie about being engaged! Literally NO REASON! During some parts, it felt like the author added drama when drama didn’t need to be there. But, the ending was well done, and that made me give it an extra 0.25 to my initial 3-star rating.

[Dayna Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how she weaves a story from Bible times. Things that possibly could have taken place. This book makes me think (like the other books I have read by Tracy) I like that I have to think about the story and sometimes draw conclusions. Masterful storyteller.

[Juanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant and heart-wrenching tale of mercy and forgiveness

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biblical fiction dealing with mercy and forgiveness. Jesus has just been crucified, and Orion, Pilate’s second in command, has dangerous decisions to make in how to deal with the Jews.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orion (Roman), Rivkah (Jewish prostitute), Marina & Theron, Joab & Jorah...Rivkah's dead son Nathaniel's message "No stones". Excellent plot!

[cindy simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I wish I had read the first book The Brothers Keeper before but I will definitely will go back and read it.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a good book

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Stones of My Accusers after reading Madman and The Brother's Keeper both by Tracy Groot. Stones of My Accusers picks up at the end of The Brother's Keeper with the characters of Jorah and Joab, and the heretofore unmet Rivkah, Nathaniel's prostitute mother. Orion, Chief Secretary of Cesarea Maritima figures prominently into the plot as he is sympathetic to the Jews petitioning him (of which Rivkah is one), while at the same time needing to keep peace with Rome.

Things I liked about this book:
** The characters. It is certainly Tracy Groot's strongest feature - portraying full, vivid characters.
** The two romances - I'm a sucker for a romance, what can I say?

Things I didn't like about this book:
** Well, firstly, that I can't seem to find a description of Orion's appearance anywhere in the book. I might have missed it (I did a bit of skimming in the beginning, I admit.) I have gone back and tried to find a description, but haven't yet. Orion's character and personality is quite clear. However an image of what he actually looks like isn't. This is unusual for Groot, so I suspect I missed it.
** The romance between Orion and Rivkah. While I liked it (see above point) I thought that the realistic probability of a viable, healthy romance between a Chief Secretary (he was directly under Pilate) in the Roman government and a prostitute was unlikely. Not impossible ... but unlikely.
** How quickly Jorah seems to get over Nathaniel.

All in all, though - an excellent read. It is neat to see Biblical Israel brought to life in such a way, and with such vivid writing. No sad endings here!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts[return]Two people arrive in an ancient Israelite town, both in search of the same woman--Rivkah. Rivkah's son was killed and both Joab and Jorah know something of his death and have their own reasons to speak to her about it. Rivkah is a prostitute, however, and finding her and speaking to her proves daunting for the two young people. They both fall in with a local mosiac maker and become his apprentices. Through him and his wife they learn of Rivkah's whereabouts. They also meet a Roman official who is the steward in charge of administering the affairs of the palace. He too knows the stonecutter and Rivkah, who has been petitioning to have a tree planted in honor of her son saved. He decides to help Rivkah and another Jew which ends up backfiring and getting him in big trouble. He resigns himself to his fate--yet he doesn't know the power of a good deed not forgetten.[return][return][return][return][return][return][return]Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.[return]Groot creates engaging characters thrust into intriguing moral situations by their place in history. She captures the biblical setting well (though Joab and Jorah's ability to travel alone (Jorah as a woman) and interact with one another seems a bit too modern. I most identified with the story of the roman official, I loved how his story illustrated a man's deeds and kindness not being forgotten and becoming his salvation. Jorah is also portrayed as Jesus' sister and her musings about his death and probable resurrection are interesting.[return][return][return][return][return][return][return]How Good is it?[return]Memorable characters, a well drawn setting, and thought provoking scenarios.

[Laura DeNooyer-Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this book is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone. The story takes place in Caesarea Maritima, a port city built by Herod the Great, about 75 miles northwest of Jerusalem, where Pilate ruled the Roman province of Judaea as governor.

Multiple viewpoints relay the action: 1) Joab, former zealot on a mission to find Rivkah, to give her a box and the last words of a dying son to his mother; 2) Jorah, a mosaicist apprentice and sister of Jesus of Nazareth; 3) Rivkah, the prostitute; 4) Orion, a Roman and chief secretary to Pontius Pilate. And more.

This story is full of irony, contrasts, and unexpected twists. Multiple disparate threads wind through conflicting perspectives of Jew hater Pontius Pilate and his chief secretary Orion, a Jew sympathizer who toes the line between obedience to Rome and mercy for Jews. Joab seeks Rivkah to deliver words of healing; Jorah seeks her to deliver words of judgment. Grieving Jorah has recently lost her intended as well as her brother Jesus—the questionable prophet without regard in his hometown. His recent death and rumors of a resurrection overshadow her, even far north in Caesarea.

Each character matters and presents more complications. There’s Prometheus, the under-secretary to Pilate, ever scheming to accomplish his own agenda. Theron is a Jewish mosaicist who has befriended Orion and oversees a project at Pilate’s palace. His hospitable wife has an eye for people who need it--including Rivkah, the prostitute.

Read this and be immersed in a tumultuous and confusing era of Roman domination—between the resurrection of Christ and the establishment of his church.

[Faith Justice · Rating 3 out of 5]

The publishers of this book Moody Publishers states their mission:"...to equip and motivate people to advance the cause of Christ by publishing evangelical Christian literature and other media for all ages around the world..." Given that, this book was remarkably free of "evangelical" language. Jesus is treated as a real person - the oldest brother of a large family and the "resurrection" is treated with skepticism by the main characters. The story does have a theme, but it's a universal humanist one of the fallibility of people and the need for forgiveness - thus the reference to the "he who is without sin cast the first stone" in the title.

The writing was straight forward with appropriate historical detail; the characters, for the most part, were interesting; and the plot had enough tension (mostly around the palace politics) to keep me reading. It wasn't an outstanding historical novel, but a quick read.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This follow up to Groot's novel My Brother's Keeper isn't as good but does give some satisfaction in finding out what happens to some of the main and secondary characters in the first novel. Stories about Jesus's siblings are a rarity in my experience and I enjoyed exploring what that might have been like.

The book also gave me a new appreciation for the miraculous spread and subsequent longevity of the Christian religion in a time period which contained none of the methods of instant communication that we now enjoy. The concepts of mercy and forgiveness and a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ are all components explored and experienced by the characters and it was startling to me just how new and foreign those ideas were back then having grown up with them all my life. Recommended. These two books are excellent to read in this Lent and approaching Easter season.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sequel to "The Brother's Keeper" and just as beautiful.

Here's what the publisher has to say about it:

"A captivating stand-alone sequel to The Brother's Keeper, Stones of my Accusers reveals the transforming difference Christ's mercy makes through the lives of several compelling characters. Joab and Jorah are each traveling separately to find a prostitute named Rivkah and inform her of her son Nathanael's death. Joab has been commissioned to take Nathanael's words to Rivkah ("Tell her, No stones."). Jorah, a sister of Jesus, secretly plans to get revenge on Rivkah. Through the story of the stones and the sacrifice of a Roman official, each character's life is forever impacted by the amazing mercy of God."

[Stefany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Stones of My Accusers. My favorite part of the book was the second half because there was a great deal of suspense and anticipation. If you begin the book and feel that it is being drawn out or not too interesting don't put the book down! I would suggest holding out because the 1st 1/2 of the book sets up the 2nd 1/2 very well and brings the characters to life which makes sense when you see how their lives all intertwine. The story picks up and gets very interesting to the point where I could not put the book down. I would recommend the book to those who enjoy christian, romance, or biblical/historical fiction.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

although I did not read the sequel, I enjoyed this story. reading a story about one of Jesus' siblings after his death intrigued me. although the story focused more on the prostitute whose son died and Pilate's first in command, it was very interesting to think about the implications of Jesus' words to those who knew and "followed" the Torah. this story obviously focused on jesus saying "he who is without sin can cast the first stone."

[Jeni Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is set a few days after the certification of Christ. This book was well written, but I expected it more to be about Jesus's family. Instead, it takes readers into three connecting lives and how they work together to prove a man's innocence. It's a good story, and I do recommend people to read it, but just realize that it's not about Jesus's family and how they coped with losing him. This genre is considered historical Christian fiction, so it's meant for general audiences.

[Amy Riccio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author. Even though I enjoyed her book "Madman" better than this one, I was still captivated by this story. She does SUCH a wonderful job of creating characters that you can see and know in your mind. She doesn't gloss over personality, which adds to much depth to a story. It's wonderful.

[Hbugs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christian fiction...still not my thing but this book was interesting enough to carry through the end.

[Maff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a blubbering mess by the end of this book! LOVED LOVED LOVED IT!!!! Can't wait to check out more of her novels.