Good question.

I don’t re-read books as often as I used to (back in the days before I had a Kindle, and relied on new stock arriving at my local bookstore or library). Now I always have an embarrassingly large number of unread books on my Kindle.

But if I think back to my pre-Kindle days and the book or books I used to read and re-read, then what book was so compelling that I couldn’t put it down?

The answer will be An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers.

It’s the middle book in her Mark of the Lion trilogy, which is probably the only trilogy I know where the middle book is my favorite. I think that’s because of the structure of the series : the first book (A Voice in the Wind) introduces several characters and ends on a less-than-happy note for one of those characters.

An Echo in the Darkness book picks up where A Voice in the Wind leaves off, and gives my favourite character the happy-ever-after she deserves.

The third book, As Sure as the Dawn, takes place in the same timeframe as An Echo in the Darkness, but follows a different set of characters. While I enjoyed their story, An Echo in the Darkness remains my favorite.

What about you? Do you have a favourite “I couldn’t put this down” book?

About The Mark of the Lion

Travel to first-century Rome in this classic series and discover what has inspired millions of readers worldwide. The three books in the Mark of the Lion series are packaged in a giftable boxed set.

A Voice in the Wind, the first book in the trilogy, introduces readers to Hadassah, a young Jewish girl captured and sold into slavery but still holding firm to her faith in God. Though torn by her love for a handsome aristocrat, Hadassah becomes a shining beacon of light in the darkness and depravity around her.

In An Echo in the Darkness, Marcus, a wealthy Roman aristocrat touched by Hadassah’s sincere belief, begins to wonder if there’s more to this life. As he continues to search for meaning and faith, he is led by a whispering voice from the past that could set him free from the darkness of his soul.

The trilogy concludes with As Sure as the Dawn, which follows Atretes, the high chief of a Germanic tribe who fought as a gladiator and won his freedom. As Atretes sets out to return home with his infant son, only one thing stands in his way: Rizpah, a Christian widow who has cared for the baby since his birth.