St. Mary parishioner writes a novel, The Amulet

Dean Klein, a writer and member of St. Mary Parish in Johnson City, has authored a book called The Amulet that he describes as a “high-concept (three-part) Christian thriller,” which may be made into a film.

Inspired by the classic film, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the single most mysterious line in all the Gospels, the novel was written over a four-year period.

“Given its utterly startling premise, it has already proven to be of interest to 20th Century Fox,” Mr. Klein said.

Mr. Klein, a retired marketing executive is, with the help of church members, promoting the story nationally to drive it to possible best-seller status that he hopes will, in turn, prompt 20th Century Fox to acquire the rights for the production of a motion picture. Royalties from the sale of the book already are being shared with the church.

The story begins in 1947 with the discovery of a relic near the ruins of a long-extinct Jewish community. The relic appears not to have aged a day in 2,000 years. The find is kept hidden for decades and its existence is never made public. But one day its private owner suddenly becomes terrified of it. He hurriedly contacts the Israeli Antiquities Authority, informing this organization of what he possesses. The IAA, laughing at him, only reluctantly accepts the relic as a donation. To its astonishment, scientific tests confirm the relic indeed dates to first-century Israel. Even more amazing, it appears to exhibit supernatural properties. One night, while the antiquity is being studied in an underground IAA lab, terrifying screams bring armed guards to the room. What they find cannot be explained and the relic goes missing.

The Amulet comes as close as is possible to what it was like to have been touched by Jesus 2,000 years ago. Readers will be taken back to a time now known only by the Gospels. It is my desire that the story will reinforce the faith of those who already have it and perhaps inspire those not of this faith to consider it,” Mr. Klein said.

The Amulet is available as an e-book from Kindle and also in softcover from Amazon.com and CreateSpace.com.