Publishers Marketplace: Katie McVay

This writer is looking for an agent.

“Jesus son of Joseph,” I said, reciting the inscription on the ossuary that had been my obsession of late, my whole purpose for being here...in Jerusalem...in this tomb.

I looked at Uri, my new Israeli companion. His skin was freckled with dirt and his brown eyes were bright with excitement.

“Jesus son of Joseph. Yeshua` bar Yehosef,” he repeated in English and then in Hebrew.

We were silent for a moment, allowing the significance of our surroundings to make its impression on us.

Uri spoke first. “Welcome to the tomb – the final resting place – of Jesus Christ.”

Thus begins The Bone Box, a novel that follows a writer chasing a story and a dream.

Mara Beltane has come to Jerusalem to reinvent herself. The 34-year-old writer is still in love with the man who divorced her a year ago, and her novels haven’t brought her the success or respect she craves. She’s in a rut personally and professionally and in need of a change. Then one day she’s inspired to write her next book, a novel she’s sure will catapult her to the top of best-seller lists and bring her the happiness she’s been seeking: a mystery about an ancient ossuary – a bone box – said to contain the remains of Jesus Christ. Most recent evidence suggests it’s a fake, but what if it isn’t? While in Jerusalem to research the book, Mara starts to flesh out an intriguing story that she hopes will rock Christianity to its core. But her attempts to fictionalize the story of Jesus’ death are influenced by the opinions of everyone she encounters and thwarted by various individuals intent on protecting the ossuary and its origins. As Mara digs deeper and comes closer to discovering the truth -- with the help of Israeli-American professor Dr. Uri Navon -- it becomes clear that perhaps some stories aren’t meant to be told...and that some secrets are supposed to stay buried.