New Historical Thriller for Fans of Russell Crowe’s Gladiator!
“Faith is not a shield against suffering, my son. It is the strength to bear it when it comes” … A gripping story of mystery, chase and brotherhood. It relentlessly pulls you to the edge of your seat and keeps you there.’
Jonathan Bellamy, CEO of Cross Rhythms Broadcast Music and Media Organisation
Russell Crowe’s 2000 movie, Gladiator, is a classic that still resonates with many today. Its urgent themes of honour, justice and the righteous exercise of power – not to mention the raw action! – move viewers deeply. Now, in The Centurion, author Jack Jarvie has written an action-packed, historical thriller that blends these themes with the dynamic faith of the early Christians.
Centurion Marcus Marcellus carries a legendary name. His great-grandfather was the Roman commander whose faith once astonished Jesus of Nazareth. But while Marcus inherited the reputation, he did not inherit the belief – until now.
Persecuted in Rome, he is posted to Britannia’s bleak, northern frontier. Charged with supplies for the emperor’s new wall, he enters an alien land where Rome’s power is fading and corruption flourishing. Stumbling upon a deadly conspiracy, whose roots run deeper than he can possibly imagine, he is forced to choose between right and wrong.
With ruthless men in pursuit, and only a few secret believers for support, the fate of countless lives will depend on how much Marcus is willing to sacrifice for the truth.
Jack comments, ‘For fifty years I lived within sight of Bar Hill, where the remains of a Roman fort, built two thousand years ago, still stand sentinel on the Antonine Wall, once the northernmost edge of the empire. To look across that ancient landscape is to be reminded of the extraordinary reach of Rome.
‘But I have long been fascinated by the thought that, among the soldiers who marched so far north, there may have been some who had heard the gospel. Could one of them have carried the story of Jesus of Nazareth across the empire to our faraway land?
‘That question took hold of my imagination and became the inspiration for The Centurion – the story of one Roman soldier who is caught between the temporal power of Rome and the transformative power of a living faith. Forced to decide which master he will serve, the decision will change his life forever.’
A recent TikTok trend showed just how often most men find themselves thinking about the Roman empire, so The Centurion might just be the perfect novel to get them – and the rest of us – reading, and reflecting on faith along the way.
The Centurion by Jack Jarvie (ISBN: 9781917941020) is published by Instant Apostle on 18th September 2026 and is available from bookshops and online retailers. Fiction, paperback, 290pp, £12.99.