Judas Iscariot. The ultimate traitor. It was his kiss of greeting that signaled the temple officials to arrest Jesus of Nazareth and send him to his death. We all know the story: in exchange for a paltry sum of money–thirty pieces of silver–Judas agreed to hand over his rabbi to the religious authorities in Jerusalem, who put Jesus on trial and ultimately ensured that he would be crucified. When Judas saw what was about to happen to Jesus, he was seized with remorse, gave back the money, and went out and hanged himself.

That’s the story as we have it in the New Testament Gospels. But what if, before he hanged himself, Judas took the time to write a suicide note? What would he have had to say?

That question lies at the center of this novel. A Rope for Judas is Judas Iscariot’s suicide note, and it delves into the complicated inner life of this most despised of disciples in an effort to find out what motivated him to do what he did.