As gripping as a thriller and endlessly thought-provoking... Surprising, spellbinding, witty and utterly original
Chris Dolan, Sunday Herald

I finished the book at a sitting. What makes it so gripping is Beard's limitless curiosity
James Russell Blog

As gripping as a thriller and endlessly thought-provoking... Surprising, spellbinding, witty and utterly original
Chris Dolan, Sunday Herald

He can stir emotion quickly and simply... his essayistic digressions temper the mythic luminosity of his subject
TLS

Lazarus is Dead is a delightful falsehood - a brilliant novel and a shining example of the gospel untruth.
Alfred Hickling, Guardian

Lazarus is Dead is a delightful falsehood - a brilliant novel and a shining example of the gospel untruth.
Alfred Hickling, Guardian

This clever and original book keeps the reader guessing until the death - and beyond
Financial Times

The approach is unusual, the narrative bold and exhilarating...this book with its melding of fiction and non-fiction, critical analysis and detective work, consolidation and controversy, is a potent combination that breathes life not only into the 'imaginative representations' of historical events but also into the possibilities of what we think a novel might be able to achieve
Just William's Luck

This clever and original book keeps the reader guessing until the death - and beyond
Financial Times

An idiosyncratic delight...Yet again, Beard shows himself to be one of our most inventive novelists
Max Davidson, Mail on Sunday

An idiosyncratic delight...Yet again, Beard shows himself to be one of our most inventive novelists
Max Davidson, Mail on Sunday

So good it's almost off the scale for me. Brave, brilliant and utterly readable
The Bookbag

A brilliant reimagining of the Lazarus story...wry, incisive and surprisingly moving (Favourite Books of 2011)
Irish Times

A brilliant reimagining of the Lazarus story...wry, incisive and surprisingly moving (Favourite Books of 2011)
Irish Times

Ultimately it is the narrative voice - cultivated, wry, yet not too knowing to sustain a note of wonder - that makes this novel so compelling
Sunday Times

Beard writes with sharp clarity; short unadorned sentences that contain an unforced, incisive wit.' '(Lazarus's) legend continues to fascinate in this totally original book
Sara Keating, Sunday Business Post

Ultimately it is the narrative voice - cultivated, wry, yet not too knowing to sustain a note of wonder - that makes this novel so compelling
Sunday Times

A thoughtful, enjoyable book
Spectator

Beautiful prose...this is a challenging, thoughtful read, even for the die-hard heathen
Stracia Briggs, Eastern Daily Press

A thoughtful, enjoyable book
Spectator

He can stir emotion quickly and simply... his essayistic digressions temper the mythic luminosity of his subject
TLS

A fascinating mixture of fiction and academic essay...using biblical sources and other, less orthodox ones, Beard weaves a compelling tale portrait of first-century Israel, of Jerusalem with its factions and sects, and of Jesus, Lazarus's enigmatic friend, as he makes his journey towards the Cross
Catholic Herald

He can stir emotion quickly and simply... his essayistic digressions temper the mythic luminosity of his subject
TLS

Beautiful prose...this is a challenging, thoughtful read, even for the die-hard heathen
Eastern Daily Press

Beautiful prose...this is a challenging, thoughtful read, even for the die-hard heathen
Eastern Daily Press

Beard writes with sharp clarity; short unadorned sentences that contain an unforced, incisive wit....Lazarus's legend continues to fascinate in this totally original book
Sunday Business Post

Beard writes with sharp clarity; short unadorned sentences that contain an unforced, incisive wit....Lazarus's legend continues to fascinate in this totally original book
Sunday Business Post

A fascinating mixture of fiction and academic essay...using biblical sources and other, less orthodox ones, Beard weaves a compelling tale portrait of first-century Israel, of Jerusalem with its factions and sects, and of Jesus, Lazarus's enigmatic friend, as he makes his journey towards the Cross
Catholic Herald

A fascinating mixture of fiction and academic essay...using biblical sources and other, less orthodox ones, Beard weaves a compelling tale portrait of first-century Israel, of Jerusalem with its factions and sects, and of Jesus, Lazarus's enigmatic friend, as he makes his journey towards the Cross
Catholic Herald

I finished the book at a sitting. What makes it so gripping is Beard's limitless curiosity.
James Russell Blog

I finished the book at a sitting. What makes it so gripping is Beard's limitless curiosity.
James Russell Blog

The approach is unusual, the narrative bold and exhilarating...this book with its melding of fiction and non-fiction, critical analysis and detective work, consolidation and controversy, is a potent combination that breathes life not only into the 'imaginative representations' of historical events but also into the possibilities of what we think a novel might be able to achieve.
Just William's Luck

The approach is unusual, the narrative bold and exhilarating...this book with its melding of fiction and non-fiction, critical analysis and detective work, consolidation and controversy, is a potent combination that breathes life not only into the 'imaginative representations' of historical events but also into the possibilities of what we think a novel might be able to achieve.
Just William's Luck

So good it's almost off the scale for me. Brave, brilliant and utterly readable.
The Bookbag

So good it's almost off the scale for me. Brave, brilliant and utterly readable.
The Bookbag

A brilliant reimagining of the Lazarus story...wry, incisive and surprisingly moving.
The Irish Times (Favourite Books of 2011)