This summer, readers can meet the quiet figures of the Bible in a book written by a lifelong Pella resident. Pella Historical Society and Museums Director Valerie Van Kooten has published The Ninth Hour, in which she gives the names to eight peripheral characters of the Gospels, delving into the fabric of their lives and how they are changed by Jesus’ ministry.

“I have always been interested in the characters who are barely mentioned in the Scriptures,” said Van Kooten. “They were there, a part of the story and the fabric of Jesus’ life, even though the Gospel writers don’t spend much time on them.”

Van Kooten dedicated herself to researching and writing after developing the concept story for a Sunday school class. She completed the first part of the novel in a matter of months, but it took years to develop the epilogue in which her characters’ stories weave together.

“I hope readers will come away from The Ninth Hour looking at Scripture with a more careful eye,” Van Kooten concluded. “Who is mentioned, and more importantly, who is not? Why not? What might those behind-the-scenes people have been thinking? What were their lives like? Reading the Bible in this way can lead to a richer picture of Jesus’ life and message.”

The Ninth Hour was published through the Write Place. It is available at Pella Books in Pella, the Book Vault in Oskaloosa, Pageturners Bookstore in Indianola and Beaverdale Books in Des Moines. It is also available for purchase online from Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. Hear more about the story on today’s In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.

Valerie Van Kooten is a writer, journalist and college writing teacher. She and her husband live in Pella. The Ninth Hour is her first novel. She is currently working on a young adult novel in which an Iowa teen travels back in time and encounters the Sac and Fox Tribes.