"Do you know where your sons & daughters are? If they're with the Messiah, God help them...."
Mark of the Crescent is set in the 17th Century Ottoman Empire, taking place in many exotic & culturally diverse locations such as Istanbul, Izmir, Cyprus, Cairo, Gaza, Hebron & Jerusalem. It tells the story through the eyes of Kansu - a Janissary. The Janissaries were Christian born boys torn from their families, conscripted to be raised according to the Islamic faith as professional soldiers, guardians of the Sultan & his lands. Yet, Kansu has always felt much different to his peers. He bears a crescent scar on his right shoulder. Its meaning is shrouded in mystery. He is unaware of his origins - that of an Ottoman prince - whisked away from the harem's fatal intrigues where his mother, a concubine to the Sultan, has been executed. On day, the battle hardened Kansu is given a dangerous mission: to investigate & arrest a man who claims to be the Messiah......