Esther

While Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the Jews who returned to Jerusalem, Esther tells the story of those who stayed behind in Persia. It reads like a suspense thriller. The setting is the palace of the Persian King Xerxes. Through a series of events, a young Jewish woman named Esther becomes the Queen, but she hides her Jewish identity to protect herself.

The conflict begins when a wicked official named Haman plots to exterminate all the Jewish people in the empire. Esther's cousin, Mordecai, discovers the plot and tells Esther she must speak to the King. This is dangerous because approaching the King without an invitation could mean death. Mordecai famously tells her, "Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?"

Esther summons her courage, reveals the plot, and saves her people. Haman is executed on the very gallows he built for Mordecai. Interestingly, the name of God is never mentioned in this book. Not once. However, the author implies that God is working behind the scenes, arranging "coincidences" to save His people. The book explains the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim, which celebrates this survival.