J. Warner Wallace’s Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels is a compelling and thought-provoking book that applies the principles of criminal investigation to the reliability of the New Testament. Wallace, a former atheist and seasoned cold-case homicide detective, approaches the claims of Christianity with the same analytical rigor he used to solve real-world cases. What you get is a fascinating, methodical journey through Biblical evidence that reads like a detective thriller.

When I first read Cold-Case Christianity, I was a non-believer with many lingering questions about the Bible. While I cannot attribute my salvation to this book alone, it played a significant role in helping me work through doubts and intellectual barriers. Wallace presents the evidence for Christianity in a way that is both accessible and compelling, offering insights that helped answer some of the questions I had been wrestling with for years.

This book isn’t just another dry apologetics text written by a lifelong believer. Wallace’s approach hits differently. Instead of philosophical constructs that leave your head spinning, he walks you through the same concrete techniques he used to crack decades-old homicide cases. The way he analyzes the Gospel writers as eyewitnesses, checking for consistency while explaining apparent contradictions, assessing motives, and evaluating corroborating evidence, feels authentic and relatable.

The major draw of the book, especially for a non-believer, is how Wallace refuses to start with the assumption that the Bible is true. Instead, he begins exactly where I once stood — with healthy skepticism and a demand for compelling evidence. Then he methodically dismantles objections with the calm confidence of someone who’s spent a career separating truth from fiction in the highest-stakes scenarios imaginable.

This book would make a great gift for anyone questioning the truth of Christianity, whether they are non-believers, new believers, or even long-time Christians who want to deepen their understanding of the historical reliability of Scripture. It is a captivating read that challenges skeptics while strengthening the faith of those who already believe.

In the end, Cold-Case Christianity helped me see the Bible in a new light—not just as a religious text, but as a historically credible and evidentially supported account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. For those searching for answers, this book is an excellent place to start.