I may as well just grant it: Any book by Ben Witherington is going to get three thumbs up on this page; he could write one on classical harmonica music and I would recommend it. But that's only because it turns out that every book by Witherington I have read so far has been meritorious (well, all but his commentary on Mark, now), and the The Paul Quest fits the majority of the tradition.

If you have read The Jesus Quest, don't let your expectations be led by the similarity in title and in cover design (so similar that the two books might easily be confused from a distance). The format of PQ is entirely different; it is less about scholarly opinion about Paul and more about Paul as a multi-dimensional personality in his social context -- in opposition to cardboard-cutout views of Paul that attempt to understand the last Apostle with modern psychoanalysis. To achieve this end the book opens with a very helpful chapter on ancient personality and how it was viewed; and there we learn one reason why Paul had so much trouble convincing people he was a genuine convert: Unlike this day when people change religions more than they change underwear, it was thought impossible/incredible in Paul's time that ANYONE could undergo any sort of change of heart. Paul's radical conversion would have seemed like either a clever trick or severe mental illness -- no wonder the church was still scared of him.

Following this necessary introduction are chapters which examine Paul's many dimensions -- as a writer, prophet, radical, storyteller, exegete, theologian, etc., as well as examinations of various Pauline issues and social stances -- and the average reader will need to be patient, as such studies are inevitably more plodding than plot. Nevertheless, the depth of Witherington's scholarship makes it every bit worthwhile. Do as I do if you get bored, and intersperse reading The Paul Quest with some light reading. You won't be sorry you missed it, even if you have to take it in spoonfuls.