Deadly Deceit - A Review

Deadly Deceit 

by

Natalie Walters

The Watcher is there - watching. Though discovered in small-town Walton, GA, he had a reach across the country as he tried to destroy people’s lives. It would take the coordinated work of Vivian DeMarco, writer for Walton’s local newspaper, and Deputy Ryan Frost, recently returned from a training course offered by the FBI, to gather the clues and piece together the evidence that would point to the man or woman responsible for the blackmail and murder which was becoming all too regular for this Georgian village.

Vivian had to learn forgiveness, a lesson she missed during her youth after discovering her father deserted his family and was a fraud as well. Her friend Lane would remind her

The right kind of love isn’t earned, Vivian. I can’t tell you how many years I’ve spent being someone else’s idea of perfect, trying to earn their love and affection only to be reminded—painfully—how imperfect I am. That’s the beauty of godly love. The kind that is forgiving, unwarranted, undeserving, and unconditional. (3314/5101)

It would not be a lesson easily learned, but one she would need to grapple with if she were to discover real peace.

Written for those who enjoy Christian or romantic suspense, there are lessons that most believers need to hear repeatedly. The book will find a welcome spot in the public or church library. It might also find a welcoming spot under someone’s Christmas tree. The plot might make a great story for a Lifetime movie, though it would be a bit dark for a Hallmark feature.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

The Man He Never Was - A Review

The Man He Never Was

by

James L. Rubart

A Review

Two hymns crossed my path this week that reminded me of what this book is about:

1. It Is Well With My Soul
2. Amazing Grace

In the United Methodist Hymnal, these two hymns are set opposite of each other when one opens the hymnal (UMH 377 and UMH 378). As we sang these two hymns in church last week, at the beginning of our worship service, I could not but think of the lessons Toren Daniels was learning on his spiritual journey as recorded by James Rubart in this wonderful novel. The lessons were ones I learned some 25+ years ago and, like Toren, they were accompanied by a great many tears. Every so often I need to be reminded of those lessons — this book helped me do that these last two weeks.

Much of the story revolves around the more famous story written by Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, first published in 1886. I have never read that book, so no attempt will be made here to compare characters, plots, or themes. Though the lessons of the current book are many, the one that struck home for me this week was:

God loves even me

     The good me and the bad me

God loves all of me

Related to that was the reality that I cannot love another until I know that I am also loved — and I am loved by an everlasting, all-powerful, Father. Many of us may know that in heads, but somehow, somewhere, this truth must also be known in hearts. This is where life gets tricky — we can sing, “God loves me, this I know …” from our heads, but until it is a part of our very being, it will difficult for us to offer that love to others.

Rubart’s writing reminded me of the work of C. S. Lewis and Max Lucado — mixing a bit of myth and a bit of truth to present a story that will reach into the head and the heart of the reader. For this reader, the author has successfully done just this.

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This review is based on a free copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.