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Review: So Long Insecurity, by Beth Moore

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So Long Insecurity, by Beth Moore (Tyndale House Publishers, 2010)

“Insecurity among women is epidemic, but it is not incurable. Don’t expect it to go away quietly, however. We’re going to have to let truth scream louder to our souls than the lies that have infected us.” (p. xiii)

Drawing on her own experience and the responses of over 1,000 women (and men!), and using Scripture as a key weapon, Beth Moore has given us a book that equips us to change. So Long Insecurity is about empowering women to find their security in God.

One surprising point that comes up early in the book is the idea that it may not just be self-doubt that cripples us—we may be doubting God.

How? By doubting what He says about us. He says He loves us, and that He values us. But do we secretly think we know better, that if He really knew us completely He’d discover He’s been wrong?

The book exposes insecurity for what it is—a lie from the enemy of our souls—and takes a good look at the things that may have let it flourish in our lives.

There may be parts you relate to and parts you don’t, depending on your own personal experience. Insecurity manifests itself in various ways, and some women may be surprised to discover this is what’s been hindering them.

Prayer and Scripture form the basis of our defence against our individual default patterns of insecurity. One key verse is from Proverbs 31:25, where it declares “She is clothed with strength and dignity.”

Our God-given right to dignity—and our responsibility not to give that away when something threatens us—is central to maintaining our security. No, dignity is not something we can earn. It’s a gift from our God, and we need to hold it tight.

We also need to trust God. Beth says, “Whenever you get hit by a wave of insecurity, the wind driving it is always fear” (p. 320).She reminds us to consciously choose to trust God without conditions.

Not to say, “I’ll trust You as long as You don’t let my fear come true.” To decide that even if what we fear happens, we will trust Him to look after us.

If we must picture the worst-case scenario, we need to remember that God will be in it too. He won’t vanish in a puff of surprise and leave us fending for ourselves.

So Long Insecurity isn’t a quick-fix, one-time deal, because the triggers to insecurity are all around us. But it is a practical resource to help us reclaim our security and to arm us with what we need to guard ourselves.

I appreciated the solid reliance on Scripture, and the focus verses and short prayers that are perfect to write down and carry with us. There’s also a slightly longer prayer we can use each morning to keep our defences up.

Working through this book has changed me. I’m not yet where I want to be, but I’m closer. And I have the tools to get there. Whether you’re deeply or only mildly insecure, or if you want to understand an insecure woman in your life, I recommend reading So Long Insecurity. Check out the first chapter of So Long Insecurity here.

Beth Moore is a popular Bible teacher and author. You can watch an interview with Beth Moore about So Long Insecurity here, or learn more about the book here. Or click here to visit the So Long Insecurity website.

[Book from my personal library—and while I may lend it to you, I want it back!]

Review: The Constantine Conspiracy

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The Constantine Conspiracy, by Gary E. Parker (Revell, 2010)

Wealthy, freewheeling bachelor Rick Carson’s annual retreat with his father turns into disaster when the elder Carson is found dead. Only a skilled assassin could have penetrated their security system, so the evidence points to an inside job—perhaps to Rick himself.

The Carson ranch backs onto a national park, and Ranger Shannon Bridge is dispatched to the site until the police can arrive.

Rick can’t risk being detained as a suspect. Instinct tells him if he doesn’t find his father’s killer fast, nobody ever will. He flees out the back door as the police knock on the front.

Believing him to be innocent, Shannon lets him go and offers her help if he’ll trust her.

Meanwhile, at various points across the US, individuals hired by a man matching the assassin’s description commit often-violent social activism, each one claiming to do it in the name of Jesus.

Rick and Shannon are players caught up in a conspiracy of powerful allies united against what they perceive as their greatest threat: Christianity.

The plot is cleverly constructed, and with a subject matter that could come from present-day headlines it should attract plenty of readers.

I prefer a deeper third-person point of view, where the reader develops a stronger emotional connection to the characters. Gary E. Parker uses a distant third-person narration, or perhaps it’s a masterfully-done omniscient. It feels more impersonal, but it’s probably an attribute of the conspiracy-intrigue genre.

The actions and settings work well in the “show-don’t-tell” convention, but to me the thoughts and emotions felt “told, not shown”. Instead of reading that Rick or Shannon was unsure, curious etc, I wanted to see it in their speech and actions.

The novel does have some very strong lines, like the description of Shannon moving “like a woman accustomed to going places and not afraid to arrive.” (page 106)

What bothered me most was the frequent dangling of hidden information. When we meet Shannon we’re told she has a deeper mission behind the park ranger role: a mission she doesn’t know when will begin or end, and one she fears and yet hopes for.

It would have worked better to let us meet her as a ranger and discover the rest on a need-to-know basis.

Readers should be intrigued by the hints instead of resentful about being kept out of the know. Shannon is the biggest example of this, but even minor bits of information feel like jealously-guarded things instead of like nuggets doled out as needed.

I also had trouble with the Carter ranch’s high-tech voice-recognition controls. It’s great to have a computer that turns on your lights and preheats your shower on command, but how does it know when you want your words transmitted over the intercom—and to whom—and when you’re having a private conversation?

The spiritual thread is done well. Shannon takes her Christianity seriously, and Rick has been brought up to hold it in contempt. As the attraction between them grows, the faith issue seems insurmountable. Unlike some novels, the author treats both characters’ views with respect and makes no attempt to force Rick into a quick conversion so the couple can get married on the final page.

After a wild ride, the novel comes to a satisfying finish that leaves room for a sequel. Suffice to say there’s still a significant threat to Rick’s and Shannon’s lives, and they reach a tentative truce on the faith issue. If you like conspiracy theories and fast-paced intrigue, this one’s for you.

American author Gary E. Parker is multi-published in fiction and non-fiction. You can read the first chapter of The Constantine Conspiracy here.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: Majesty in Motion, by Stewart Brown

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Majesty in Motion: Creating an Encouragement Culture in all Your Relationships, by Stewart Brown, D. Min. (Word Alive Press, 2009)

I suppose while Jesus lived in Palestine in human form, those around Him truly saw the majesty of God in motion. Until He comes again, Christians have the responsibility of modeling God to those around us. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to live in us and empower us, but too many times we fail.

In Majesty in Motion, Stewart Brown has provided a helpful, practical resource to overcome that failure. The encouragement culture he calls us to isn’t one of superficial compliments, but a lifestyle of building others up toward their God-given potential. It’s rooted and strengthened in prayer.

Seeing others as God sees them, affirming their value and investing time in their lives, is to treat them as Jesus would—to display God’s majesty in motion.

Stewart writes,

To be encouraged is to experience the transformative power of God, which gives you the courage to be and act according to God’s eternal purpose for your life.” (p. xiv)

As such, we need both to encourage ourselves in the Lord and to encourage others in Him.

This type of encouragement is intentional. It comes from prayerful intimacy with God and an awareness of the needs of others. And as the title makes clear, it’s about relationships, not religion or human effort.

The book asserts that encouragement has three parts: strengthening the heart, coming alongside to help, and inspiring to move forward:

Real, authentic encouragement—the attitude and heart that reflects the greatness of God through the warm, caring filter of God’s grace—is meant to be constantly active in the lives of every follower of Jesus.” (p. 19)

If we accept encouragement as our mission, we need to be equipped to deliver it. Part two of Majesty in Motion highlights three vital elements that God’s encouragers must develop: joy, patience, and an imitation of Jesus’ example.

As well as looking at the life of encouragement and the foundation required in each Christian’s life, the book also addresses the intentionality and the practice of encouragement. We have the why and the how, with practical details and clear examples. Each chapter comes with questions and suggestions for individuals and groups, and there are appendices of extra material for encouragement partners and church greeters.

There is a huge amount of truth packed into this 200-page book, and it’s easy to digest and understand. Application will take work and personal discipline, but the benefits are worth the cost.

I was personally challenged by the repeated call for a solid, personal confidence in God. It makes perfect sense: if you’re not securely trusting God in your own spirit, how can you help others? We must first learn to encourage ourselves in God, like an airline passenger donning her own oxygen mask before helping the child beside her.

David’s friend Jonathan helped him find strength in God when he was in danger from King Saul. Later, by himself David found strength in God when his men were ready to turn on him. Both are needed.

Majesty in Motion sets high goals that are achievable with diligence, and challenges readers to make that effort. It’s on my list of books that I wish every Christian could read.

Stewart Brown, D. Min, is a Canadian pastor, speaker and author currently serving in Alberta. Majesty in Motion follows the theme of his popular speaking engagements. Click here to read more about Majesty in Motion.  You can check out Stewart’s recent interview on 100 Huntley Street (Stewart Brown interview, 1/2 and Stewart Brown interview 2/2) or visit his website, One Heart Ministries, to learn more about his ministry.

Majesty in Motion won a 2010 Canadian Christian Writing Award (for work published in 2009) in the Book: Relationship category, and was a finalist in the Book: Christian Living category.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Practice By Practice, by Kathleen Gibson

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Practice by Practice: the art of everyday faith, by Kathleen Gibson (Word Alive Press, 2010)

Practice by Practice is the first compilation of Kathleen Gibson’s slice-of-life inspirational newspaper column, “Sunny Side Up”. Other volumes will follow, in a series titled The Preacher and Me. (Kathleen is a clergy wife.)

This delightful gift book came from Kathleen’s winning non-fiction manuscript in the 2009 Word Alive Press publishing contest.  Packaged as a 5×7-inch hardback with restful cover and interior design, Practice by Practice would make an ideal “thank you” to a friend or hostess—or a treat for yourself.

Each selection is 3-4 pages long, ideal for a quick pick-me-up. Kathleen’s insights are down to earth and practical, and her language flows gently. She writes about worry, marriage, forgiveness, patience, trust—a host of areas where we can all relate.

I found her thoughts on worry refreshing. We all know we shouldn’t worry, but for many of us it’s a lifetime challenge. Kathleen looks back at a life spent practicing faith as an antidote to worry and discovers:

“Like salt on ice, that worry has acted on the way I practice faith. It’s motivated me to dig deeper, trust more, pray harder, search God’s word more keenly. In the end, the well-practiced faith… has always trumped my worry and turned it into trust.” (p. 10)

Kathleen’s prose is rich and evocative. See if this excerpt doesn’t relax you:

“The Waskesiu River ambled along beside us, riffling over rocks, gathering in still pools, murmuring around sharp bends. Sedge grasses swayed above boulders swaddled in orange lichen. And golden-eyed ducks dipped and dived for plankton and whatever other edibles wait below the glistening surface of a river.” (p. 17)

Kathleen’s “Sunny Side Up” column is featured in Yorkton This Week, and you can read the current instalments by clicking the link. (There’s even a spot to subscribe to “Sunny Side Up“, for those of us who perpetually forget to return to websites we want to read.) It’s good to have these older columns available in print to new eyes as well as to seasoned readers.

To learn more about Canadian author Kathleen Gibson, visit SIMPLY LIFE with Kathleen Gibson. Kathleen is also the author of West Nile Diary: One Couple’s Triumph Over a Deadly Disease. In addition to her column and other writing, Kathleen blogs occasionally at Ramblings.

[Review copy from my personal library.]

Review: Forget Me Not, by Vicki Hinze

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Forget Me Not, by Vicki Hinze (WaterBrook-Multnomah, 2010)

She’s been running from her enemies for three years. As the story opens, readers don’t know her name, but we see her attacked by two separate groups in New Orleans.

When she wakes, bruised and abandoned, in Florida, she can’t remember her identity. Her only clue is a card in her pocket with Crossroads Crisis Center on one side and the name “Susan” written on the other.

She’s taken to Crossroads, and that’s when things get complicated.

The mystery woman looks like Crossroads’ director Ben Brandt’s murdered wife—whose name was Susan, and whose cross this woman found in her pocket and is now wearing.

As upset as Ben  is, he realizes that he and this stranger must work together for her safety as well as to find the answers he desperately needs.

With so many unknowns, and what looked like a complex cast of villains, I found it hard to get my head around the book at first. I kept reading out of concern for the heroine and because I trusted veteran author Vicki Hinze to deliver a suspenseful novel that would bring all the pieces together in the end.

The pieces do come together, and the network of villains is indeed complex. “Susan” and Ben are strong, complex characters. She doesn’t know who she is, but she’s sure Whose she is. He knows his identity but walked away from faith when his wife and son were killed. And in the midst of the danger and unknowns, they may be falling in love.

Vicki Hinze has written 23 novels and 3 non-fiction books in the general market. Forget Me Not is her first “faith-affirming romantic thriller, and she handily earns a spot at the top of my suspense list with Brandilyn Collins. Her next novel in the Crossroads Crisis Center series is Deadly Ties, coming February, 2011.

You can read the first chapter of Forget Me Not,  and learn more about award-winning author Vicki Hinze at her website. Check out an in-depth interview with Vicki Hinze at Nora St. Laurent’s Finding Hope Through Fiction blog.

Here’s the book trailer for Forget Me Not: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi9bXuLk_Fw]

[review copy borrowed from the public library]

Review: On Thin Ice, by Linda Hall

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On Thin Ice, by Linda Hall (Love Inspired, 2010)

Megan Brooks and Alec Black were in deeply love as teens, planning an early wedding because of a surprise pregnancy. Tragedy struck, they each made hard choices, and they haven’t seen one another since.

Until now.

As the 20th anniversary of their ill-fated wedding date approaches, members of the wedding party begin dying under suspicious circumstances.

Megan fears she’s next, so she tracks Alec to his home in Whisper Lake Crossing, Maine. As hard as it is to see him again, she knows they need to work together to save their lives. Dare she hope they can also rekindle their relationship, or will Alec still put his family first?

As always, Linda Hall delivers a novel with well-developed characters: individuals who have known pain and who, by the story’s end, may be surprised by hope. Also as always, she provides a villain who’s disturbingly real.

Because Love Inspired books are shorter than some, she doesn’t have room to delve as thoroughly into the secondary characters and plotlines as she otherwise would. It’s still a satisfying read, and short enough to finish in an evening. It’s set in snowy February, but for me it made the perfect antidote to a hot summer evening.

On Thin Ice is the second instalment in the Whisper Lake series, and I enjoyed recognizing characters from the first book, Storm Warning. Book three, Critical Impact, comes out in October 2010.

Linda Hall is a multi-published, award-winning Canadian suspense author. To learn more about her and her books, visit writerhall.com. 

[Book source: my personal library]
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Review: Back on Murder, by J. Mark Bertrand

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Back on Murder: A Roland March Mystery, by J. Mark Bertrand (Bethany House, 2010)

Roland March was a good detective, but now he’s on the way out. Something happened—a bad case, a personal tragedy, perhaps both—and he stopped trying.

His chief reluctantly assigns him to a gangland murder: one last chance, and one March discovers he desperately wants to take.

His superiors want him gone. He’s told to drop his brilliant hunch. Everything he tries only makes things worse. And it’s September, time for his wife’s annual depression.

Back on Murder is a fantastic read. Author J. Mark Bertrand nails the detective’s voice in this first-person novel. His descriptions are fresh, vivid, unique.

This is some of what March sees as he studies the first crime scene:

“The couch cushions blossom white with gunshots, exposed foam bursting from the wounds…. Evidence markers, chalk lines. imposing scientific regularity over the shell casings, the dropped firearms, the fallen bodies.” (page 12)

Here, March is arguing with his wife, Charlotte:

“We’re not yelling at each other. Not quite. But it’s a hissing little knife fight of a conversation, no dodging or parrying, just attack, attack, attack.” (page 42)

First person works for me as a mystery reader—whatever the sleuth or detective learns, I learn as well. Sometimes I can even piece a few clues together before he or she does, although not so much in this case.

But the novel is written in the present tense, a major turn-off for me. This is a fast-paced story, and once I was into it, my brain converted the action descriptions to past tense (that’s what it thinks is normal after 40+ years of reading). Then it would trip on a present-tense verb and throw me off the story’s rollercoaster. Not fun.

In the midst of assimilating the whole present-tense-fast-action thing, on page one I found a description of the murder victim: unique and well-written, but referring to his “wife-beater”. While I usually feel the political-correctness enforcers go overboard, this one should maybe have been stopped.

I was surprised a) that it was there, and b) that all readers would be expected to know the words mean a sleeveless, scooped-neck undershirt. If you didn’t know, I doubt you’d figure it out from context. You’d just be thinking about the dead guy having beaten his wife. This dead guy may not even have had a wife, so that’s a bad distraction from what he did have: enemies.

It’s hard for crime novels to have happy endings when they’re about death. March’s case resolves in a mostly satisfactory manner from his perspective. For readers, it a good ending. Our questions have been answered, some justice has been dealt, and there’s an open-ended issue that promises us future plots. Professionally, things are looking up for March. On a personal level, he and Charlotte are making progress.

March is a non-Christian protagonist for both Christian and general market police procedural lovers. Readers wanting a conversion scene for March need to look elsewhere. It wouldn’t be a realistic step for him at this point, but perhaps in a future novel. I found his non-faith gave him the opportunity to let Christians see how others may perceive us. He isn’t intentionally nasty, but he doesn’t get it. We all know people like that, and we need to understand them and to help them understand us.

J. Mark Bertrand is the co-author (with Deeanne Gist) of the romantic suspense, Beguiled. Back on Murder is so tightly-written that I can’t believe it’s his first solo novel.

Take a few minutes to read an excerpt from Back on Murder.  And there’s an interesting Q&A with J. Mark Bertrand that promises:

“With the fallout from Back on Murder, and some new secrets coming to light, March’s next case might be the most disturbing he’s ever faced. The next book in the Roland March series, Pattern of Wounds, is schedule for release in Summer 2011.” [Read the full Q&A here.]

J. Mark Bertrand’s website is Back on Murder. Why write the novel in first-person, present-tense, with a non-Christian protagonist who’s somewhat of an anti-hero? In a guest-blogging post at best-selling suspense novelist Brandilyn Collins’ Forensics and Faith blog, he claims, “The Story Made Me Do It”.

I like Roland March, and I’m glad he’s back on murder. Present-tense narrative or no, I’ll be waiting to read Pattern of Wounds.

[Review source: Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available now at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Review: The God Cookie, by Geoffrey Wood

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The God Cookie, by Geoffrey Wood (WaterBrook Press, 2009)

“Perhaps none of this would have happened had they not been arguing about golf balls.”

I don’t know about you, but I figure any book that opens with a line like that has to be worth reading. Especially when it’s written by Geoffrey Wood, who had me laughing frequently in his previous novel, Leaper.

The ones doing the arguing are Parrish, Mason and Duncan, three guys in their early 20’s who work together in Parrish’s coffee shop. They do a lot of this friendly hassling of one another, and on the day in question the topic somehow gets around to whether God talks to people. (Parrish thinks He’s real, the other two aren’t sure, and none of them pay Him much mind.)

Circumstances unfold in such a way that when Parrish opens a fortune cookie after the argument, he believes the words inside are from God. A little bemused and regretting he asked God to speak, he isn’t quite sure what God wants him to do.

Parrish ends up at a bus stop, where he befriends Rose and Audra and encounters a host of other characters. He thinks he’s supposed to help someone, and as he bumbles along trying to find who that someone is and what to do for them, he draws Audra along with him.

Geoffrey Wood is a thinker, as well as having a delightfully quirky sense of humour. His slightly detached, omniscient style works well in this story (although I did have some trouble in the opening pages, trying to figure out who was who among the three guys). It also lets him pull readers in as observers, and behind the surface storyline we can think about the deeper questions he raises about how we relate to one another—and to God.

Although the narrative feels a bit distant, it offers glimpses into individuals’ daily struggles that let readers empathize. I hope it teaches us, as the events teach John Parrish, to listen. Really listen to the people around us.

WaterBrook is a Christian publisher, but The God Cookie is a novel that should cross over well to the mainstream market. It’s definitely not “formula Christian material” (whatever that is). None of the characters go to church or do all “the right things”.

Some Christian readers may look only at the surface and close the book as moderately irreverent. That would be a mistake. Read to the end, and while you won’t find fancy theology, you’ll find spiritual truth (suitable to Christianity, not just vague truth). And it’s not irreverent, it’s honest about where these three men are in their spiritual lives at the start of the story.

We all know people like that. They don’t mean to be offensive to God, they just don’t have Him on their radars. Everyone starts that way until He pings us with His.

I’d like to know where the novel is set. It’s somewhere in the United States I presume, northern enough to need hats and gloves in February but where snow that late in the season is not a given.

Canadian readers, be warned: the novel refers to people wearing toboggans. I puzzled a bit about why one would wear a toboggan that was meant for coasting on snow, and then I wondered if an intrepid Canadian had pulled the wool over the author’s and editors’ eyes. (Bad pun intended.)

We call them toques, (or tuques, depending on who you believe). For the uninitiated, that’s pronounced to rhyme with “Luke” and it’s a knitted hat. According to Wikipedia, “toboggan” is a short form of “toboggan hat”. But on the toboggan page it sends you to the tuque page to read about the hat. It also says a toque is a chef’s hat and a tuque is a knitted hat, but any knitting pattern I’ve seen has spelled it toque. Google search obligingly provides hats for both spellings.

A traditional book review shouldn’t rabbit-trail like this, but somehow I think Parrish and his buddies would approve. Nonetheless, back on track. Here are some snippets from the novel, to show the fresh delivery Geoffrey Wood gives his prose and his ideas:

“Duncan…leaned on the espresso bar, nervously patting the top of his head with his hand, as if gentle persistence might nudge his thoughts out of hiding.” (p. 162)

“My strangling a bus sign cannot, unfortunately, be blamed on my head wound.” (p. 188, and my personal favourite line in the novel.)

“What God did next for Audra was interesting, mainly because God had been doing it all along. [without it yet being seen]” (p.266)

I laughed less with The God Cookie than with Leaper, but I thought more and got the message better. I hate to use a word like “message” because neither novel is “about” an agenda. Neither preaches. They’re about the characters. Those characters, at least the protagonists, grow and change, but it comes organically from their natures and their experiences.

The God Cookie is a brilliant novel, and I hope we’ll see more from Geoffrey Wood very soon.

Check out chapter one of The God Cookie and see if you don’t want to read more. You can read an interview with Geoffrey Wood at Novel Journey.

Here’s a video introduction to The God Cookie from the author himself. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ROs9DvQ6o]

[Review copy courtesy of my local public library.]

Review: This Isn’t the Life I Signed Up For, by Donna Partow

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This Isn’t the Life I Signed Up For, by Donna Partow (Bethany House, 2003)

The subtitle of this book is “A 10-week journey to hope and healing.” Donna Partow’s openness in sharing her own struggles gives her the credibility to write such a book.

She’s not a perfect woman dispensing packaged answers. In the journey toward hope and healing, she invites readers to “enroll in a class taught by a fellow student of life…guaranteed to include 0 percent oughts and shoulds. Instead, it’s 100 percent real life.” (page 16, 2003 edition)

We’ve all had disappointments and painful circumstances in our lives, the results of our own poor choices or things that just happened. We didn’t sign up for these—we want things like happiness, health and love.

The straight talk in this book offers us perspective on the past, and a way to move forward. It requires us to be open—real—with God, ourselves and others. Letting go and forgiving the hurts we’ve endured, big and small, can free us to embrace hope and healing: the life we’d like to sign up for.

I pulled this review from my ‘archives’ file, only to discover that This Isn’t the Life I Signed Up For has been re-released in 2010 from Baker Publishing Group with a new format.

From the Chapters-Indigo website:

“This new edition of This Isn’t the Life I Signed Up For now follows the format of Donna Partow’s most popular book, Becoming a Vessel God Can Use. Each of the ten chapters includes an integrated Bible study, along with helps for group leaders.”

I like this. My 2003 version has all the teaching but required a separate book for the Bible study aspect. As I check my shelves, I see I don’t have the book anymore. If you buy a copy, beware lending it out–your friend may want to keep it!

From the Baker website:

“The tools you need to make positive life changes are all here: In-depth Bible study, practical life application, Scripture memorization, and more. As Donna says, ‘If God can breathe new life into my weary heart and soul•there’s hope for everyone!’”

Donna Partow’s style is fresh and direct, and her message is timely. Her previous books include the bestselling Becoming a Vessel God Can Use, Walking in Total God-Confidence, and Standing Firm. More recent books are Becoming the Woman I Want to Be, Becoming a Vessel of God’s Power, and Making Money From Home: How to Run A Successful Home-Based Business.

You can find plenty of resources including online classes, news updates and tips on faith, family, fitness and finances at Donna’ website, Maximize Your Life for Maximum Kingdom Impact.

Review: Caught Dead, A Dean Constable Mystery, by Jayne E. Self

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Caught Dead: A Dean Constable Mystery, by Jayne E. Self (Serialized in the Presbyterian Record, 2010)

After 16 years in Buffalo, Dean Constable has returned to the town of Lynngate, New York, to help his brother care for their aging father and to serve in his first pastorate. He’s still settling in when his long-time friend Justin is killed in a car accident.

A former police officer, Dean is determined to leave investigating to the experts—until Justin’s sister Paige pleads for his help. And until he sees signs of an official cover-up.

The story takes place just after Christmas, and Dean has charge of his father, Tony, for the holidays. As well as finding the truth about Justin’s death, Dean must prove himself to his parishioners, his father, and himself.

The mystery is well done, with hints and clues and complications, and the characters have a depth that drew me into the story. Not only did I want to see what happened, I cared about the people it was happening to.

Jayne Self knows churches and small towns. She gives us the usual background characters: the busybody neighbour, the big shot who wants church run his way, the single church lady with an eye for the new minister. We recognize them, but these aren’t flat stereotypes. Just like real people, they come with surprises.

Even more real and complex are the main players: Dean, Tony, and Paige. Dean’s an adopted son and he’s never felt like he belonged. Paige grew up in her brother’s shadow. Tony is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. These, plus each one’s lifetime of experiences, shape them into believable individuals worth spending time with. In that sense, I was disappointed to reach the end of the book. I’m looking forward to Dean’s next mystery, Hit’N Miss.

Jayne writes with compassion for her characters, and this is especially clear in Dean’s attempts to care for his father. He makes mistakes, but he treats Tony with a gentle dignity. Often we don’t know how to respond to people suffering dementia, and Dean gives us a positive example.

Caught Dead is a mystery complete with poignant moments, humour, and evocative descriptions. Check out this one from the scene of Justin’s crash:

“Crooked headlights shone on a row of weathered monuments. Their narrow shadows pointed toward the church like bony fingers reaching for a second chance at life.” [The police] “strung their yellow tape around the cemetery like a macabre Christmas garland.”

Or Dean, observing wildlife tracks in the woods:

“Signs Dad taught me, familiar bits of creation that spoke to my heart long before I ever recognized the voice of their Creator.”

As a minister, part of Dean’s job is to preach. But the novel isn’t preachy. Dean is an authentic Christian, a fairly recent convert, with strengths and weaknesses. The spiritual element of the novel flows naturally because it’s part of Dean’s story. He’s growing spiritually as well as in other areas of character. What stuck with me was his discovery that he’d been doing well trusting the Head (Jesus) of the church, but not so well trusting the rest of the body (his fellow believers).

Like any good mystery, Caught Dead is hard to put down. It’s currently available online as a weekly serial at the Presbyterian Record. One of the reasons I leapt at the chance to review it is I’d get to read the rest of the novel without the enforced breaks.

Jayne E. Self is a Canadian author whose previous credits include articles and short stories. Caught Dead is her first published novel. It was a finalist in 2009 for The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award (for unpublished work). To learn more about Jayne and her novel, see the Caught Dead book trailer on her website.

[Electronic review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.]