Tag Archives: Christian fiction

Review: The Watcher, by Sara Davison

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The Watcher, by Sara Davison (Word Alive Press, 2011)

One traumatic night changed Kathryn Ellison’s life. Now, 20 years later, she has a chance at love and she’s ready to take it.

But first, she must confront a shoebox of memories.

Each item deserves a final look before she burns it. Each look takes readers into Kathryn’s past, to pain but also to glimpses of hope and healing.

Kathryn has raised her daughter, Lexi, with the help of her supportive family. Lexi is a young woman now, determined to find the father she never knew—and unaware that he’s a rapist.

I’m leery of reading about sexual violence, but I made it through the novel unscathed. The details come out in gradual doses, with nothing gratuitous or graphic. Kathryn’s pain is real, but so is her love for her daughter and for others in her life. After 20 years, she lives a normal, if solitary, life. She’s accepted what happened—though she’d never  have chosen it—and so found healing.

Because it’s been so long since the events of that night, Kathryn—and readers—have a bit of emotional distance. Extensive flashbacks aren’t widely favoured, but this novel wouldn’t work in straight time. There would be too many superfluous details to wade through.

We experience key moments from her past that reveal the progress she’s made, and that’s enough. We also trace her growing attraction to Nick, the man who’s calling her to leave the past behind.

The Watcher would have been a compelling read on these terms alone, but Sara Davison gives it a fresh twist. In a time when novels are mostly first- or third-person as told by strong, key players, this one is narrated by Kathryn’s invisible companion, a being who can watch and wait but not physically interfere. The watcher and companions like Grace, Faith and Love, operate under the Creator’s own watchful eye.

The watcher adds humour and compassion to what might otherwise be a difficult read. She’ll occasionally turn from the narrative to address the reader directly. Again, it’s not usually done these days, but it works really well. She had me on page one and kept me through the story.

Have a look at one of her pithier observations:

Although it’s almost always better when Truth shows up, he is a bit of a showman and I often wonder if it’s as necessary as he seems to think to burst onto the scene like Liza Minnelli sweeping onto the stage, arms spread, and singing at the top of her lungs. [p. 142]

The watcher’s brief comments to readers are clearly set apart from the regular text with italics and with small images. It works really well. The flashbacks are separated from Kathryn’s present time by a few blank lines, and this has its limitations. If the blanks fall at the end of a page, it’s not immediately clear that there’s been a break. I think inserting a mark of some kind would have made it clearer.

There are three main timelines woven through the novel: Kathryn’s present, events of 20 years ago, and significant developments bridging from then to now. Since all involve the same characters, at times I had trouble discovering which time I was in.

Two things I’d have liked to see cleared up were what happened to the man who planned Kathryn’s abduction (and why he never seemed to do anything else towards his intended victim) and why her boyfriend Ty didn’t rush to her side in the hospital. Despite that, and despite a key copyediting oops where the watcher clings to the inverted promise that “the darkness always overcomes the light” [p. 186], I highly recommend reading The Watcher.

Sara Davison’s (or is it the watcher’s?) voice is fresh and vivid, with strong descriptive skills. This debut Canadian author is worth checking out.

Read an excerpt from The Watcher here, and find discussion questions here. The unpublished manuscript won Word Alive Press’ 2010 publishing contest in the fiction category, and was published in March 2011. Sara Davison blogs at Choose to Press On. You can also find her on her website and on Facebook, as well as at the Great Canadian Authors site.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Word Alive Press and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available now from your favourite bookseller.]


Review: Yesterday’s Tomorrow, by Catherine West

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Yesterday’s Tomorrow, by Catherine West (OakTara, 2011)

It’s 1967. Journalist Kristin Taylor defies convention and flies to Vietnam to take up her father’s legacy of reporting from the war zone. She lands an assignment with a US-based paper and begins producing a string of high-quality articles. Her editor pairs her with Luke Maddox, a photographer with a painful past—and whom she suspects of working for the CIA.

Sparks fly between Kristin and Luke from their first meeting (he nearly shoots her) but so does an attraction that’s hard to ignore. Problem is, Luke’s still grieving for his wife and daughter. And Kristin’s on a mission that leaves no time for personal flings.

Luke’s driver and best friend is a Black soldier named Jonno, who developed asthma after he reached Vietnam but refuses to accept a discharge to go home. The banter between Luke, Kristin and Jonno is fast, funny and sometimes poignant. Jonno gives us a peek into the level of racial oppression going on in the US in the late 60’s.

Catherine West has written a strong debut novel, rich in the sights and sounds of the exotic Vietnam locales. She does a superb job of conveying Kristin and friends’ reaction to the horrors of the war without overloading the reader. And she provides places of respite, like the Saigon orphanage run by a missionary couple who befriend both Kristin and Luke.

The characters are real, and readers can feel their hurts. Yesterday’s Tomorrow is a compelling read that kept pulling me back when I needed to put it down. There’s a strong romantic element, but there’s also a lot of action. With point of view roles shared by Kristin and Luke, I think this is a novel both women and men will enjoy.

Bermuda-based Catherine West is a member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers, and is a founding member of International Christian Fiction Writers. You can learn more about her at her website, or check out her blog about writing and life. Click here for my interview with Catherine West.

Review: Intervention, by Terri Blackstock

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Intervention, by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan, 2009)

Single mother Barbara Covington has tried everything to get her teen daughter Emily off drugs. Now she’s sunk a fortune into a last-chance effort with a professional interventionist. But when the interventionist is murdered, Emily disappears—and becomes the prime suspect.

Barbara and her 14-year-old son Lance believe Emily is innocent. Not trusting detective Kent Harlan to have Emily’s best interests at heart, Barbara chases down half-seen clues, putting her own life in danger and potentially compromising the investigation.

Now Kent has to divide his attention between finding the missing girl and keeping her mother safe.

Bestselling author Terri Blackstock always delivers a page-turning read. Intervention begins as a straightforward missing-person mystery. When readers finally meet the antagonist, he’s a different kind of villain: real and dangerous, but not a creepy psycho. The suspense is strong, and the story satisfies. It also gives readers a better understanding and compassion for addicts and their families.

Published in 2009, Intervention is the first in a series of addiction-related suspense novels. The sequel, Vicious Cycle, is available now.

There’s an interesting interview with Terri Blackstock that opens with the video trailer for Intervention and shares the personal story that prompted the novel. It’s about ten minutes long. If you don’t have time for that right now, here’s the video trailer to Intervention. Or click here to read a sample of Intervention.

Review: The Personifid Project, by R.E. Bartlett

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The Personifid Project, by R.E. Bartlett (Realms, 2005)

Some time in the future, Earth is a baked planet under a yellow sky, oceans rapidly receding. Most people live in domed cities with advanced technology. Not only are robots and androids readily available, many humans have transferred their souls from mortal bodies into “personifids” in the quest of eternal life in more attractive forms.

Aphra is a 23-year-old human whose friends are androids. She always gets her own way, and doesn’t know how to relate to other humans on a personal level. She’s never seen a live dog, either, only the artificial ones.

R.E. Bartlett does a great job of conveying Aphra’s spoiled, self-centred attitude while building reader sympathy. After all, the poor fem’s security is abruptly shattered when the most powerful man in the city sends his cohorts to hunt her down after she hears—and witnesses—his secrets.

The language often feels passive or a touch restrained, but that’s how Aphra views the world. As the novel progresses, she meets other humans and learns to really live. She also learns about the Triune Soul, as humans now call the Trinity.

The Personifid Project is disturbingly similar to our own time’s fascination with personal entertainment devices and virtual friendships. It’s a scary look at where these things could lead us if we’re not wise.

The technology isn’t fully explained—and that would only slow the story. They have flying cars, something called luminires that are like teleporters, and voice-activated computers that can manufacture food and change their owners’ appearance.

This last one confused me, and a bit of explanation would have helped. The best I can figure is, the computer can project over great distances, whether an appearance mask or a personal force-field. I’m not sure that’s the reason, but I enjoyed the story regardless.

The Personifid Project is one of those novels that kept coming back to me when I wasn’t reading, and I finished it more quickly than I expected. Now I’m eager to read the sequel, The Personifid Invasion, published by Marcher Lord Press. Must work through that looming to-read pile first!

R.E. Bartlett is a New Zealand author. The Personifid series are her first published novels. You can read an interview with R.E. Bartlett here.

[Review copy from my personal library]

Review: Critical Impact, by Linda Hall

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Critical Impact, by Linda Hall (Steeple Hill, 2010)

Critical Impact is romantic suspense that opens with a bang—literally. Makeup artist Anna Barker narrowly escapes death when an explosion rips through city hall. Two of her students are killed, and the mayor is seriously injured.

Anna herself may lose the use of her hand—the hand she relies on in her work. Ironically, she and her team were preparing to do the injury simulation makeup for a mock disaster exercise.

Deputy Stu McCabe is first on the scene to rescue Anna. Despite incriminating evidence that links her to the blast, his instincts say she’s innocent. And his heart needs her to be.

She claims she saw her abusive ex-boyfriend at the scene. Or was the attack aimed at the mayor? Or at one of Anna’s students?

Anna’s aunt is involved with the mayor’s wife in a cult-like church that celebrates the explosion as an act of God’s wrath. Living with her mother and aunt, will Anna get the support she needs? Especially when “accidents” start happening?

Critical Impact is the third the Whisper Lake series, set in small-town Maine. Readers will recognize characters from the first two novels. As always, Linda Hall delivers well-thought-out characters and a complex plot, and she finds a way to get us thinking about our faith. Steeple Hill novels aren’t in stores long, but they’re always available through the online stores.

Check out Linda Hall’s website to learn more about the author and her books. There’s also a “Fans of Linda Hall” book club on Facebook.

[Review copy from my personal library]
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Review: Come Find Me, by Ruth Waring

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Come Find Me, by Ruth Waring (Word Alive Press, 2010)

In 1939, rejected because of their conversion to Christianity, thirteen-year-old Evlyna Cohen’s family left a thriving orthodox Jewish community in Toronto, Canada, to start over where no-one knew them. The Cohens became the Crawfords and hid their ethnic background so they’d be welcome among the Gentiles.

Come Find Me opens in 1964 with Evelyn Sherwood, now a widow with a teenage daughter. Evelyn’s Jewish heritage is only one of the secrets she keeps buried. She has never forgiven her parents for their choice, nor will she forgive their God.

Her late husband and their daughter, Lucy, shared a strong faith that helped them love and support Evelyn despite her difficult personality. Now Lucy and Evelyn grieve separately.

It’s tricky to write an engaging novel with an antagonistic lead character, but Ruth Waring pulls it off well. We meet Evelyn on the brink of becoming willing to step out from behind the wall she’s built—or at least to admit she needs to do so. We also meet Lucy, whose hopeful spirit and insights into her mother’s behaviour influence how we view her.

The novel is a heart-warming story of a repressed, embittered woman’s emergence into light and love and into the beginning of a relationship with the God who’s been whispering “Come find Me” for so many years.

It’s a tale of family, faith, community, with a thread of romance, set in small-town Alberta, and its short chapters invite you to read “just one more”.

Ruth Waring is a Canadian author and speaker living in Ontario. You can read an interview with Ruth at the Interviews and Reviews blog, and learn more about Come Find Me on Facebook. The novel is available online and through your local Christian bookstore.

[Review copy from my personal library]

Friday Friends: Catherine West

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Catherine West’s debut novel, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, an inspirational contemporary romance, releases in March 2011 from Oak Tara Publishing.

I had the privilege of meeting Cathy a few years ago in her beautiful home country of Bermuda, when she kindly took time to have tea with a fellow member of American Christian Fiction Writers (despite neither of us being American…)

Janet: Welcome, Cathy, and congratulations on your upcoming novel! Let’s start by getting to know you.

Cathy: Hi Janet, thanks for having me! Well, like Janet says, I live in Bermuda, which is a small island about 700 miles off the coast of North Carolina, so we’re pretty close to the States, but we’re actually a British colony. I was born and raised here.

Janet: What got you started writing?

Cathy: I’d have to say I’ve always loved to write. English was my best subject in school. I started to read at an early age, and read pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. I had a vivid imagination and spent a lot of time daydreaming, which got me into lots of trouble at school. I think getting into writing fiction was just a natural progression of who I am and the abilities I’d been given.

Janet: Tell us a bit about Yesterday’s Tomorrow.

Cathy: Yesterday’s Tomorrow is one of those ‘book-of-the-heart’ stories for me. The idea came completely out of the blue – a female journalist goes to Vietnam to cover the war. I was told several things. 1. It’s been done. Maybe not the exact same story, but similar ones about Vietnam can be found, and also a ton of movies. 2. I’d be getting in way over my head. Too much research. No way to keep it authentic. 3. It would never fly. Nobody wants to discuss the Vietnam War let alone read about it. Certainly not in CBA.

I didn’t really care. While the story does take place during a war, it is a love story. And it’s character driven, so I didn’t really think the war thing would be a major drawback. I knew this was the story I had to write, so I went for it. I also knew it was a story that needed to be told with a Christian worldview in mind, and I didn’t want to settle for taking out the spiritual message and trying to sell it in ABA. So I wrote it, but I wasn’t really sure what would happen with it.

Truthfully, it was a tough sell. The naysayers were right, and I began to wonder why I’d just spent a year and a half writing and re-writing something that would never get past the files in my Mac. We actually put it on the shelf for a year. During that time, I just couldn’t let it go. Somehow I just knew it wasn’t over. So this past year we tried again with some smaller publishers that were more open to different topics, and Oak Tara jumped on it.

Janet: Where did the story idea come from?

Cathy: Honestly, I don’t really know. Years ago, I wrote a very similar story, very badly I might add. I kept the idea on file in my head I suppose, and when the time was right, it came back to me.

Janet: How did you research conditions in the Vietnam War? And did you pick up any odd bits of trivia that you’d like to share?

Cathy: I knew that if I was going to write authentically, I’d have to know what I was talking about. I began by purchasing every book on The Vietnam War that I could find. One in particular was brilliantly helpful – War Torn – Stories of War by the Women Who Reported the Vietnam War – a compilation of stories from nine female journalists that covered the war. (Random House, 2002).

I spent months scouring the Internet, reading Veteran blogs and websites. One thing I found interesting was that there weren’t too many people who were willing to talk about it. I was extremely blessed to be connected with the husband of a fellow ACFW member who served in Vietnam. His initial help with my early draft, wise counsel and sharing of information was instrumental in getting me off in the right direction. At one point in my researching, I remember writing to him and saying something along the lines of, “I don’t really understand it, but I feel like I’m stepping on holy ground.” His response, “You are.”

I picked up a ton of slang from that era as well as Army talk, none of which I can repeat here! It’s not really trivia, but in one scene, Kristin has to learn how to drive an Army Jeep. That was fun. I didn’t actually drive one myself, but I did receive some very helpful instructions from guys who had. I kind of wonder if I’d be able to!

Janet: Okay, I’m going to ask a question I personally hate answering. Feel free to pass. What’s the novel’s theme? Or what one key thing do you want readers to take away when they’re done?

Cathy: For this book, the question is easy. It’s multi-layered, but I believe that my characters learn about redemption, forgiveness and restoration. When you live through a war, that changes you. I’m not sure anyone can walk out of a war zone and be the same. You have to learn how to put things in perspective again. You may have done things you’re not proud of, but you’re redeemable. Things may have been done to you, and somehow you have to forgive your transgressors.

Ultimately, in time, restoration will happen. It won’t happen overnight, but if you believe that God works all things together for good, then on some level, you can begin to find your way back to wholeness. This is something I struggled with a great deal while writing this story – I’ve never been in a war zone. I haven’t experienced the horrific things my characters did. But I know what it is to suffer emotionally, and I know that you don’t get through that without faith, a knowledge that eventually God will step in and things will change. I didn’t want to come across as sounding trite or preachy, but ultimately, I have to believe this is true.

Janet: Is there another novel in the works?

Cathy: Yes. My agent is shopping a manuscript called Hidden in the Heart, which is a women’s fiction novel, loosely based on my own experience of searching for and finding my birth family. I’m also working on a family-saga type novel called Reprisal, and a contemporary romance called First Harvest.

Janet: You’re busy! But that’s good. Is there a particular song or Scripture verse that’s made a big difference for you?

Cathy: My family has gone through a few major things in the past few years. Some struggles we did not expect. Challenges and unexpected trials, and the loss of my two-month old great niece a couple of years ago. Several songs got me through some hard days, “Cry to Jesus” by Third Day, “Faithful One” by Brian Doerksen, and “Blessed Be Your Name” by Matt Redman. My life verse is probably cliché, but it’s Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Janet: “Blessed Be Your Name” has helped me through some rough places too. I think music takes us back to what you said earlier about suffering and waiting for God to bring wholeness.

What do you like best about the writing life?

Cathy: I love that I can stay home and do this! It’s a blast to just lose myself in another world for a few hours at a time – when I’m really into a story and things are going well, there’s nothing like it!

Janet: What do you like least?

Cathy: Getting through the first draft. I’m a seat-of-the-pantster, so I find it really difficult to plot beforehand. I may work from a rough outline, but I really have no idea where the story is going until I’m finished. I’m plagued by self-doubt the whole time, and I think I’ll get to the end and have to trash the whole thing because nothing makes sense! That’s not usually true, but I do a lot of revisions from that point on.

Janet: What do you do to get away from it all? Or on a lovely island like Bermuda, is that as simple as heading for the beach or the nearest garden?

Cathy: No. Familiarity breeds contempt. J I have to get on a plane to get away from it all! We have a summer home in Northern Ontario, on a beautiful quiet lake. That’s definitely a great retreat for me. Other fun trips are going to the US to spend time with my sister, which always involves shopping, or going to Toronto for a few days to catch up with my college-aged daughter, and that definitely involves shopping too!

Janet: What’s the most surprising/fun/zany/scary thing you’ve ever done?

Cathy: The scariest thing I’ve ever done is deciding to get serious about publication. That’s probably not the answer you were looking for, but really, putting myself out there, sending off query letters and sample chapters to agents and editors was WAY out of my comfort zone. And then there was attending my first writers conference, alone. THAT was scary. But after about ten minutes, I knew I’d come home. 🙂

Janet: That wasn’t what I was expecting, but I certainly relate. The sending out of our work is scary enough, but then there’s the opening of the reply when/if it comes… that’s terrifying. I’m glad you persevered to get a “yes” response for Yesterday’s Tomorrow, and I hope there are plenty more acceptances in your future. Thanks so much for taking time to let us get to know you a bit, Cathy. May the LORD continue to bless you and make you a blessing to others—in every area of your life.

===

About Yesterday’s Tomorrow:

It’s 1967 and Kristin Taylor wants to go to Vietnam to report on the war, and honor her father’s memory by becoming an award-winning journalist like he was. But no editor will send her. So she strikes out on her own and steps into a world more terrifying than she’d imagined.

As she encounters the horrors of war, Kristin struggles to report the truth while desperately trying to keep tabs on her only brother who enlisted some time ago, but both tasks seem impossible.

When she meets photographer Luke Maddox, Kristin knows she’s found a story. The mystery beneath his brooding eyes triggers her curiosity. She’s convinced he’s hiding something and determines to discover his secrets. The only trouble is, he won’t let her within three feet of him.

[Click here to read an excerpt from Yesterday’s Tomorrow, or here to visit Catherine West’s website.]

Review: Eternity Falls, by Kirk Outerbridge

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Eternity Falls, by Kirk Outerbridge (Marcher Lord Press, 2009)

Rick Macey is one of the best at tracking down—and shutting down—terrorists and other high-profile criminals. No longer working for the US government, he takes on projects that catch his personal interest. The novel opens with him in pursuit of a serial sniper, and the pace doesn’t slow as he jumps into a new case.

The year is 2081 and the future is a grim place where I wouldn’t want to live despite the technological advances. Cars have an auto-pilot feature. People have “neural nets” that sound like internet-enabled brains, only better. Science’s quest to extend human life has gone beyond cloning and cyborgs to the “Miracle Treatment” that lets people live forever.

The problem: one of the Treatment’s early takers has been found dead of natural causes. Macey’s assignment is to prove it’s the result of terrorist activity. He takes the job because the sole clue points to a memory from his own past.

Macey knows all the tricks, and he’s an excellent noir-type detective. He’s paired with the self-centred but attractive Sheila Dunn from the Miracle Treatment company’s head office, and as danger throws them closer together he tries to keep his distance. Macey has too many secrets for romance.

Eternity Falls has a satisfying number of twists, turns and revelations. The stakes start out high and get higher, masterfully woven by the author. This does not feel like a debut novel; it has complexity and depth and a detailed back-story that surfaces in bits and pieces as needed, to keep readers guessing.

I wasn’t sure if I liked the novel at first. The world is so dark. And the first characters to claim allegiance to God are either terrorists or seem like cult members. Knowing Marcher Lord Press, I reasoned there had to be more to the faith element than this. And I decided I trusted Macey even if he was surrounded by unlikely individuals.

Eternity Falls is billed as a cyber-thriller, dark PI fiction and cyberpunk. It’s high-tech, darker and more violent than I usually read, and Macey finds some interesting spiritual insights while he’s trying to keep himself and Sheila alive. He’s a fine story hero.

If you like thrillers and science fiction, and you’re not afraid of characters who mention God, check it out. I enjoyed it and I’ll be looking for more from Kirk Outerbridge. You can read a sample of Eternity Falls here.

You can read an interview with Bermudian author Kirk Outerbridge here. Eternity Falls is his first novel, and winner of the 2010 Carol Award for speculative fiction. A second Rick Macey novel is now out as well: The Tenth Crusader.

[Review copy from my personal library]

Review: Fatal Judgment, by Irene Hannon

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Fatal Judgment, by Irene Hannon (Revell, 2011)

US Marshal Jake Taylor thrives on high-risk assignments, but when he pulls protection detail for Judge Elizabeth Michaels his first instinct is to flee. Liz is the widow of his best friend, and the little Jake knows about her doesn’t impress him.

As Jake works to keep her safe from her sister’s killer, he discovers a woman far different from the cold-hearted workaholic he’d expected. Jake and Liz each carry the pain of regret and of losing a spouse, and an attraction grows between them that makes it hard for Jake to keep his professional distance.

Fatal Judgment delivers both the wait-and-see kind of suspense (as we watch a disturbingly realistic enemy plan his attack) and the catch-him-before-he-kills-again suspense with danger and a ticking clock.

There’s plenty of action (including a helicopter, which is always a plus for me). There are also genuinely likeable and believable characters, including Jake’s brother and sister, who I hope will have their own turns to star in later books in the “Guardians of Justice” series.

Irene Hannon’s careful research makes the details sound right and the action flow. As a bonus, in a time where copy-editing glitches are showing up in even the most-respected publishers’ work, it’s a treat to see that this author/editing team knows how to correctly use the phrase “homing in.”

I really enjoyed the novel. You can read an excerpt of Fatal Judgment, or if you’ve already read the novel, check out the discussion guide for Fatal Judgment.

Irene Hannon is a RITA® award winner (and four-time finalist) with over 35 books to her credit. After a successful career writing contemporary romance, she moved to romantic suspense titles with the “Heroes of Quantico” series: Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm’s Way. I’ll be on the lookout for those in the near future.

C.J. Darlington has posted an interesting interview with Irene Hannon at Titletrakk.com. To learn more about the author and her other books, visit the official Irene Hannon website.

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

Review: Come to Me, by Laura J. Davis

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Come to Me, by Laura J. Davis (Word Alive Press, 2010)

Come to Me is the story of Jesus as told by His mother, Mary, near the end of her life. Author Laura J. Davis has compiled the events from the four Gospels and filled in some of the blanks with her imagination. As she writes in the introduction, “If you are familiar with the Bible at all, you will recognize my ‘what-if’ scenarios throughout the book.” She’s invested considerable time in this project, and it makes an interesting and well-thought-out story.

Come to Me is told from a Protestant understanding,  including mention of Jesus’ half-brothers and half-sisters. Roman Catholics and others whose teaching holds that Mary remained a virgin can still read and enjoy the book—just be prepared that you won’t agree with everything. The life of Christ as presented in Scripture has not been changed.

In reading between the lines of Bible text, the author attempts to make sense of how Judas Iscariot, and to a lesser extent Pontius Pilate, came to make the choices they did. The book makes no claim of historical accuracy in these extrapolations, but they’re plausible. Again, if you think differently, remember this is a novel and not a statement of fact.

The story is framed by Mary narrating to Luke and to others. The omniscient point of view keeps the tone somewhat emotionally distant, as we’re told what multiple characters in a scene are thinking. Technically, some of what’s told Mary couldn’t know (Jesus might have later shared His thoughts and feelings with her, but Judas and Pilate wouldn’t).

Aside from that, it’s a good novel to read, and telling “the old, old story” from a different angle lets readers gain new insight into the life of the One whose heart’s cry is “Come to Me”.

It’s especially poignant to read at Christmas or Easter, but it’s a good book for any time of the year. Readers familiar with the Scriptures will recognize many quotes from the Gospel accounts as the novel tells the life story of Jesus.

Come to Me is Canadian author Laura J. Davis’ first novel. You can learn more about Laura J. Davis at her website. Laura also writes two helpful blogs: The Writer’s Keep and Interviews and Reviews.

If you’re planning to buy a copy of Come to Me between now and February 14, 2011, visit Laura J. Davis’ online store. Laura will donate $1.00 from each book sold there to Compassion Canada.

[Review copy provided by the author for the purpose of a fair review.]