William Kent Krueger, Northwest Angle

Thanks to Amazon Vine and the publisher for the review copy.

In this mystery filled with wonderful texture, Cork O'Connor and his family encounter mysterious evil forces in the aftermath of an epic storm that sweeps across the Lake of the Woods. While vacationing near the Northwest Angle in northern Minnesota, the O'Connors are caught in a fierce and destructive storm which scatters them across the lake. Jenny, Cork's daughter, washes up on a small island and discovers, in the storm's aftermath, a murdered woman and her hidden infant. This sets in motion a great chase, as unknown forces seem to be after the child. The O'Connors are eventually reuinted, but the plot only thickens as they begin to put the pieces together. The murdered woman, Lily Smalldog, worked for a reclusive band of fundamentalist Christians driven by apocalyptic visions of the End Times, and though they seemed to care for her, something doesn't seem right. Meanwhile, Lily's fugitive brother is on the loose, and Cork needs to figure out how he fits into the puzzle before more people get killed.

Krueger writes like a Tony Hillerman of the North, as Cork's Ojibwe heritage and the Native American background of the mother and baby come to play a key role in the story. He also develops a number of the characters, as each wrestles with the past, as well as trying to forge a way into the future. Jenny agonizes over her relationship with her boyfriend, Aaron, with the question of children at the center of the conflict. Cork is tring to move forward after the death of his wife, and is reluctant to be caught up in more violence. And in numerous characters, as well as in the main plotline of the book, the nature and identity of God/The Great Mystery become a key element, with the certainty of the fundamentalists and their End Times vision of God occupying one extreme, Henry Meloux and Amos Powassin, two Objiwe wise men and their vision of The Great Mystery on the other end, with Mal and Rose, Cork's brother- and sister-in law, and their Catholicism occupying a more moderate voice. Cork embodies this larger theme, with his spirituality coming "as much from the teaching of men like Henry Meloux, the old Ojibwe Mide, as it did from the text of the New Testament" (181). This honest wrestling with God's nature and purposes lends an agreeable depth and reflectiveness to the mystery genre and serves to make this a great read, both as a compelling mystery and as a work of thoughtful fiction. Though I personally may not agree with the way Cork chooses to resolve some of these themes (in what appears to be an easy syncretism between Ojibwe spirituality and Christianity), I do appreciate the authenticity of the questions and the perspectives that are being portrayed, and hope the dialogue continues in his future books.

In capturing the texture of the Lake of the Woods (I had the pleasure of reading the first half of the book while on a fishing trip there), and the people who live there, as well as building deep and interesting characters, Krueger has written a great book. I look forward to reading some of his others.

Stephen Lawhead, The Skin Map

Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the review copy. This book is the first in a new series by the prolific author Stephen Lawhead. The concept is a relatively intriguing one: London-resident Kit Livingstone sumbles on a "Ley line," an invisible portal between different universes of our multiverse. He is apparently possessive of some faculty that allows him to do this. And things get immediately stranger when he meets his great-grandfather, who helps him understand this new ability and this trans-universe travel. Soon he, and separately his casual girlfriend Wihlehmina, are off on adventures in other times and places. Wilhelmina ends up in 17th century Prague, and her storyline is a fun one, as she develops as a character and learns to navigate life in a different time and culture. Kit, meanwhile, is thrust on his own adventures in London and elsewhere. And as the story develops, we learn that there are forces for good and evil competing to track down the pieces of a mysterious map that holds important keys for navigating the ley lines.

There are the bones of a good story here, as well as some fun parts to this book. But overall it was really lacking in compelling characters and action to drive it. I was hoping for more from Lawhead, but he hasn't yet delivered. I hold out some hope for future volumes in the series, to see where he takes the action and how he develops the characters, but I'm not in a big hurry to get to them. If you read this one, know that it's only the beginning of the story.

Don Hoesel, The Alarmists

Thanks to Bethany House for the review copy. Brent Michaels is a professor of sociology brought in by a special Pentagon unit to consult on a series of seemingly random yet troubling escalations of violence across the globe. Colonel James Richards wants his advice on whether there is any sense that can be made of the scattered events that can point to either a cause or purpose behind them. The team is led all over the country and the world, investigating an oil rig explosion in Texas, political unrest in Afghanistan, and mysterious digging in Antarctica. Brent and the team seem always a step behind, but a picture does seem to be emerging that points beyond merely random occurrences of violence to a coordinated attempt to raise panic. But why? And who could manipulate events the world over? As they race to figure it out, Brent begins to wonder if these events are leading up to some great polarizing event meant to cause global panic, and sees the fast approaching mythic doomsday of December 21, 2012, as a likely time. So with only days to go, the team must figure out who is behind the plan and stop the world from careening out of control.

Hoesel's story is interesting, and Brent Michaels is a relatively strong main character. This book takes you to myriad locations and drives you on to its ending. It is pretty solid adventure fiction. The villain is a little implausible and stereotyped, as are some of the characters. And the main plot line likewise lacks some plausibility. But this is countered by relatively solid writing and a handful of stronger characters, along with some good action at exotic locations. My largest complaint about the book is probably its cover: it pictures a young-looking man with darked-out eyes holding his hand in front of his face. The problem is that this image seems to have absolutely no connection with anything in the book, at all. It doesn't fit the description of any of the characters, and certainly not the main characters. I don't want to belabor the point, but you do judge a book by its cover, and this one just doesn't work. An image of an oil derrick exploding or of an older professor-type character would have been plenty compelling, but it seems the art department didn't bother reading the book. That doesn't directly detract from what is otherwise a pretty good book, but it does warrant a mention. In all, I'd give the book 3.5 stars (though because Amazon doesn't do half stars, I bumped it up to four).

Margaret McLean, Under Fire

Thanks to the Amazon Vine program for the advanced review copy.

I loved this book. It was truly a pleasure to read and is a powerful debut from an attorney-turned-novelist who has obviously taken care to hone her writing craft. The story centers around a fire that breaks out in a Senagalese Market in Boston. During the rescue of the two occupants from the apartment above the store, one of the firefighters is shot and killed. The fire appears to be arson, and the store owner, Amina Dialla, a Senagalese immigrant, is arrested and charged. The story unfolds in the courtroom as this emotionally charged case plays out. Amina is represented by Sarah Lynch and her uncle Buddy Lynch, who believe in their client's innocence, but at the same time realize that there is more to her story than she is willing to let on. And the trial gets off to a bang when Sarah is shot by an gunman who appears to be attempting to kill Amina during the arraignment proceedings. From there the pressure mounts as the firefighters and politicians are calling for justice, while Sarah and Uncle Buddy are racing to find evidence that can clear their client and show who really started the fire. As shady mortgage deals, political intrigue, and possible connections to another arson case from a few years before all come to light, along with a homeless man's story about seeing an angel emerge on the roof during the fire, there are a lot of pieces that need to be put together.

McLean's book is a riveting piece of legal fiction, with great courtroom scenes, lots of action, and building tension, as the reader pulls for Amina Dialla but also knows that they don't know the whole story yet. She uses the perspectives of various jurors throughout to both develop their characters and give nice texture to the courtroom arguments. This book is well built, with a great story, interesting characters, and a case that just needs to be solved. The ending is a worthy payoff without being to facile or predictable. In all, this was one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while, and I look forward to more.

Philip K. Dick, The Adjustment Bureau (short story)

I listened to this audio book as part of the Amazon Vine program, so thanks to Amazon and the publishers for the review copy.

This is a great story, and the recording is well done. In this one-hour short story, Philip Dick builds a great little tale investigating the very fabric of reality. Ed and his wife Ruth are normal, everyday people with normal, everyday jobs. But one morning, Ed shows up late to work. And it turns out to be the day that his work segment is being "adjusted." So he stumbles unaware into a piece of reality that is deactivated for tweaking. He manages to escape, but has to try cope with this glimpse behind the curtain, as he comes to realize that reality is being manipulated by someone from the outside, and he even comes to learn why, when he meets the man "behind the curtain." Dick's story is a fun and also meaningful exploration of themes of providence, determinism, and fate, and I look forward to discussing it with others. This short story is very evocative of Farenheit 451 in the way it takes a look at reality that is at once fantastic and plausible, and he gives the reader or listener great food for thought. And the story is just plain fun. It is a riveting hour of listening, well narrated by Phil Gigante. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

Jeff Shaara, The Final Storm

I read this book as part of the Amazon Vine program, so thanks to Amazon and the publishers for a review copy.

This novel, The Final Storm, is a follow-up volume to Shaara's very good trilogy focusing on World War 2 as it developed in Africa and in Europe. Once the victory occurred there, the Allies shifted their full attention to the Pacific, and Shaara does likewise. He doesn't tell the whole story of the Pacific, but instead picks up the story in mid-stream, focusing on the final months of the conflict and the lead-up to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Like the earlier trilogy, this book is full of quality writing and thick characters, from President Harry Truman to Marine private Clay Adams to Chester Nimitz to Japanese General Ushijima (though the Japanese side of the narrative was weaker than I would have liked). He also uses vivid portrayals of the sights, smells, sounds, and experiences of battle, with all its brutality and horror. The middle section of the book (pages 70-330) focuses pretty tightly on the battle for Okinawa, a brutal battle that was more-or-less last in a chain of island battles fought by the Allies as they made their way toward Japan. And here is one of the weaknesses of this book that sets it apart from the earlier trilogy that I loved so much: in those books, it really felt like you got the story, from both sides, of how the war was developing, the big picture interspersed with on-the-ground experiences about what it was like to live through the various developments. But in this book, the battle for Okinawa seemed to overwhelm the larger narrative, and the book bogged down in the brutality of the slow advance around the island. The lead-up to Okinawa and the final part of the book focused on the decisions and preparation to drop the atomic bomb both picked up the tempo and broadened the perspective, and I enjoyed both of them immensely. And I grant that the battle for Okinawa helps put the decision to drop the horrific bomb on Japan in perspective of what a battle on Japanese soil might have been like for both sides, but it still bogged down the book. In all, I'd say this was a good book that could have been great.

Ben Witherington, Roman Numerals

Roman numerals is the second Art West adventure from Ben and Ann Witherington. Ben is a prolific and widely respected biblical scholar who has written widely in new testament history, exegesis and theology. Ann is his biology-professor wife. And together they have crafted this series of adventure mysteries. In this second installment, Art West finds himself investigating a major antiquities heist, and he is later abducted by an Islamic group that wants to silence his christian witness. The books are relatively well written, and have lots of action as well as some interesting characters. Much of the action takes place in Jerusalem and in archaeological sites in its surrounding hills, and the Witheringtons show sensativity to the complex historical, cultural, and theological situation there. Also a major theme in this book was Art's ficticious investigations into the presence and extent of the emperor cult in the first century, and especially in Palestine. this theme especially is helped by a brief author's note at the end of the book that details which archeological finds and ancient artifacts were real and which were ficticuous. I won't ruin the plot by outlining it here, but there is enough action woven together with thoughtful and authentic historical detail to make these great books, especially for people with interest in Biblical history and archaeology, and not to mention an ability to explore the content and implications of Christian faith. I look forward to reading the third installment.

William Golding, Lord of the Flies

William Golding won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most of us probably read this classic in school. I know I did, but it had been probably close to twenty years. So I picked it up again, and I'm glad I did. This well-told story is quite a study of human nature, as a group of stranded kids develop their own "society" and struggle to form and maintain some semblance of structure and norms as things devolve into something between tyranny and anarchy. It is certainly a fleshing out of a Christian understanding of humanity's tainted nature, "the darkness of man's heart" (286), whether he intended it so or not. I was also intrigued that just as the violence was reaching it's crecendo on the island, the boys were rescued by a military cruiser. So even as "civilization" comes to the rescue, we see that the picture on the island isn't so different from the civilized world of today. Certainly a thought-provoking book. Highly recommended.