Here is another entry into the
Christian suspense genre. It concerns good and evil in the world told as a
murder story. The mystery genre is a good vehicle to talk about good and evil
as there can be bad people and good people portrayed in standard garb.
The elements are here. A couple of
victims, a sleuth, a detective, and a criminal. This being in the suspense motif we early on
know who did it and just are waiting for the revealing to others of the
perpetrator. There is a twist in this story handled artfully. It is a
satisfying and unexpected.
What I will say is Bartels uses one of Agatha
Christie’s plot twists and handles it
well. I will not give a spoiler.
Sometimes evil uses good to achieve
its goal. Under the surface things are different than appearances.
The main
character is a pastor. He is a popular preacher but not firm in his theology.
He is called in to help locate the killer who is leaving satanic signs on his
victims. His adventure leads him to the pit of evil and challenges his
application of his training.
Before the end
comes he will confront evil in a way that is life threatening.
I understand
this is Bartels’ first novel and I can see many more in the future should he
choose to continue as an author.
This book was sent to me free from Booklookbloggers.com for the
purpose of reviewing and placement on my book blog. The views expressed are
those of the reviewer and not the publisher.
