Riven
by Jerry B. Jenkins
Writer of the “Left Behind Series”
Tyndale Publishers
Heinous as any murder can be, the crime is not the story here. Rather, along with many other elements—seemingly unrelated at first blush—the crime serves as mere impetus to what really happened. And that proved unforgettable to any old enough to remember.
The unnamed state in which these events occurred had for nearly two centuries flaunted its renegade spirit, thumbing its nose at Washington. A succession of maverick governors, including one who engineered the state’s four-year secession during the Civil War, had served to fashion the commonwealth into a virtual landlocked island unto itself. Only Louisiana rivaled its no-nonsense prisons, only Texas its record on capital punishment.
The state’s leaders and citizens were as proud of their tough-on-crime reputation as they were of the state’s highway system, constructed and maintained wholly apart from federal funds and linking to the interstates only at the borders. The governor was as proud of the state’s decades-old reputation for budget surpluses as the legislature was of its historic capitol building.
Our two main characters, however, had never before given a thought to matters of state and could not have imagined how such would so thoroughly determine their fates.
Jerry says: “This is the novel I have always wanted to write. I determine whether a fiction idea has merit by how long it stays with me. Does it rattle in my brain, and do I find myself telling it to my wife and other confidants? Is it the type of a tale that will draw me back to the keyboard every day? Two-thirds of my published books have been novels, and only three have had that effect on me.
I give my all to every one, but special joy and anticipation attend those that genuinely feel like the best ideas. Riven is my fourth such labor of love. The two main characters have remained in my memory since high school 40 years ago. The story idea is perhaps 20 years old. And those mystical, interweaving elements I hope make it all work have been tugging at me for more than a decade.
If a novelist has a life’s work, this is mine. I hope in the end you agree and that Riven stays with you long after the final page.”
Click Here to read Chapters 1 & 2
My Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
This is one of the best redemptive stories I’ve ever read. I highly recommend it. The story follows the life of two men. One serves God with all his heart, but never seems to make a difference no matter how hard he tries. The other man, Brady, follows the wrong road at every turn and can’t seem to make a wise decision. Their paths intersect, and when they do, God’s redemption and love changes the world.
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