A Review of "Long Black Veil"

Intrigued by the thought of a good murder mystery in an abandoned penitentiary, I had high hopes for this book.

I am sorely disappointed. From the beginning I found it confusing with the introduction of too many characters in the first few pages. The story constantly changes perspectives and it was hard to follow. As I read on it became blatantly clear that the author has an agenda. Two of the characters are transgender, and too much of the story focused on that rather than the murder mystery. It is bogged down with too many references and details that fail to move the plot forward. When I found out who was behind the murder half way through the book, I was tempted to stop reading. The only thing that kept me going was writing this review. With too many characters, too many mundane references and details, a hard -to- follow narrative, lots of foul language and an obvious agenda, I will not be recommending this book to anyone.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for writing this honest review.

Comments

A Review of "Oikonomics"

Book two of the new year: Oikonomics by Mike Breen and Ben Sternke This book is all about being a family on a mission, using the resources we have to live holistically fulfilled lives as Jesus intended. Using an economic vocabulary, Breen and Sterke order five areas of "capital" in which we can invest: spiritual, relational, physical, intellectual, financial. (In that order) It's about how we invest our time, energy, and money to be better disciples of Christ. It's full of examples from Scripture. Each story is eye opening as to how fundamental these capitals are as disciples, and how fruitful we will be for the Kingdom depending on how we use them. At the end of the book there is space for the reader to assess his capital resources and how to invest and exchange to grow them. This was really helpful to my husband and me to assess where we are and how we can grow to be more fruitful. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's short, enlighte...

A Review of The Heist: How Grace Robs us of Our Shame

Chris Durso is a pastor's kid and now a pastor himself. He follows the theme of heist all throughout his book masterfully and mindfully. The idea of how Grace robs us of our shame is beautifully woven throughout the entire book. Using the stories of The Prodigal Son and Jacob's wrestling with God, he reveals how our sin and our shame can weigh us down and yet how God's grace draws us back to himself. At first this book seemed too simple for a Christian who has been in the faith for many years, but as I continued reading I found that the simplest truths revealed themselves in new and profound ways through Durso's writing. I found that I looked at the prodigal son in a new light. He seemed more and more like the actual real person that he was. He thought about leaving. He thought about the choice to squander his inheritance before he actually did it. He considered his sin just as we do. The only thing that I questioned about this book was that I don't think Chri...

A Review of "Convicted"

In 2006 I was a Sophomore in college when the unthinkable happened. A van full of students from my university was hit by a semi and two of the victims were misidentified. One alive, one deceased. Mark Tabb tells the riveting story of forgiveness then in "Mistaken Identity:, and he does it again in his book, "Convicted." This book takes place in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a small community permeated by drugs, poverty, and crime. It is told from two perspectives - a crooked cop wanting to get drug dealers off the streets at the cost of his integrity, and the wrongfully accused Jameel. Each tells his side, the events leading up to the arrest and all the turmoil faced after. Both encounter Jesus, and by a miraculous turn of events, develop a friendship based on forgiveness. At times the book is redundant, but otherwise it is a convicting and sobering account of racial injustice and a broken system. It challenged me to add...

Ashley Boulais

Search This Blog