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SHELTERED BY AN ANGEL'S WINGS

A Christian-oriented thriller with a wild but entertaining plot.

In Pasour’s debut novel, a devout Christian college professor thwarts a terrorist attack in England and becomes a prime target of terrorists in America.

Emily Ratliffe always wanted to travel. When she gets the opportunity to present her work at conference in England, her hotel is struck by a biological terrorist attack. All the hotel’s occupants become ill, and many die, as the hotel is put under quarantine. Ratliffe also gets sick but manages to survive thanks to the prayers of an old friend. Ratliffe then decides to save the rest of the hotel—through prayer, and physical and spiritual caregiving. She also uncovers the identity of the terrorist behind the attack. Meanwhile, the professor develops a deep friendship with Edward Fitzwilliam, an undercover British intelligence officer posing as the hotel manager. Ratliffe eventually returns home to her husband and children in North Carolina—but murderous terrorists still have her in their sights, and it’s up to Fitzwilliam to save her. At its best, this thriller is nothing less than an action-packed page-turner. Although the prose sometimes gets overloaded with prayer and Bible verses, particularly in its earlier sections, it flows more easily as the story progresses. However, the early passages do help develop the characters: “Emily reached for Joseph’s hand. ‘It is probably too late for that, but I want you to know that I forgive you and I will continue to pray that you will seek Jesus as your Savior. He will forgive you, love you, and bring you away from this evil. Trust Him.’”

A Christian-oriented thriller with a wild but entertaining plot.

Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2012

ISBN: 978-1462722730

Page Count: 516

Publisher: CrossBooks

Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013

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THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS

These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942

ISBN: 0060652934

Page Count: 53

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943

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THE DOVEKEEPERS

Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.

This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of GodThe women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved.  An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.

 

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4

Page Count: 512

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011

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