A COMPELLING, COMPLICATED HEROINE

Monday, April 13, 2009

BOOK REVIEW --THE RIVERS RUN DRY

“To God, whose mercies are new every morning. And Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church: Thank you for your honest preaching and rockin’ sensibilities.” These words appear in the acknowledgments of Sibella Giorello’s riveting mystery novel, the rivers run dry. This book was sent to me by mistake. I had not requested it, but since it came I thought I should at least look it over. And so I did. Being a retired pastor and having great appreciation for both God and Pastor Mark Driscoll, when I read Giorello’s words of appreciation for both of them, I turned back to chapter one and started to read.

This book has a quirky cast of characters but the main character is Raleigh Harmon, a compelling, complicated heroine. Raleigh is from Virginia. Southern women often carry family names forward as first names. She is an FBI agent transferred from Richmond, Virginia to Seattle, Washington. She is good at her job but not so good at bureau politics.

The story centers on a college girl who suddenly goes missing. This superbly crafted mystery will keep you reading compulsively as hope runs short, the clock runs down, and the rivers run dry. This routine case turns deadly and agent Raleigh Harmon finds her career on the rocks and her life at stake.

One glance at my sidebar and you will see that all the books I have reviewed are of a religious nature. This book is different. It is a mystery that holds the reader in its powerful grip until the very last word. Author Fred Chappell said, “No mystery lover should pass up this novel.” I agree.

I am happy to send this review out with a strong recommendation for this book. More and more, along with my reviews of books on faith and religion, I am going to review novels, memoirs, Christian fiction, and other books of interest to me—and I hope to you.