Past Suspicion

Past Suspicion by Therese Heckenkamp was a very enjoyable read. The main character, Robin,an almost 18 year old girl finds herself wrapped up in a mystery in her mother's previously unknown hometown of Lorens, WI. A suspicious death, a lost treasure map, and the intentions of two young men lend themselves to create a great story. The book opens up with the event that holds the key to solving the whole mystery. What caused Robin's mother Tiffany to flee town? Why did her mother keep such a close eye on her daughter? Who can Robin trust Phillip or Justin? This and more is answered in the book as she searches for these answers and tries to figure out a way to live life with wisdom and not fear. You can find her book at Publish America. If you are looking for good book with a Catholic dimension please buy this book. Over the past few years I have read a variety of books by Catholic authors and have liked some but been disappointed by others but Past Suspicion is one of the books I highly recommend if your are looking for a young adult mystery.
Have a good read, Nina

"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it our few..."

This verse from the book of Matthew 7: 14 to me represents one of the main messages in The Realms ThereUnder by Ross Lawhead. The two main characters our Freya and Daniel who we see go through two different adventures spanning both the past and present as they are drawn into a battle underground whose evil offspring cause problems on Earth. Now this book is full of legends, monsters, and faerie folk and therefore is not without its violence and evil.

Freya and Daniel represent two common human responses to God's will. Freya does not wish to be involved in the adventure and is reluctantly drawn along. Daniel who sees the adventure as finding his purpose in his life goes full steam ahead and sometimes needs Freya's timidity to draw him back. It is the bringing to gather of these two very different characters that God's will is accomplished despite their human flaws. One of the things I liked best about this book is that it was never quite clear how everything fit together until the end of book. Since this is the start of a trilogy I will have to wait for the next book to come out.

Have a good read, Nina