Someone To Blame by C.S. Lakin

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingSomeone To BlameZondervan (September 21, 2010)byC. S. Lakin



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

C. S. Lakin is a novelist and professional copyeditor and writing coach. She is currently working on her eleventh novel, a contemporary family saga drawn from the biblical story of Jacob. Someone to Blame(Zondervan), an intense relational drama and winner of the 2009 First Novel contest, released in October 2010, and she is also the author of the allegorical adult fantasy series The Gates of Heaven, featuring The Wolf of Tebron and the upcoming release The Map Across Time (March 2011). She is currently completing her tenth novel and developing a dog memoir of epic proportion.





ABOUT THE BOOK

In the wake of heartrending family tragedies, Matt and Irene Moore move with their fourteen-year-old daughter, Casey, to a small town. Their goal is to get far away from the daily reminders that leave each of them raw and guilt-ridden. Their hope is to find redemption, repair, and renewal. Instead, the threads that hold them together unravel even more.



Breakers, a small community perched on the rocky coast of the Pacific Northwest, is draped with cold isolation that seems to mirror the hearts. As they settle into their new life, old grief settles with them. Matt is always on edge and easily angered, Irene is sad and pensive, and Casey is confused and defiant. They've once more set the stage for calamity. Into this mix comes Billy Thurber, a young drifter with his own conflicts, whose life unexpectedly entangles with the Moores'.



His arrival in Breakers parallels a rash of hateful and senseless crimes, and soon the whole town -- eager for someone to blame -- goes after Thurber with murderous intent. Out of this dangerous chaos, however, the Moores find unexpected grace and healing in a most unlikely way.



If you would like to read the first chapter of Someone To Blame, go HERE.

My review:
This is a sad book for the most part. It has the remnants of a family touched by the tragedy of losing 2 boys, at separate times. The author does a good job of showing how a tragedy can tear a family apart instead of bringing them together.

I thought the book had a slow start, but then it picked up and held my interest.

I was a bit disappointed in a couple of things. I felt God could have been included more in the healing process - just seemed like He was an afterthought, the way I read it. And also, I would have liked to have seen the issues of the young drifter resolved more. All in all, I did enjoy the book.