In the wake of World War I in the small, Southern town of Bellhaven, South Carolina, the town folk believe they’ve found a little slice of heaven in a mysterious chapel in the woods. But they soon realize that evil can come in the most beautiful of forms.
The people of Bellhaven have always looked to Ellsworth Newberry for guidance, but after losing his wife and his future as a professional pitcher, he is moments away from testing his mortality once and for all. Until he finally takes notice of the changes in his town . . . and the cardinals that have returned.
Upon the discovery of a small chapel deep in the Bellhaven woods, healing seems to fall upon the townspeople, bringing peace after several years of mourning. But as they visit the “healing floor” more frequently, the people begin to turn on one another, and the unusually tolerant town becomes anything but.
The cracks between the natural and supernatural begin to widen, and tensions rise. Before the town crumbles, Ellsworth must pull himself from the brink of suicide, overcome his demons, and face the truth of who he was born to be by leading the town into the woods to face the evil threatening Bellhaven.
Book review:
I like to try out new authors, and this was a new one to me. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after reading it I would say it is similar to Frank Peretti's earlier books, yet different in many ways.
I liked the plot, characters, and writing style. I found the book to be a little slow at first, but then it picked up and I had no trouble getting into it and enjoying the read. Writing about supernatural issues can be iffy, but I thought the author did a great job of portraying evil and the effect it can have on people.
The Christian element in the book was challenging to figure out. There are a lot of churches in the town and several ministers and their people involved, and the main character leads the charge against the supernatural evil along with others, yet he and others are heavy drinkers, he smokes, and even has sex with a woman he is not married to.
Other than those questionable things, the book was a fascinating read and showed how people can get caught up in something that may seem good, but is very evil and bad for them.
About the author:
James Markert is a novelist, screenwriter, producer, and USPTA tennis pro from Louisville, Kentucky, where he lives with his wife and two children. He has a history degree from the University of Louisville. He won an IPPY Award for The Requiem Rose, which later became A White Wind Blew. He is the writer and co-producer of the new feature film and tennis comedy, 2nd Serve, starring Josh Hopkins from Cougar Town.
All Things Bright and Strange is available from Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for the review copy.
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