Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Reprise Review: Redeeming Grace by Smoky Zeidel


 

Genre: Suspense/Historical Fiction

Description:

 “It’s the early twentieth century, and the tragic deaths of her mother and two younger siblings have left Grace Harmon responsible for raising her sister Miriam and protecting her from their abusive father Luther, a zealot preacher with a penchant for speaking in Biblical verse who is on a downward spiral toward insanity.

In the midst of his delusions, Luther believes God has abandoned him and devises a plan to get back into His good graces—a plan that puts both his daughters’ lives in danger and unleashes a frenzy of events that threaten to destroy the entire family.

Will Luther succeed in carrying out his crazed plot against his daughters, or will an unlikely hero step in to rescue them all?”

Author:

“Smoky Zeidel is a poet, novelist, and earth mage, whose love of the natural world is thematic in all she writes. She taught writing and creativity workshops for many years at venues throughout the Midwest before succumbing to her bohemian urges and moving to California. Her work has earned her several nominations for the prestigious Pushcart Prize. Smoky lives with her husband Scott and a plethora of animals, both domestic and wild.”

Appraisal:

Wow. What a story.

When I’m looking for a book to read, the information I use to decide will often set certain expectations. Things like the genre(s) I’ve been told the book fits in, past experience with the author’s books, and possibly the book description. For this book I had the blurb and information that it was in the suspense or thriller genre. Nothing else. It turns out that it could possibly be called historical since it takes place in the early twentieth century (clearly stated in the book description, but not something that registered with me) rather than contemporary times.

Although the story has the suspense you’d expect from that genre, what sets it apart is that the various causes of suspense have much deeper meaning beyond the obvious mystery and tension typical of the genre. You’ll have reason to consider family relationships and the obligations that might come with them from multiple angles. There are a couple story threads that should have you considering the past and how it impacts the present. If you’re inclined, you might find yourself considering religion as a tool for both good and evil.

Suspense stories don’t typically have this much depth. That Redeeming Grace does is a positive from my viewpoint.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Original review published May 11, 2017.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

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