 | Healing Promises |
Source: Bought through Half.com.
Book Description, my take:
FBI Agent Clint Rollins is working on an urgent Crimes Against Children Unit case when he discovers that he has cancer with only a 40% chance to live--and he must start treatment immediately. But young boys are being kidnapped and may be killed if the kidnapper isn't stopped soon. Clint struggles with his body betraying him right when he's needed most. Can Clint trust God to get those children home safe even if Clint isn't personally there to handle it?
His wife, Sara Rollins, is an oncologist who has been fighting cancer with treatment and prayers for years. She's shocked by how different it is to be the wife of a cancer patient instead of the doctor treating it. She feels like a failure and begins to lose hope when a favorite, godly patient dies and her husband fights her concerns at how he's risking his health to get back on the case. A friend asks Sarah if she's depending on God or circumstances. She knows what she should be doing, but how does one get there?
My Review:
Healing Promises is a Christian general fiction book. Much of the story was about the stress that Clint's cancer put on Sarah and Clint's relationship to each other and with God. Near the end, though, the FBI case came to the forefront and resolved with a suspenseful standoff with the bad guy. The story's suspense came from wondering if Clint would survive the cancer and, if he did, if his marriage would survive. It also came from the danger that the missing children were in.
The characters were realistic and complex, and they dealt with realistic struggles. The details about the cancer treatment and FBI unit were good but didn't have a lot of depth to them. The story felt slower-paced because there were really four overlapping stories going on: Clint and Sarah, Steven and Grace, Hannah and Michael, and the FBI case.
A major element woven into the story was the characters' struggle to understand and trust God when everything seemed to be going wrong. I thought it was handled well and liked what was said, but those who prefer minimal Christian content probably won't like it.
This book is the second in the series. I felt like the author assumed I knew the characters and relationships from the previous novel (which I haven't read), but if you remember what everyone's first and last name is, you can follow this story well enough without having read the first. However, there were vague references to "whodunit" in the first story, so read Ransomed Dreams first if you want to be completely surprised.
There was no bad language or explicit sex. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written book.
If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.
Excerpt from Chapter One
Most days, Clint Rollins loved his work.
Most days. But not today.
He leaned back in his swivel chair and listened to the hum of voice, computer keys, and his partner's detailed explanation of a new case. Only a week back to work, and he already needed a quiet weekend to rest.
"You listening, Rollins, or still suffering from vacation withdrawal? Maybe it's just too early on a Friday morning."
Steven Kessler's ribbing jerked Clint back to the reality of working in the FBI's Crimes Against Children Unit. Another child missing. No easy cases.
"I'm listening." Clint rubbed the back of his neck.
Too bad criminals didn't care if cops were up to snuff or not. His head still ached from a nasty cold that'd been dogging him for weeks. According to his physician wife, he needed a vacation to recover from his unprecedented two-week vacation. But no one in DC stayed home with just a cold. So he was back on the job in mid-January, doing his second favorite thing.
Putting criminals in jail
He'd still rather be hanging out with Sara and the munchkins.
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