If you don't mind a side of corn with your action-packed, shoot-'em-up romances, then "The Water Keeper" by Charles Martin should be your next read.
And by a side of "corn," I mean as in "corny." ... But, trust me, that's not necessarily bad in the case of this book!
I describe it as corny because much of the story is based on a premise that is so wildly impossible, that at times I had to push on through and not give up as Martin layered on one more unimaginable layer to his electric love story.
But, I have to say right up front that I still liked the book so much that I gave it to my wife to read, and asked her to read it next. We do this for each other when we finish a book we think the other is going to like. ... "Here, push this one to the top your list! I want to see what you think!"
Despite being critical of Martin's plot tricks, the book engrossed me thanks to its foundation as a Christian book of fiction, and it's story. I hesitate to describe that way, as I know some may be immediately turned off because there is a recurring Christian thread that weaves its way all the way through the story. But please do not give up on it because of that. The story still merits your read even without that.
And my feelings might be more understandable if I first tell you the story about how I came to buy the book. Because, after all, everything is contextual, right?
I'm a faithful believer in that the Spirit is active in our daily lives, and she often nudges us in ways that we don't notice at first, but with some reflection, later we can see the design.
So, each year , there is a local funeral home here that sends each pastor they've worked with that year a Christmas card with a gift certificate in it to our local Christian bookstore called Melberg's. (Seriously love this store, by the way! It's one of a kind in our neck of the woods, at least!)
Well, I was behind on sending out some cards to a couple of our church's youngsters that graduated from high school this spring. And I thought what a better way to use the gift certificate than to pick them up a couple of Christian-themed graduation cards. Well, after picking out two cards, there was still money left over on the gift card. So I picked up another ministry book.
But as I was nearing the counter to check out, "The Water Keeper" was propped up on a display stand at the corner of the counter. It caught my eye, and as I picked it up and inspected it, the owner said, "Just got that in today. Super excited to read it. It's supposed to be a good one!"
Well, that did it. ... I added it to my pile, thanked the owner and left.
I started the book just a couple of days later, and I was gripped. ... I powered through it, finishing it in just a few days, and I suspect many who pick it up will feel the same.
Here's the gist of the plot: The main character, Murphy Shepherd, holds many secrets. He lives alone on an island, tending the grounds of a church with no parishioners, and he’s dedicated his life to rescuing those in peril. But as he mourns the loss of his mentor and friend, "Murph" himself may be more lost than he realizes.
When he pulls a beautiful woman named Summer out of Florida’s Intracoastal Waterway, Murph’s mission to lay his mentor to rest at the end of the world takes a dangerous turn. Drawn to Summer, and desperate to find her missing daughter, Murph is pulled deeper and deeper into the dark and dangerous world of modern-day slavery.
With help from some unexpected new friends, including a faithful Labrador he plucks from the ocean and an ex-convict named Clay, Murph must race against the clock to locate the girl before he is consumed by the secrets of his past—and the ghosts who tried to bury them.
Ok, so if that's not enough to draw you in, I don't know what else I can say.
I enjoyed the book enough that I will be picking up another Charles Martin book. He's evidently written 13 others; so there's a few from which to choose. Admittedly, he is a new author to me. I hadn't even heard of him before I walked into Melberg's that day. So, as I wrote earlier, part of the reason the book seemed so thrilling to me was that I felt the Spirit designed that day for me to find it. ... So I hope that I like some of his other books as much as I liked this one.
One quick aside, I am tantalized by the fact that a professional reviewer described "The Water Keeper" as the first of a series. ... So maybe we'll be seeing the return of "Murph?" ... I hope so!
And if his books are this good, I'll continue to take them with a heaping side of "corn" every time!
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