Product Details
Book Synopsis
After a rocky start as a missionary in Ukraine, Elder Neal Christensen is struggling to learn the Russian language and embrace an unfamiliar life away from his small Northern California town. And in an instant, a peculiar encounter with the wrong people changes everything. Dragged from his apartment in the dead of night, Neal is taken to prison and charged with the theft of a priceless museum piece. As days turn into weeks, he is thrown into a world of uncertainty where he must rely on the only person he can trust—the Savior. And as his Russian slowly improves within the prison walls, he begins preaching the gospel in the last place he imagined proselytizing. But when civil unrest erupts in Ukraine, the now-familiar routine of imprisonment is over. Neal is trapped in the chaos, and with his life on the line, his only hope of survival is escape. Yet he learns too late that there is as much danger awaiting him outside the prison walls as within. Someone has gone to great lengths to incriminate the young missionary, and they will stop at nothing to silence him forever.
******My Review******
I was lucky to be able to read this book very quickly. I took TRAX downtown for some fun on Saturday. I love reading on a train. With my back and forth journey I was able to read half of this 280 page book in a day. I finished it the next day. This book is intense with emotions and circumstances.
I want to be upfront saying this book is LDS based. It has a Christian theme of sin,guilt,repentance,judgment, salvation in Christ, faith, and restitution. Scriptures are read and religious concepts are talked about. Don't think this book is all about religion though, or you'll be missing out on a fantastic story of a young LDS missionary who learns some very harsh life lessons on his mission to the Ukraine. Elder Neal Christensen starts his mission knowing he should have repented of something that he'd done to a fellow friend in high school. This person now is also his mission companion. You can tell he's not sure why he came on a mission. Six weeks into his mission, his life turns into a nightmare. Neal is thrown into prison accused of a crime he didn't commit. It was gut wrenching to read of the many trials that this character went through. Even though this is fiction, there have been real life stories where an American is thrown into a foreign prison. It made me so grateful for living where I do and the freedoms and justice system that we have in America. Without giving more of the plot away, let me say, this story holds many lessons of forgiveness of others and ourselves, relying on God in times of trouble, finding friendship in odd places, and learning to sacrifice yourself for others in need. Poor Neal is put through so many hard things that I was glued to the pages of this book with it's excellent writing. This novel is one that you'll want to dedicate a large chunk of time to reading because you won't want to put it down. I recommend this Christian based mystery/suspense to older teens and adults. The book has a satisfying end, but remember, you'll be pulled through so many deep emotions along the way.
Meet Author Robbin J. Peterson
"I graduated from Utah State University with a Bachelor degree in English Lit. My first written work of art was in sixth grade: a play called "Cinderella." I wrote it then directed it with friends in the church gym. Writing was always a creative escape for me. And now that I'm a mother with several children, that has become especially true. When I'm not writing I enjoy playing my viola in our local symphony, as well as teaching the young and old to develop their own talents, whether that be with a stringed instrument or through writing workshops."
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