Like "24" for teens

The Long Way Home, by Andrew Klavan. A Homelanders book.
A thrill a minute, this book reads like a pitch for an action movie. I can see it now -- all the narrow escapes, high speed chases, and the scene where our hero just HAS to go into that dangerous place to get the clue he needs to clear his name. It's all in here. If you like that type of movie, you'll enjoy this book about Charlie, who is on the run, trying to avoid both the police, who want him for murdering his best friend, and the Homelanders, a group of terrorists out to destroy America. They seem to think he was a member of their group who has betrayed them, and now they want him dead. But Charlie can't remember whether he was or wasn't. And he can't remember murdering his friend. In fact, the entire last year has been erased from his memory. To find out what really happened, he must return to his hometown, where he connects with some good friends who believe in him. Including Beth, whom he remembers liking a lot. But he can't remember that they had actually been an "item," which apparently they were. Before his life got so complicated. And dangerous.

One interesting element of this book was that the language was suspenseful but 'clean' -- and there were many references to the values that Charlie holds. He remembers many debates/discussions with his American History teacher, who seemed to constantly challenge Charlie's faith in God, his belief in his country, and his willingness to express his admiration of a good way to live. so, though I wouldn't call this overt Christian fiction, it doesn't try to hide positive values or role models from the reader.

This is the second in a series, which began with The Last Thing I Remember. The 3rd book, The Truth of the Matter, is due out this November.

I give it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars.

How Romantic!

Jack and Laurel Cooper are owner/operators of a small-town B&B in Virginia. They've been married a long time, and are leaders in their community and at their church. At the beginning of this sweet book, they die one night in each other's arms, he from a brain tumor and she of a heart attack. What, you say, they die at the BEGINNING?! What kind of a story is THAT?

Well, the rest of the book deals with their three adult children and other family members who gather for the funeral and share memories of this loving couple. Each of their kids is dealing with his or her own life problems. Matthew, the oldest, comes "home" without his wife. They have been trying unsuccessfully to adopt a baby, and the stress has been damaging. Morgan has been on the run (most recently in Brazil) from an outstanding warrant for his arrest, and when he returns, he is forced to confront his old sweetheart, who is now engaged to his nemesis (i.e. "enemy"). Samantha (aka Sam) is a single mother, having divorced her husband after learning about his second extramarital affair. Going through their parent's things, they discover several boxes full of letters, and they learn that throughout their entire marriage, their father had written a letter to their mother each and every Wednesday. These letters range from love letters to newsy chats, and sometimes the letter was no more than a scrawl on a used envelope -- but as they go through the letters, the kids read about a devastating event that their parents had kept secret for years. They are forced to confront not only their own problems, but their parents' -- and to decide what to do next.

I liked this book because it was a quick read, the characters had real problems, and the solutions weren't pat or too-predictable. There was a definite Christian angle, which I found refreshing after reading too many books about vampires, murder, and social deviants.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars