Stephanie Jaye Evans

My father was a preacher for the Church of Christ in Texas, so this new mystery novel about a Church of Christ preacher in Texas trying to solve a murder case caught my attention, especially so because (in the interest of full disclosure) it is written by a woman who is my cousin's sister-in-law. (I've never met her.) It fits relatively well into the sub-category of murder mysteries known as "cosies" since it's not remotely a hard-boiled detective story and its sleuth is closer in spirit to Miss Marple than Philip Marlowe. Not to say Stephanie Jaye Evans's preacher, "Bear" Wells isn't more physically intimidating than Marple, just that this isn't a story of back alleys and femmes fatale, but of (generally) nice people with a murder on their hands.

Evans can write. It's a pleasant story, with well-delineated characters behaving in believable fashion throughout. Where the story becomes something more than pleasant diversion is near the end, when the disasters of the end of the Vietnam war are recalled and their reverberations are felt in the lives of present-day characters. This section is quite compellingly written and very effective.

I had hoped to recognize something of my own life, and my dad's, in the depiction of Bear's life with his church responsibilities, but there are decades separating my dad's ministry from the one in this book, and much has changed. There are aspects that I found completely familiar and others that seemed foreign, but then going to church nowadays is very different from when my dad was preaching, so I guess this is an accurate reflection. But none of that should matter much unless the reader, like me, is a preacher's kid. For most folks, this will be an enjoyable read if one's taste runs to light mysteries. This is Evans's first book, and while I'm a hard-boiled fan, and not so much a fan of light mysteries, I look forward to her next entry in what I hope will be a series with long life.… (lisätietoja)

This week I finished reading Safe From Harm and I loved that preacher Bear Wells is having trouble with his teenage daughter again. Only this time, she is trying to figure out what happened to her friend, who wasn't a friend. She insists it was not suicide. But every time she attempts to find out more, she ends up looking down the barrel of a gun, with her father watching in horror, not knowing how to prevent his daughter's death. It's so well written. Truly. I recommend this author's books. She's so good. There was so much humor. I loved the pugs. I take that back. I adored the pugs. And I was truly surprised to find out who the killer was.… (lisätietoja)

i really enjoyed this story. Walker "Bear" Wells is a minister in the Church of Christ. He is a good man, but not a perfect man. He struggles with his family, especially 13-year-old Jo.

Honey is one of Bear's church members and when her husband Graham is found dead, Bear gets involved, probably too involved. When he finds out that Honey's son, Alex is involved with Jo, Bear becomes obsessed with finding out who killed Graham and keeping his precious daughter Jo safe.

While there is some church doctrine here it isn't moralizing and it often shows that a minister struggles with the sames things that everyone else struggles with, like temper, hurt, doubt, and fear.

I will be reading more in this series.… (lisätietoja)

Pastor Walker “Bear” Wells and his wife Annie Laurie get plenty of dinner invitations. But, being invited to Gina and John Redman’s house is always a special treat. This one was as well and the coolness of October evening had allowed the four to sit outside on the Redman’s back porch and enjoy the Texas evening. That is until the text from their 15 year old daughter, Jo, hit Bear’s cell phone.

“Come Home.”

That was the message. She doesn’t answer each time they call and the ten minute drive home by Bear and Annie is the longest in their lives. They arrive to find Jo in her bedroom, alone and unhurt, with the family dog, Bat Bear. But, Jo is not alone.

Dead in her arms is the child of a family they know. Phoebe Pickersley, a troubled child who was once Phoebe’s friend, is most definitely dead. What she was doing in their house and why will be almost as important as determining how she died. The fact she dead in their house to be found by Jo automatically makes Jo a suspect. The fact that they had clashed more than once in recent weeks, among other facts, makes Jo a suspect. A suspect who, like most teenagers, isn’t going to willingly tell all and has her own mind as to how to clear her name.

This is the kind of situation that makes your hair turn grey as a parent. Following up on Faithful Unto Death this strong sequel brings back characters familiar to readers while adding a number of new ones. Character development is further established with the returning characters as we learn more and more about them. The new characters are multi-faceted complex human beings as well bringing a fuller richness to the book.

A religious faith remains a strong part of this series. As in the first book, there are no simple and easy answers regarding life’s troubles and events. While faith is referenced and always present through the book, there is not sermonizing and there is acceptance of other belief systems. That acceptance is not automatic as Pastor Wells learns both as a parent and as pastor.

At its core Safe from Harm: A Sugar Land Mystery is about familial relationships---- the good, the bad, and the flat out evil ugly. Flat out evil ugly is why there is a murder mystery at the heart of the book. But the book is more than just that. How we interact with each other during good times and times of great stress is a part of this complex mystery. In this series, families and personal connections matter and take precedence over many other things.

Those who choose to read this series in order will appreciate the character growth, complexity of situations, rich storytelling, and the fact that Texas author Stephanie Jaye Evans writes smart, complicated mysteries that provide very good reading.

Safe From Harm: A Sugar Land Mystery
Stephanie Jaye Evans
http://www.stephaniejayeevans.com
Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin Group USA)
http://www.penguin.com
2013
ISBN# 978-0-425-25346-5
Paperback (also available as an e-book)
360 Pages
$15.00

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013… (lisätietoja)