There’s a new genre in LDS fiction – humorous suspense. You wouldn’t think that humor and suspense would go so well together, but they do, and this book is a perfect example of it.
Eric is an average college student, pulling decent grades and keeping an eye on Rebekah, the pretty girl who sits in front of him in class. One day, fate takes a hand and before he knows it, he and Rebekah are dating. Things absolutely couldn’t get better. But then they get worse.
Rebekah is on her way over to Eric’s house with a Christmas gift, and he hasn’t gotten her anything. Scouring his apartment for something, anything he can call a decent present, he remembers a necklace he found in his old missionary apartment and digs it out. She loves it.
But Eric didn’t know that the necklace would catch the attention of some really evil bad guys, who would kidnap Rebekah, throw him over a rail for a fifteen-foot drop to the ground below, and hold guns on them both. It turns out that the necklace and the ring that matches it are keys to unlocking the mystery, and the bad guys will do anything to get them back.
This book started out as just plain hilarious. Even the acknowledgements are funny. Then, as the plot behind the kidnaping was revealed, the book took on a whole new dimension. World politics, economics, history – Robison Wells isn’t just a funny guy; he’s smart and savvy as well. He has created a plot that’s completely believable, highly entertaining, and hard to put down. I was on the edge of my seat half the time, laughing hysterically the rest.
An LDS suspense/humor novel at its best, I give this book a thumbs up. And, Robison’s new book, The Counterfeit, is a sequel to this one. I know what I’m asking Santa for this year, but I doubt I can wait until Christmas.
(This book was published by Covenant Communications in 2005)
