3 out of 4 stars
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Someone named The Leader is targeting churches. Disillusioned young adults are being sent into churches to injure and kill as many as possible before turning the gun on themselves. Frank Sessions was the first pastor targeted. Now he and his daughter, a police officer, are trying to figure out who the shooter is and how he or she is connected to Frank. Will they be able to figure it out before it's too late?
Blessed Are the Peacemakers is a crime novel with an inspirational edge. While not necessarily a series, Frank Sessions and his family were found in a previous book called A Star and a Tear. While some of what happens in this novel are consequences of previous events, it is not necessary to have read the previous book to be able to follow the happenings here. Having said that, reading the other book would provide a deeper understanding of the characters and events as they proceed forward.
I really enjoyed the characters in this novel as I felt that they were realistic and down-to-earth. With many novels that are faith based, the characters come across as perfect or without sin. These characters, though, have flaws and yet still endear themselves to you.
The book is fast paced keeping the reader involved in the story. The action begins almost as soon as the book opens which draws the reader in right away. It isn't long, though, before the antagonist is revealed making this story into a crime novel rather than a mystery. Still, the intrigue comes in wondering if or how The Leader will be caught.
There were a few areas that I felt the book could use a bit more polish. The first was the editing. There were many sentences that had no spaces between them, and the inner dialogue of characters were not formatted as such. In addition, some solutions came just a bit too easily. For example, when trying to figure out which church would be targeted next, they just miraculously were able to puzzle out where it would be. This was not a miracle in the sense that God told them. Nor was it because they were so brilliant. It just was too simple to really be believable.
Notwithstanding the few areas of improvement I found, I enjoyed reading this book. It's nice to read a book that isn't filled with gory violence, strong foul language and erotic scenes. It's a lighter read as far as crime novels go, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. I rate Blessed Are the Peacemakers 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it for those that enjoy a message of faith mixed with real world issues and people.
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Blessed Are the Peacemakers
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