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January 24, 2005

Forgiving Solomon Long by Well, Chris

Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon

A hired hit man with obsessive-compulsive disorder takes out his target--a pastor--and is haunted with guilt.

A grisly detective tunes out his marriage counseling session to mull over the latest developments in his case against the mob. All while the local boss is shaking up the quote-unquote business. And this is tucked away in the "Christian Fiction" section.

Chris Well's debut novel is fresh and addictive. It's part thriller, part morality play--but it's never heavy handed or sugar-coated. Despite the Christian Fiction label it's gritty and realistic and there isn't a swelling conversion scene to be found. Yet it's still full of grace and hope.

Chris has been flogging the book in his CCM column and blog, so I picked up the book Friday afternoon to give it a once over. I read the first chapter and was hooked. [First chapter spoiler warning] He introduces us to a Catholic priest who's interesting and compelling. I'm standing there in the aisle thinking I've never read a story with such a realistic portrayal. Then the priest gets whacked. I bought the book that night. I finished reading it Monday.

While it's not perfect--a character list would have helped immensely--the last 50 pages were mesmerizing. There's also a lovely little riff on The DaVinci Code mania and stupid readers. Priceless.

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» Borders Coupon from thoughts
Chris Well, the incredibly popular author of the book Forgiving Solomon Long (read my mini-review) took the time to post a comment on my Anne Lamott entry pointing us all to a 25% off coupon for Borders. So go snag... [Read More]

Tracked on March 8, 2005 10:26 PM

» Chris Well Interview from thoughts
J. Mark Bertrand (where have I heard his name? Oh yeah, he posted about Church Marketing Sucks.) has a goofy interview with Chris Well, author of Forgiving Solomon Long. How goofy? Two words: Encyclopedia Brown.... [Read More]

Tracked on April 15, 2005 9:50 AM

» Chris Well's "Little Country Church" from Reading Is Fun
Chris Well, the author of Forgiving Solomon Long (read my review), has published a short story "Little Country Church" (free registration required). It's short and quick, worth checking out.... [Read More]

Tracked on May 16, 2005 10:03 AM