Angel in the Alley

Our Fallen World #4

by Keith R. Clemons

When Bibles are banned in the name of world peace and the church goes underground to survive How far will one man go to keep the Word alive? A gripping story that will touch reader's hearts... Pet

326 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2007

About the author

Keith R. Clemons is the 5x award winning author of nine Christian suspense novels. Writing under the banner, “Stories With the Impact of Today’s News Told With a Christian Worldview,” Keith consistently addresses issues that affect the body of Christ by placing controversial subjects in the center of gripping and powerful stories. Whatever your background: rich or poor, political or apolitical, young or old, you’ll enjoy the drama and suspense of Keith’s work. If you haven’t read one if his books yet, now’s the time. See why readers say, “I had no idea you were such a fantastic author,” and, “These are probably the best books I’ve ever read,” and, “It’s safe to say I now have a new favorite author.” (see more at www.keithclemons.com)

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. Not terrible, despite the criticisms I voiced in this forum during the middle of my read. When Clemons got out of the way and let the story tell itself it was actually an engaging read with a satisfying ending. The last third was actually fairly riveting. And it was a fast read when I actually committed to finishing it.

Now to the bad: the fundamentalist worldview espoused by Clemons throughout the first two-thirds of the book. It sometimes felt like he manipulated plot elements so that he could enter into page-long condemnations of things tangential to the story. I got this image of a guy wagging his finger at me saying: 'This is how the world goes to hell in a handbasket if the world doesn't stop what it's doing.' I'm not saying a book shouldn't have social commentary, but it shouldn't interfere with the plot itself. A little subtlety goes a long way.

But there were parts that were difficult for me. Like when he refers to global warming as a farce. Or when a character refers to the death of a bookie as a blessing. It just seems kind of callous to find it fortunate that another human being has been killed. A bookie who, by the way, the character in question (an obsessive gambler at the time) owed money to.

Also, he longs for the bygone days of a moral society. And he seems to think of America as the perfect representation of a blessed and prosperous country in those olden days. Really? When were we a moral society? During the days of slavery? What about when the KKK used to burn crosses to give voice to their hatred? Were we a moral society being led by God when we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima? Is America really any more special or blessed than any other country? Should we feel that way? I don't think being a citizen of any particular country is a good measure of righteousness.

And those are some of the fundamentalist points of view that I don't agree with. And that detracted from my ability to enjoy the book. That's all I'm saying.

Any author has the right to state his/her opinion and I don't want to judge anybody else's worldview. But I can disagree with it and state my responses to it. Isn't that what makes reading so much fun?

So...not a bad book. I know it's hard to write a novel. I just found myself continuously wishing he'd just get out of the way and let the story tell itself. In the last third of the book he finally did!