King of Hearts

by Mark Stibbe

Jake, a struggling father and maths teacher, at risk of losing his job, bumps into an old friend Pete, now known as 'The Mako', a well-known poker player. Pete teaches Jake to play and Jake becomes obsessed with winning money, making a name for himself. Abandoning his wife Sally and two sons on Christmas Eve, after an angry outburst, Jake drives north to 'Casino City', and starts a new life for himself, playing poker every night. As Jake gets richer and richer, and eventually we see him playing poker against the 'The Undertaker'. Jake loses this game, in which he bets more than he has, and so he goes on the run to avoid being murdered. Whilst homeless, Jake meets characters who help him, and ultimately save his life. Each of these characters in part provide what Jake needs as he makes his slow way back to the home and family he abandoned in his greed and selfish desire. There is a clear Christian message which runs through the novel, and it is a very moving one. Fatherhood and the idea of homecoming are key to the story. The novel is centred around vice and just how much one man can lose because of it, ending with a pleasing recovery and discovery of God.

208 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2019

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

King Of Hearts by Mark Stibbe is a contemporary Christian tale of love and loss, fear and friendship, guilt and forgiveness. It reminded me of the prodigal son as there is a character who forgives and loves without judgement, one who is angry and hurt and another who needs to come home. The tale shows that no matter how far we fall, we are never out of reach of the Father’s love.
The world is a dangerous place. Discontentment is a terrible lure, once we fall into its hands, life will spiral downwards. When we chase after money and the pleasures of the world, we have lost our focus on what is really important. Money and pleasures of the flesh always attract the wrong sort of attention. We need to be aware of where our eyes look because our heart will follow.
The richest people in the novel are not those with the most money but those with the biggest hearts. In worldly terms the richest people appear to be those who are dirt poor, but it is them who look out for others. The reader sees a sacrificial love as characters show they are the hands and feet, the eyes and ears of Jesus. I was reminded of the words of missionary Jim Elliot as I read, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose.”
There is a beautiful bond between man and man’s best friend which brought a tear to my eye.
King Of Hearts was a powerful story of redemption. It is only when we reach rock bottom can we stretch out our arms and let Jesus rescue us. It is beautiful to witness a character surrender to Jesus and come home.
King Of Hearts was a fabulous debut novel from Mark Stibbe. I hope to read much more by him.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

[Rachael Shalloe-Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing!

I couldn’t put this down! It’s a wonderfully written story of redemption! It’s the first book that’s bought me to tears in a long time. Fabulous!