Title: After All
Author: Deborah Raney
Pages: 368
Publisher: Howard
Books
Year: 2012
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for review from Howard Books. The opinions expressed in this review are
entirely my own.
Here is
a story about fictional lives that could be but a reflection of actual
events. Ever read a fictional story that
seemed real like that? Well, hold on to
your socks as this is one of those stories.
It starts out with a small town firefighter group losing five of its own
members in a single fire. We can all
remember 09/11, so this isn’t hard to imagine at all. During one of the last memorial services as
the people are leaving, there is a figure looming in the distance. Why is that?
Who is it?
From
that point on, we see how a widow continues to pour out her heart in a shelter
for the homeless in the same small community.
The community is welcoming the rebuilding of the shelter, but why is it
being rebuilt? Well, I can’t spoil it
for you. In either case, the rebuilding
isn’t getting glowing reviews from some people and finding help or donations is
turning out to be very difficult.
The
main female character, Susan, is the woman who heads the shelter and is one of
the widows from the fire. Her sons are grown,
but one of them has had some trouble in the past and isn’t exactly handling his
future well either. The chief of the
house has a broken marriage, and his walk with God is on rocky ground. What happens with them all? One character in the story is the first
female fire inspector. She has something
in her past that is directly making her future uncertain and maybe
devious. Exactly what is she up to
anyway? What I just shared is just the
tip of the iceberg!
This is
the third and final Hanover Falls Novel
for Deborah Raney. It is a story woven
together masterfully. There are many
threads that run throughout the story and the ending just might not be what you
were expecting. For me, this is the
first novel I have read by this author, but it won’t be the last. I love stories that can touch on reality and
in the end leave the reader hopeful. It
is refreshing to pick up a story where everything within the story isn’t
wrapped up so nice and pretty. I plan on
reading and watching for more stories from Deborah Raney. She writes with heart, soul, and faith. After All gets 4-½ stars from me. Read it and see what you
think!
