Song Stuck on the Brain: Like Sugar by Matchbox Twenty from their new album North.
1st edition (February 28, 2013)
MY TAKE:
I read the summary of the book when it came up for review option and thought, "Sure, this one sounds interesting. I'll give it a try." Then when my book arrived and I saw that it was nearly 600 pages I about croaked! Not that I'm leery of hefty prose, I've read plenty that could match or put that page count to shame, but they've all been in a fantasy/Suspense genre - Never suspense. It begged the very big question for me, Can Ward Tanneberg keep me hooked and in suspense for that long?
Short answer? YES!
Longer answer? Okay, so the first chapter was a little overwhelming as it jumped from local to local introducing characters and events that don't appear to tie together. Yet, despite the disoriented feeling, I was still hooked with enough emotion and dilemma by the main character that I didn't want to stop reading. That feeling never went away. Despite the story going back in forth between present day and the horrible events that led to Grace Grafton's misfortune years earlier, it began to make sense.
There's a large cast of characters, but I didn't find it too hard to keep up with them. The bad guys are truly, disgustingly bad, when Grace faces her tormentor in the end, I felt her rage and hurt and pain just as clearly. The writing is strong, the characters are well built and the plot is substantial but easy to follow without giving away too much at a time.
The only draw backs I found had nothing to do with the story itself, and everything to do with the editing/printing. I didn't notice anywhere on the book where it was stamped Advanced Reader Copy, but for the publishers sake I hope it was. There were several times where sentences were repeated twice, as if copied and pasted too many times. In one place it was a whole paragraph and it was duplicated three times in a row. Clearly the editing needed to be tweaked.
Despite that annoyance, I would still highly recommend Redeeming Grace. I would hate to see a talented author's story get missed because a publisher didn't check their galleys better. It happens, especially in this digital age. So, acknowledge you'll see a few typos and put that aside, because Redeeming Grace is a suspense that is NOT to be missed.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Those nine chilling words end Grafton's self-imposed sanctuary of witness protection. Now she and everyone she loves are in grave danger. Long believed dead, she has a secret that can change the world. She knows the man running for president is guilty of a double murder! But who will believe her?
If you would like to read the first chapter of Redeeming Grace, go HERE.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ward Tanneberg is a pastor/writer/novelist who has given more than 50 years to evangelism, youth, college and pastoral ministry, including two Pacific Northwest churches and 23 years as the senior pastor at Valley Christian Center in Dublin, CA. In 2008, he was named President/Executive Director of The CASA Network. Ward speaks extensively at 50+ retreats and ministry leadership events in the USA and elsewhere. When at home he meets weekly with a group of business and professional leaders. He and Dixie have 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 4 step-grandchildren and a great grandson.
