Borders of the Heart

September 15, 2012

Leaving his music, Nashville, and his painful memories behind him, J.D. Jessup accepts work on an organic farm near Tucson. The owner is a hardened man who has one rule; if J.D. ever sees an illegal on the property, he is to call the Border Patrol at once. Riding along the property's fence line one morning, he finds a woman near death. Her name is Maria, and she is an illegal immigrant. Instead of turning her in, J.D. hides her. Soon, the two are running from a killer. Can J.D. save the woman he is coming to love? Can their love help him move on from his past? VERDICT Fabry's popular and acclaimed novels (Dogwood; Almost Heaven) have won him two Christy Awards and an ECPA Fiction Book of the Year Award. His new book is typical Fabry; character driven with strong characters facing moral dilemmas. Sure to appeal to Jerry B. Jenkins readers.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2012
What do you do when the laws of man are in direct conflict with the laws of God? That's the dilemma former musician J. D. Jessup faces when he finds a half-dead woman just this side of the Arizona-Mexico border. His boss has decreed that all illegals are to be handed over to the Border Patrol. J. D. sees something in Maria he can't explain and hides her instead. Soon it becomes apparent that she's being hunted by the sadistic Muerte, head of a powerful, ruthless Mexican cartel. As Maria and J. D. go on the run, they discover they each have dark, hidden secrets they're reluctant to share. In this edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense, all of the characters ring true, from the inner-city minister to the beleaguered ranchers. Fabry has nailed the attitudes of those in Arizona who deal with undocumented people in both humane and inhumane ways.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)