The Brotherhood

February 1, 2011
Jenkins, Tim LaHayes coauthor for the Left Behind series, turns in a solid performance in this novel about a Chicago police officer who learns to deal with a life-altering tragedy. Chicago PD up-and-comer Boone Drake is devastated when a house fire kills his wife and son. He internalizes his emotions, cutting off virtually everyone who is close to him, and resists the urgings of those around him to seek spiritual guidance. But when he returns to active duty, he learns that he cant avoid confronting his inner demons. The religious theme is overt and central to the story, but Jenkins avoids proselytizing, preferring instead to let Boone make his own choices. Jenkins is a skilled, dramatic writer. The scene in which Boone says goodbye to his dying wife is especially affecting. The storys police milieu is well handled, too (Jenkins father and brothers were cops). The novel should appeal to not just readers of Christian fiction but a wider audience of crime-fiction fans interested in how cops respond to the tragedies in their daily lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)