Into the Fire

Now this escape into the secular market held a bit more of what is expected from general market fiction. There were language issues, one fairly graphic sex scene, and a gay Nigerian artist. Add to that the hopelessness of the dying P. I. Jimmy Booker, and you have a sad, borderline depressing, novel about Jimmy's last case. The caveat is this story was well-written in first-person POV.

If you've never experienced the deterioration of a cancer patient, J. R. Rain helps you to personally feel what Jimmy's enduring in his heterosexually acquired AIDS-related cancer. Jimmy spent time with many women, but the one woman who didn't realize her condition passed it along to Jimmy. His caretaker, Numi, the gay Nigerian artist, sees to Jimmy's every need, monitors his rest and natural cleanse tonics, and generally refuses to believe the man he addresses as "Cowboy" and "Kemosabe" among other terms, is going to die.

When an old friend finally musters the courage to meet Jimmy at his usual morning coffee stop, the friend Eddie reveals that his wife Olivia, who Jimmy once loved and who is estranged from Eddie, has been missing for 48 hours and is there any way Jimmy can try to find her. Jimmy can't imagine finding the strength to conduct an investigation, but he demands every last resource of his determination to do so, much to Numi's concern for his health.

The silent echo from Jimmy's past pulsates through his dying flesh, remembering how an attraction to, and the distraction of, a couple of girls in his youth resulted in the death of his little brother in the park where they played catch before the baseball game they were scheduled to watch. 

Jimmy seeks the help of a police detective he knows, and the search for Olivia begins. Jimmy learns quickly that every effort he makes is more of a demand on his quickly fading body. His determination might not be enough, that is until Olivia is discovered, and the relation to his brother's death so many years ago can't be a coincidence.

Silent Echo is not a cheery story, equally focused on a dying man's hopeless condition and mental state and the mystery of finally solving Olivia's disappearance and potentially his brother's murder. Deemed a mystery, philosophically it's about the anger of an adult man toward God over the death of his brother and how the resulting self-loathing produced by feeling totally responsible for it have left him incapable of sustaining relationships, filled with a silent rage, and struggling between wanting death and fearing it. **SLIGHT SPOILERS** Subtle issues/problems address homosexuality, making Numi a saint and Jimmy's only real friend, finding what feels like real love when it's too late, finally receiving reconciliation with his mother who blamed him for his brother's death, and an inconclusive opinion on life after death. **END SPOILERS**

Jimmy's last case gives him the release to leave his life behind.

As a Christian, of course this is not the total ending I would desire, but for this particular work, it's plausible and expected. While there is some satisfaction in the conclusion, secular fiction addresses the aftermath of death in vague and overused opinions. 

Written very well with a fitting and consistent voice, the weaknesses for me appeared in these areas: a bit of a stretch regarding the romantic/sexual encounter/relationship with Mary, deciding whether or not the author intended an agenda with his character Numi, and the somewhat implausible fight scene with Eddie. The mystery itself was tipped off early, but the "getting there" proved interesting.

J. R. Rain's Silent Echo presents another quick and interesting summer read if you can take the first paragraph's warnings in this review.

Lord, only you know hearts. Only you change hearts. Praying your insights to be revealed to J. R. Rain. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.