Into the Fire

In Christian fiction a few years ago it was trending to write stories which alternated between the past and present. Susan Meissner did several novels in this style. I can't speak for general market fiction or which authors participated in this style or if it remained a solid trend. In The Girl in the Glass  James Hayman opted for this technique and managed to tell an interesting tale, perhaps my favorite of his, even though I don't really share any enthusiasm for this literary style.

Yes, the book contained bad language and, yes, a few explicit sexual encounters, but he didn't linger on them this time which was a definite improvement in spite of them – the few graphics unnecessary as usual. In the historical account two young lovers, an American artist studying in Paris (where else?) meets the daughter of the instructor of the Academy where he's enrolled and proceeds to fall headlong into love/lust with her. They marry and move to Maine where he assumes his role in his wealthy family business. His artistic talents left behind, she (Aimee) takes a lover, another artist, and their affair infiltrates her marriage. Her husband Edward threatens to never allow her to see their children again if she refuses to end it.

Swing forward to present day where one of the current Edward's two daughters happens to be the spitting image of her great, great grandmother, and named for her, is capsulized in a painting from yesteryear of the woman whose genes were passed on to her.

McCabe and Savage are called to the scene of the murder of a young woman and from there the plot thickens as they say. So many suspects, but one of them is soon found dead. To make the search even more difficult, they learn part of the history of her heritage and try to determine who else would've known it well enough to construct the murder scene.

Internally, McCabe is now "single" again and not handling it well. His daughter Casey is graduating from high school, and he knows she will be traveling to Brown University courtesy of his ex-wife's rich husband which is doubly hard for him to swallow since, once again, his ex has opted to make a prestigious business trip to London with her husband instead of honoring her promise to Casey to show up for her graduation.

Savage is perpetually single, unable to find the "it" guy, but is mildly interested in one of the suspects much to McCabe's dislike.

When Savage escapes serious injury in her pursuit of the real suspect, between McCabe and her, they finally are able to narrow down just who this guy is and proceed accordingly.

Between more murders, expected and unexpected, it's a messy case with an abundance of suspects. Police work, hunches, failures, and disappointments produce the desired end result with much debris left in its wake.

McCabe and Savage attempt to carry on with their personal lives after solving the case, but their options seem limited and unsatisfactory. Another good mystery with a unique touch. Leave out the profane and explicit material, and you've got a great story.

Father, only you know our hearts and can reach our souls. Please continue to pursue those who use your talent and bless them with the knowledge and beauty of knowing you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.