Into the Fire

Canadian author Sara Davison has written an interesting novel with a total twist as the premise of an investigation by dashing Detective Daniel Grey in the first of The Night Guardians Series, Book 1, Vigilant. 

The tragic and despicable treatment of young children by their parents is in full display to Attorney Gage Kelly and his brother social worker Holden Kelly. Having both survived severe abuse by their father, they see their situations played out over and over again in their chosen fields. 

Nicole Hunter, a beautiful waitress at Joe's Diner, had (and still has) absentee parents who never had time to raise her, let alone spend meaningful time with her which is why Joe and his wife, the diner's owners, have been more like parents to her than her own. Abandonment issues make it difficult for her to trust relationships, but when she meets the attractive Gage Kelly, he works hard to convince her he's the one for her. 

Detective Daniel Kelly and his partner Sharleen are assigned the case where young children are being taken from their homes in the dead of night without leaving any clues as to who and why. The interesting thing about these children is their one common denominator: they're all being consistently abused by their parent or parents. 

When Daniel happens to visit Joe's Diner with an associate, his brief experience with Nicole Hunter causes him some serious emotional upheaval.

The intermingling of this case leads to Attorney Gage Kelly, his brother Holden Kelly, Nicole Hunter, Detectives Daniel and Sharleen all working independently when it seems they should be working together. Unusual circumstances lead to more of the same and finally conclude with a tragedy.

Sara Davison writes a heartbreaking story with an unusual premise amidst the human conditions of attraction, devotion, and determinations to somehow do the "right" things while observing hopeless situations and experiencing deep-seated feelings and passions. Although it's a hard one to read, it's a worthy story.

Father, please bless Sara with continued inspiration and insights and fill her with your abundance as she honors you with her writing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Blessed is the man 

  who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

  to those who turn aside to false gods.

Psalm 40:4 (NIV)

Our "go to" place in the late winter when there is a free day or two to spend "our" way. Do you have a go to place?

Father, thank you for this opportunity. We cherish these times. In spite of it all, we know you are with us and that you reign. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

This picture suffered the ravages of time and multiple moves, but at least it's mostly "preserved". After all, it's from 1967! My friend Rick (now deceased) and me mugging for the lens. 

God, help us to preserve memories that mean so much to us, friends that touched our hearts, lives that mattered in so many ways. Apart from you, we can do nothing. And we're all desperate for you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

I loved this kid. And his family. In the picture above he's pictured with his oldest daughter who is a special needs child. There are three other siblings and his lovely wife Katie. We're always tempted to say he died "too young" and for those left behind that's exactly how it feels. However, our Lord wrote in His word that our days are numbered as are the hairs on our head and many other minute details of our existence. Only He writes the books of our lives. 

Following the Memorial to Isaiah ("Zaya" to many of us), his mom, who's suffered from some serious health issues for awhile, said she was "all cried out" and that we couldn't see the big picture. How right she was and is. And I'm sure her tears were only stunted and not stopped.

His dad's face said it all – grief and that certain helplessness etched on his features. He gave a sterling tribute to the large crowd of those whose lives Zaya touched. There were a lot of us there to pay our respects and mourn the loss of the guy who made everything fun around him. 

Our son and Zaya spent some great times together earlier in their lives. Real friends. Of course it got harder as adulthood, marriage, and children took up a huge portion of Zaya's life, but real friendship never ends, and the pain of losing him still hurts deep. As Christians, we know the reunion with him will be wonderful, but our finite minds cannot immediately rest in that. And God knows that. As his mom expressed: the big picture . . . 

Anyway, I love you, Zaya. Our family loves you and your family. You're so missed. Heaven's gain. 

Father, please comfort his parents, wife, and children. You know grief better than we do, but we're consumed by it at times. Please, show them your mercy in huge doses. Hold them close, Lord, as only you can do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

"Creedence" for short, this band had a bunch of hits and a distinct sound to call their own. Great band back in the day.

Father, only you know our hearts. Only you deliver and delivered salvation. We're all desperate for you whether we know it or not. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Luana Ehrlich begins A Mylas Grey Mystery series with One Day Gone. 

Mylas Grey and his brother Curtis were raised helping their private detective dad do surveillance. They learned to shoot a handgun, defend themselves, and gained insights into investigating people and problems. Their dad hoped one or both of them would join him in his business, but Mylas had his sights set on being a lawyer, and Curtis became a Christian and went into the ministry.  

Mylas left home and attended Georgetown, became a good attorney but proved to excel at investigation. His self-appointed mentor at the small but prestigious law firm where he practiced hooked him up with the senator who chaired the Judiciary Committee in DC and Mylas accepted the job as his chief investigator vetting the judges eligible for federal appointments.

As Mylas begins looking into a particular judge, the senator's daughter disappears and he wants Mylas to conduct an investigation working with the local police to find her. Mylas isn't happy about it, assuming the young woman had probably just taken off for a few days of privacy. Plus, it takes him away from DC when a new investigator is being brought onto the team there and home to Columbia, Missouri, where the girl was attending the university and working on a specific article for their paper about the same judge Mylas is vetting. The further he gets in his interviews, the less it seems as if the senator's daughter was haphazard in her actions before her disappearance.

Mylas begins this first-person story as a focused man who measures his life's work by the amount of money he earns and when an unexpected windfall provides all he'll need, he realizes at his relatively young age, he needs something to occupy himself while applying his talents. His life changes substantially when he least expects it during the investigation of the senator's daughter.

One Day Gone presents an interesting investigative/procedural type of story with unique characters and a positive family dynamic even though Mylas has somewhat kept himself at a distance. Book Two in the Mylas Grey Mystery series Two Days Taken will release later in 2020. 

(This is Christian fiction.)

Father, please continue to bless Luana in your abundance, keep her safe from all harm, and encourage her with more inspiration to write the stories you have just for her to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

   he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The Lord helps them and delivers them;

   he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

   because they take refuge in him.

Psalm 37:39-40 (NIV) 

I've been so busy on getting the final formatting changes made with my new book that I've lost track of time and forgot to get my posts ready yesterday and today. So here's a Friday "fun" thing for anyone who staggers by here this Friday.

Have you ever? :

Broken a bone

Ridden in the back of a police, law enforcement vehicle

Got sent out of a grade school class for uncontrolled laughing

Square-danced as an adult

Fallen off a horse

Wanted to be an actor

Sang a solo song in public

Climbed a mountain

To answer your unspoken question(s), I can answer yes to five of these. 

God, you are my true inspiration. Apart from you, I can do nothing. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

So, novel readers, consider all those books and stories you've read. Of all those fictional characters which one(s) do you most identify with? Who is your mirror image at heart? Who do you most relate to? Who comes closest to who you feel you are? C'mon now. Who are you in the fictional realm? 

Father, help us to be the one you designed us to be. And help us to see ourselves in others when and where it matters. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.