The Crossing - Book Review

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I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a Christian fiction book about murder and its resulting mayhem. However from the first page I was drawn in to the heartbreaking story of Claudia Campbell.

In her late 20's, Claudia appears to live the American dream. Husband, daughter, beautiful home and nice vehicles. Little do people know, that she suffers debilitating panic attacks on an almost daily basis. Claudia carries a painful and daily reminder of a brutal murder committed 10 years ago. Her teacher and close confidant BJ Remington was gunned down in front of a school bus full of witnesses for no apparent reason. Ten years later, Claudia's life is falling apart. Her marriage, finances and relationships are crumbling around her as she tries to make sense of this horror. Can Vic, her husband, solve the ten year old murder and set his wife free from the prison she is in?

As I read this book, it became clear how pain affects our lives in a negative way when not dealt with. The entire book revolves around several characters dealing with extremely painful circumstances and the endless possibilities for redemption when they turned to God for help. And the resulting chaos when they choose to try to solve things on their own. The author painted a very clear picture of how God redeems us on a daily basis when we submit to him. Serita Jakes, the author, also went in to great detail of the death process, as the character BJ lay dying. In my opinion, this was dwelt on longer than necessary, in an almost morbid way. In some ways it was very enlightening, but I found myself wanting the character to enter rest instead of being drug thru chapter upon chapter of her process. However towards the end of the book, it was clear that BJ was on her way to heaven and the peace that the author described was quite breathtaking. It made me long to understand heaven more.

I found this book quite well written in most aspects. The ending left me wanting more details. It felt somewhat chaotic and did not answer all my questions. I would definitely like to see a sequel to this book at some point!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to any fiction/mystery lover. I was guessing who the murderer was until the very end, and as an avid mystery reader, that's hard for an author to do anymore! The way the author spun the story around Christ's love and redemption for us was moving and inspiring. I give this book 4 stars!

~I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review~