Book Review: The Proof by Cheryl Colwell, Historical Adventure

The Proof by Cheryl Colwell

A Fun Adventure backed by Excellent Writing

I belong to a Yahoo Group made up of Christian authors who act cooperatively to help one another become successful in the book business.  One of the really great parts about being in such a group is that I get to read unknown or barely known authors.  Of course, this could be a great blessing or a real drag.  Not all folks who think they can write, should.

After a few months and around ten reads from the group, the overall quality has been better than I would have ever imagined.  You can find several of the reviews here on the blog.

Cheryl Colwell's new book was no exception to this string of outstanding books.  Her novel, The Proof, did just about everything you could ever want a novel to do:  Captivating characters who you came to care about and want to know more about; scene development that was so clear you could almost reach out and touch the walls; adventure (even including swords), that kept the pages turning as fast as possible; plot turns and twists that were surprising, yet believable; historic and geographic settings that were like travelogs and time machines in their clarity; and gentle teachings about both truth and character.  Did I leave anything out that you hope to find in adventure fiction?

Oh!  The writing!  I guess I alluded to that earlier, but in truth that is often the missing ingredient in otherwise delightful Christian writing.  Actually excellent writing is sometimes commonly missing in major best sellers like Killing Jesus.  Cheryl is a seriously good writer.  Bill O'reilly take note if you ever consider changing writing partners.

The book is primarily set in Italy, but the adventures take place over 20 centuries as a religious relic is fought over by good guys and thugs.  The relic is believed to possess supernatural power, not just monetary value, setting up the ongoing tension.

If you like mystery, suspense, adventure, and intrigue in historic settings, you can't possibly go wrong with The Proof.

Man Bites Dog? Woman's Prison Story and Christian Non-Fiction Come Together

Book Review: "Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey"

Who'd a Thunk it?  A No-holds-barred Personal Journal of One Woman's Journey

It's all there.  The violence, the drugs, the power hierarchies, the payoffs, the intimidation, the lesbians, and the crooked guards.  Enter a suburban housewife who admittedly "did the deed," and was sent to real prison for a complex financial fraud, that offered her no potential gain, but inadvertently caused others loss.  How does she negotiate the world of professional criminals, mentally and emotionally challenged, and often desperate women in prison?

Trish Jenkins wrote letters home to her husband a young girls all during her ordeal.  What she couldn't send them for fear of retribution by staff or fellow inmates, she recorded in a journal for later.  After serving every day of her sentence, she turned the detailed history of her life behind bars into a compelling honest book that will chill you and sometimes thrill you.

Trish Jenkins, author, "Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey"

You see, Trish Jenkins is also a Bible believing Christian, sold out for Jesus.  She determined to make every facility where she did time into a place of ministry.  Her constant thought was about how she could take this awful experience, and like Paul, make it into something good and eternal for Jesus.

I'll be the first to admit that at times her faithful acts seemed to good to be true.  Who knows, she might have embellished here and there.  However, there are many, many witnesses to what she did.  I suspect that if she's not telling it straight, some of those would be challenging her.  So, I'm taking her at her word.

The other thought that kept coming back to me was "what would I have done, given her circumstances."  I'm 150 pounds soaking wet.  I would be a big target in a men's facility.  Could I hold it together, keep my focus on Christ, and not merely crumble?  Would it be on my mind to tell those around me about Jesus at every possible chance?

Trish didn't pull it all together every day or even every hour on any given day.  She shares her heartbreaks, depression, and more.  She gives us a momentary glimpse into the re-entry into the real world afterwords, which in some ways seems to have been worse than the time in prison.  You start to see why some criminals prefer the inside, with clear rules and three squares.

Usually, book reviews cover the quality of the writing long before this.  However, the real power of this book is in the first person narrative, honestly and completely revealed.  Having said that, Trish Jenkins is a fine writer who tells the story clearly, and with passion.

While there were many lessons and takeaways from this work, my favorite line was:

"Many of us dream of having a great ministry; but we want it on our terms.  We don't really count the cost, because we cannot really see what the cost will be.  Yet only by willingly paying the cost can we appreciate the joy and satisfaction of fulfilling our call."

I also appreciated her oft repeated prayer regarding a situation or ministry:  "Lord, help me to be effective."

"Treasures of Darkness, a Prison Journey," is available on Amazon.com.