By Melissa Willis
GENRE: FICTION
PUBLISHER: ZONDERVAN
PUBLICATION DATE: APRIL 2010
Life was never free of fear in the Republic of Dhambizao, but with the upcoming elections, everyone was even more concerned and cautious. Seventeen years ago, the country was ravished by a brutal coup. The man who instigated the take over and assumed the presidency was now promising a fair election, but could he be trusted? Furthermore, in a country overwhelmed by corruption and loyalties sold to the highest bidder, could the opposition be trusted to keep the elections fair.
Five days before the election while shopping in a Kasili market, American Natalie Sinclair is approached by Joseph, a former interpreter. He tells her a horrifying story of Ghost Soldiers raiding his village, murdering some and capturing others. He was able to take pictures, but unfortunately his camera was lost while fleeing from the massacre. Almost as troubling as the invasion, was the conversation he overheard between two soldiers. Apparently, despite the UN’s efforts and intervention, the elections were rigged. The country was on the brink of another civil war.
I’m a sucker for novels set amid corruption and poverty in third world countries. I’m pretty sure each one I’ve read I’ve loved. There’s something about people thrown into impossible situations and defeating environments, that puts pampered American life in perspective. These stories offer a great glimpse of hope in the midst of overwhelming odds as well as encouragement to remember to pray for those we can’t personally be present to help. I love these types of stories and Blood Ransom is one of the best.
This book starts strong and continues at a steady pace to the end. The prologue was spectacular and ensured that I kept reading. Seeing the raid through Joseph’s eyes was very powerful and stayed with me throughout the entire story. It was described in vivid, not graphic terms. The cries of the villagers heard in the opening stays with the reader, and each time the photos are mentioned, the images of fear and brutality resurface. Harris truly set this book up for impact from the opening and never let the reader forget the goal was not just to prevent a corrupt election, but to free people from slavery. It was a great presentation that heightened the intensity and kept my interest.
Harris explored several spiritual themes including forgiveness and cruelty in the world. While I prefer these topics to be better embedded in the story, given the character’s backgrounds and personalities, the spiritual conversations and internal dialog were not too intrusive. At times the exchanges were pretty generic, but at least the characters acknowledged the clique nature of their statements. There are small sections that are a bit heavy in exploring God’s will and a couple of awkward evangelical moments, but for the most part it was not distracting.
Blood Ransom is a strong first book to the Mission Hope Series. The characters are enjoyable and the setting spectacular. While a descent amount of time is spent detailing humanitarian issues, they are approached in a way that greatly enhances the story rather than making it feel like a social justice book. Throughout there are some exciting adventure and nice action sequences. The suspense is pretty good, but a bit too much foreshadowing spoiled a couple of great plot twists. While it has a sweet romantic storyline, it’s not at all sappy. I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one in the series.
Review copy provided courtesy of Zondervan
