Charlie Finn had to grow up fast, living alone by age sixteen. Highly intelligent, he earned a life-changing scholarship to Harvard, where he learned how to survive and thrive on the outskirts of privileged society. That skill served him well in the cutthroat business world, as it does in more lucrative but dangerous ventures he now operates off the coast of Miami.

Charlie tries to separate relationships from work. But when his choices produce devastating consequences, he sets out to right wrongs, traveling to Central America where he will meet those who have paid for his actions, including a woman and her young daughter. Will their fated encounter present Charlie with a way to seek the redemption he thought was impossible–and free his heart to love one woman as he never knew he could?

My first Charles Martin book, and it won’t be my last. I want to explain why in this review, but there were so many reasons to love this book that I’m having a hard time summarizing (I hate writing long reviews).

In a nutshell, Martin does what many Christian authors THINK they’re doing but fail to achieve — he tells a gripping, believable story of redemption without once having to say, “This is God! Look what God can do!” There are no perfect characters. There are no “all-knowing” characters (the ones who just always seem to know exactly what’s going on in a person’s life without having been told). There’s no long sermon or Bible references. It’s just the story of a drug runner whose life has caught up with him and how he changes his life (if you’re a Christian, you’ll see the symbolism; if you’re not, you probably won’t).

Generally, I’m not a fan of dual timelines, but I enjoyed reading about Charlie so much that I didn’t care. I would have, of course, enjoyed a teeny bit more romance, but I know that’s not everyone’s preference.

If you’re looking for a suspenseful, redemptive, realistic story without all of the sex, violence, and swearing of many contemporary books, I highly recommend this book.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements (drugs, gambling, etc.)