"Lightning on a Quiet Night"

by Donn Taylor

5 stars!

 

Description

In the years following World War II, a town too proud of its own virtues deals with its first murder. Following a horrific murder, the town of Beneficent, Mississippi, population 479, tries desperately to hold onto its vain self-image. The young veteran Jack Davis holds that idyllic vision of the town and tries to share it with Lisa Kemper, newly arrived from Indiana. But she is repelled by everything in it. While the sheriff tries to find the killer, Jack and Lisa's contentious courtship reveals the town's strange combination of astute perceptions and surprising blind spots. Then they stumble onto shocking discoveries about the true nature of the town. But where will those discoveries lead? To repentance or to denial and continuation in vanity?

Purchase at the following locations:

http://www.amazon.com

http://www.barnesandnoble.com

Biography

Donn Taylor led an Infantry rifle platoon in the Korean War, served with Army aviation in Vietnam, and worked with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia. Afterwards, he earned a PhD in English literature (Renaissance) and for eighteen years taught literature at two liberal arts colleges. His poetry has appeared in leading journals and is collected in his book Dust and Diamond: Poems of Earth and Beyond. In addition to the historical novel Lightning on a Quiet Night, his fiction includes a light-hearted mystery, Rhapsody in Red, and two suspense novels, Deadly Addictive and The Lazarus File, which has been re-issued as an e-book. He is a frequent speaker at writers’ groups and conferences. He lives near Houston, TX, where he continues to write fiction and poetry, as well as essays on writing, ethical issues, and U.S. foreign policy.

Lightning on a Quiet Night was one of three finalists in the Historical Romance category of the Selah Awards this year.

Website:  http://donntaylor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authordonntaylor?fref=ts

My Thoughts ~

The small-town community named Beneficent holds on to their views of a near-perfect community of Christian residents. I found their self-righteous beliefs representative of the community where I grew up, and was able to relate to the mentality that bad things just don't happen in Beneficent. Townspeople are shaken by the murder of a popular teenage girl. Who in their community could possibly commit such a heinous crime, certainly not one of their own? It has to be an outsider!

Lisa Kemper is appalled at the ridiculous mindset in the community. Her association with war hero, Jack Davis is based on suspicion, with an attraction she can't quite comprehend. Characters throughout this well written small-town mystery are believable and representative of small-town America. They are as varied as members of any community. Personalities are creative and well depicted, a gossipy woman who can't control her nosiness, a sheriff so laid back one wonders if he knows his business, as well as a wealthy banker and his family, people who are well respected.

This is a great story of "people" and the perceptions they hold, as well as an unpredictable mystery that captured my attention throughout. I found it difficult to put this book down, wanting to discover what would be revealed in the next chapters. I highly recommend this book for the action and discoveries that the author creates. The underlying themes of faith and redemption are commendable. I'm anxious to read more books created by this author.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review. All expressed opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.