I saw Deanne co-teach a class with her brother, Jeff Savage, at the LDStorymakers Writing Conference and was rather impressed with her knowledge. She was right up there with her brother in sharing information, unlike so many other team-teaching presentations I've seen where one person dominates the discussion. She held her own with her multi-published brother, and I loved seeing the two of them interact.That made reading and reviewing this book that much more fun, as I had already seen that she knew her stuff, I was not surprised to discover that she knew how to write as well.
Sleight of Hand is the story of a con-man who dies just before he is about to get out of the con business, and once in the afterlife, discovers that he has to pay for the pain he inflicted on others. It's all about progression, understanding, change, and forgiveness, both of self and from a loving Heavenly Father.
When I first started reading, I wasn't sure I was going to like the book. I mean, I knew Deanne knew how to write, she was excellent at it, in fact, but the main character was a con-man? How was I supposed to identify with him? Fortunately, Deanne's writing style and attention to detail kept me reading, and as I saw the growth in the main character as he faced the actions of his past, I came to love him as a person, imperfect as he was, and by the end of the book I was in tears. It was fantastic. Some of the best Christian Fiction I've read. Ever.
Deanne, I salute you. You have created a believable world that enchanted me and made me want to believe in your version of an afterlife. It was beautifully written and masterfully carried out. I would recommend this book to any Christian reader.
Deanne has thoughtfully made the digital version of this book available to readers at a remarkable price through August 31st. Go HERE and enter the code MX73D on checkout to get the book for $1.99. It's worth the price, believe me. Actually, it is worth much, much more. I can't stop thinking about this story, and was actually sad to see it end.
Take a chance, guys. READ. THIS. BOOK! It is amazing to see a master at work.
2 comments:
Thank you so much for the glowing review. And it's a real compliment that you felt I held my own with Jeff. He is an amazing teacher and writer so that is a great compliment.
From it's inception this book has caused a lot of mixed feelings among it's readers. And always leads to interesting discussions. Thank you so much for reviewing it!
Deanne Blackhurst, author
Deanne, you are most welcome! It was an absolutely joy to read this book.
I went ahead and posted my review on Smashwords, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble as well. Yes, I loved it that much. :)
Best of luck with your future endeavors. I can't want to see what you come up with next!
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