Possession by Rene Gutteridge

Reviewed by Karri Compton

"...Current fans will certainly enjoy this offering and I'll bet that new readers with a penchant for suspense will have found a new author to put on their must-read list."

Vance Graegan has a past—one full of death and stress. He is a newly retired homicide detective who has been through one too many traumatic murder cases; namely, the D.C. sniper case. He decides to give up his cop career in order to help his wife Lindy open her own deli across the country in California. All goes well until the moving company refuses to deliver the truck that holds their every earthly possession. Is mover Joe only greedy or is there something more sinister going on?

Threats abound, as do the Graegan's troubles. As Vance and Lindy fall into more and more danger, their little boy Conner keeps his childlike faith intact. Can Conner's prayer warrior example rub off on his parents? Will it do any good?

There is much to like in this novel. So much so, that I kept out a lot of the plot and a few of the characters on purpose. I myself have even stopped reading back cover copy (it often tends to give too much away for my liking) so my reading experience won't be ruined. I've tried to keep this review simple and totally spoiler-free so readers can get the full effect when reading the book for themselves.

Thematically strong as always, Gutteridge explores what may happen to people whose worlds have crashed down around them and they have nothing left—nothing but unfulfilled dreams by day and nightmares by night. She also delves into marital problems, the relationship between police partners, the parent-child relationship, in-laws, trust between spouses, the power of prayer, bitterness, and other issues.

This is definitely one of Gutteridge's more suspenseful books, without much of the humor she has put into other series. Gripping suspense suits me just fine, but I did miss her sharp wit a little, even though the book didn't lend itself to wit.

Current fans will certainly enjoy this offering and I'll bet that new readers with a penchant for suspense will have found a new author to put on their must-read list.

Karri Compton, wife and mother of three, devours Christian fiction whenever possible. Her favorite genre is suspense/thriller, especially Ted Dekker novels. Since promoting biblical worldview fiction is dear to her heart, she reviews on her blog, Fiction Fanatics Only! and is a staff reviewer and interviewer for such sites as The Christian Suspense Zone. Her latest published work appears in Peculiar People's novel collaboration, Delivered. She is a member of such writers' groups as The Lost Genre Guild and FCW. Editing the completed first draft of her novel keeps her busy, as well as performing in musicals put on by her local community theater association.