Summer of the Waxman

A disillusioned Chicago Cop returns to his roots in Western Kentucky to seek solace after a tragedy. Deke Campbell tries to build another life in a laidback county sheriff's office as a deputy. Unfortunately, solace escapes him as an old enemy from his teen years renews hostility. Instead, he finds a romance with a defense attorney, Rita, through a tumultuous summer relationship. He also meets a mysterious mishappen hermit who lives out his faith despite rejection from locals. The trio, Deke, Rita, and the Waxman, become embroiled in a murder that pits Deke against his archenemy. The suspense thriller navigates unexpected twists and intense scenes until the story crescendos into a conclusion that has the reader exclaiming, "I didn't see that coming."

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

You Cannot Grasp the River by Brent Brantley is a thriller with strong Christian themes. The story follows Benjad, an orphan boy whose life is threatened by the shaman known to have killed his parents. He is from a world that is harsh and where people believe in angry spirits. When this native Papuan boy is adopted by a missionary, Clay, and his wife, Alice, he finds a new home in the city, quite different from the life in his tribal setting. The young boy discovers love in his new family, but he is still haunted by the murder of his parents. While he struggles to embrace his new Christian faith, he still can’t overcome the tribal belief that a loved one’s murder must be avenged. Things escalate to an explosive finale when the evil from his past comes back in human form to kill him.

You Cannot Grasp the River

A six-year-old Stone Age Papuan boy, Benjad, is thrust into the modern world when a soldier- turned-missionary and his wife rescue him from an evil shaman who has killed his parents. The shaman then plots the future murders of both the boy and his adopted family. The story is filled with humor, action, and suspense as it traces Benjad’s adjustments to his new life. A theme of a conflicted worldview between his clan’s traditional demand for vengeance and his Christian faith is ever-present. The conflict culminates twelve years later in a deadly struggle between the young man and the murderous shaman in an unexpected finale.