The Sinners’ Garden
February 28th, 2014. Filed under: This & That.The Sinners’ Garden
By William Sirls
In the small Lake Erie township of Benning, someone is at work cultivating a supernatural garden . . .
Andy Kemp’s young life has been as ravaged as his scarred face. Disfigured by an abusive father, the teenager hides behind his books and an impenetrable wall of cynicism and anger.
As Andy’s mother struggles to reconnect with him, his Uncle Rip returns transformed from a stint in prison and wants to be a mentor to the reclusive boy, doing everything he can to help end Andy’s pain. When Andy begins hearing strange music through his iPod and making near-prophetic announcements, Rip is convinced that what Andy is hearing is the voice of God.
Elsewhere, police officer Heather Gerisch responds to a late-night breaking and entering in one of the poorest homes in town. She soon realizes that the masked prowler has left thousands of dollars in gift cards from a local grocery store.
As the bizarre break-ins continue and Heather pursues the elusive “Summer Santa,” Andy and Rip discover an enormous and well-kept garden of wildflowers that seems to have grown overnight at an abandoned steel mill.
Soon, they realize who the gardener is, and a spree of miracles transfigures this small town from a place of hopelessness into a place of healing and beauty.
ISLAND BREEZES
What an amazing garden. It sprang up over night and lures this book’s characters with it’s beauty and peacefulness. It was a gift to bring four people into God’s will for their lives.
But this isn’t just a “feel good” book. You’ll be drawn into the lives of Andy, Judy, Heather and Rip. There’s a mystery underlying a series of breakins that will definitely keep you guessing until the end – the end that will surprise you.
This is the first novel I’ve read by Mr. Sirls, but it won’t be my last. I’m hoping he is in the process of finishing up another one soon.
***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***
Over the course of his life, William Sirls has experienced both great highs and tremendous lows—some born of chance, some born of choice. Life lessons involving faith, grace, and forgiveness are evident in his writing. The Sinners’ Garden is his second novel. His first novel, The Reason, was published in 2012. William makes his home in southern Michigan.
Learn more about William at: http://WilliamSirls.com