Redeeming Grace by Ward Tanneberg - REVIEWED

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Redeeming Grace Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas;
1st edition (February 28, 2013) by Ward Tanneberg

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ward Tanneberg is a pastor/writer/novelist who has given more than 50 years to evangelism, youth, college and pastoral ministry, including two Pacific Northwest churches and 23 years as the senior pastor at Valley Christian Center in Dublin, CA. In 2008, he was named President/Executive Director of The CASA Network. Ward speaks extensively at 50+ retreats and ministry leadership events in the USA and elsewhere. When at home he meets weekly with a group of business and professional leaders. He and Dixie have 2 children, 3 grandchildren, 4 step-grandchildren and a great grandson.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Seven years ago, Grace Grafton died in a boating accident while partying on the Georgia, South Carolina coast. Was her death the result of alcohol and drugs or something more sinister? Nobody knows: her body was never recovered. Now years later, a woman reads in disbelief the note addressed to her: Hello Grace, did you think we wouldn't find you?

Those nine chilling words end Grafton's self-imposed sanctuary of witness protection. Now she and everyone she loves are in grave danger. Long believed dead, she has a secret that can change the world. She knows the man running for president is guilty of a double murder! But who will believe her?

My Thoughts:

“Now it’s time to start redeeming Grace.”  (p. 306)

The process of redeeming Grace is a rather lengthy process, folks! (there are no less than 597 pages to this novel!)  But it is a fascinating and convoluted and complicated process as well! Ward Tanneberg has written a great story that incorporates many common mistakes people make in judgment when they are young, and the lasting effects of those poor choices.  Tanneberg’s story takes this to an extreme place, and offers you a sort of fugitive tale of political intrigue, murder and general mayhem.

I grew rather fond of Grace and Maggie in this tale.  Together, they form a rather formidable force to reckon with.  True, they don’t come away unscathed in all of this, and in reality, they probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did. But I think Tanneberg is trying to encourage folks to understand that no one is beyond the reach of God’s forgiveness and mercy.  Throughout the story Grace is blessed with an unlikely group of unsung heroes.  She was able to survive because of their selfless generosity and daring faith.  She discovered her own faith in the process.

She has run from the evil she encountered as a senior in college for seven years, and has finally come to the end of herself. That is the greatest place to be!  Not the safest, but the greatest nonetheless. In truth, I would have rather read this as a couple of books in sequence rather than one massive tome.  It’s not a thriller by my standards, but rather a personal and relational story of…well, redeeming grace!!  I was pulled in by the story, began to care for the characters, and enjoyed the journey!  I am happy to recommend this book.  It has a lot to offer!

If you would like to read the first chapter of Redeeming Grace, go HERE.