Book Review...Deception by Randy Alcorn

I just finished a book that I think you should know about.

The description on the back of the book says, "Homicide detective Ollie Chandler has seen it all. Done more than he cares to admit. But when he's called to investigate the murder of a Portland State University professor, he finds himself going places he's never gone before. Because all the evidence in pointing to one, horrific conclusion: The murderer is someone in he own department. That's not the worst of it, through. Ollie has nagging doubts...about himself. Where was he during the time of the murder? Joined by journalist Clarence Abernathy and their friend Jake Woods, Ollie pushes the investigation forward. Soon all three are drawn deep into corruption and political tensions that threaten to destroy them and anyone who tires to help. But they've got no choice. They have to follow the evidence to the truth."

What I also like about this book is that there is also a second story going on. Ollie's wife is dead, but she, the son they lost, Clarence Abernathy's father and God are in heaven monitoring all that's going on. Meanwhile, Ollie struggles with alcoholism and tries to convince his Christian friends that they are wrong about God. The conversations they have are very thought provoking. 

There are two conversations in this book I want to point out. The first is a conversation that Ollie and Jake have as Ollie tries to blame God for injustice in the world (page 160).

Jake: "So you blame God instread? Brings us right back to where we started. Where do you get your sense of justice that makes you believe crime and suffering are so wrong?"

Ollie: "I guess I was born with it."

Jake: "You were born with a sense of justice? Well, then it didn't come from you, did it? It came from the One who made you. You believe evil is wrong because God knows it's wrong and made you know it too. Ironic, isn't it?"

Ollie: "What's ironic?"

Jake: "You're using standards of justice that could only come from God in order to argue that there is no God."

The second conversation goes from pages 341-343. A young girl, Carly, dies and she has a conversation with God when she first sees Him in heaven. It made me cry and feel God's hands all around me. I'm not going to copy the text here so you'll have to read it and tell me what you think. This part alone makes the book worth reading.

There is a lot of good religious fiction out there right now. The next one I'm going to read is Heaven's Wager (The Martyr's Song Series) by Ted Dekker.