No Place to Hide

I will be honest, when I saw that this was classified under the "Christian Mystery" genre, I did not know what to expect. I have since completed this book and felt compelled to give it a review. David and Gretchen Marshall are a nice, average couple who have been happily married for six months. They live in a friendly neighborhood and David has a successful job. One Sunday, David takes a walk to the drugstore when he notices that a nearby nursery school serves as a church on Sundays, and is intrigued. Even though he's not a believer, he sits on a bench outside to listen to the sermon. This goes on for a couple more Sundays, and then when he is confronted by Gretchen as to why he took so long to get back from the drugstore, he mentions the church. Gretchen isn't Christian either, but when he expresses curiosity about wanting to go inside, she reluctantly agrees to go with him the following Sunday. They find the people to be welcoming and polite, and they especially get to know one family in particular. David starts to read the Bible and pray, but Gretchen is hardened against accepting Jesus because of her troubled childhood, and also, scary things have been happening. First, the town is swept into turmoil as a baby boy is slain in the area. She has started to get frightening phone calls too, with breathing on the other end. She and David get the phone number changed, but that only helps a little. She only tells a few people because she doesn't want to be seen as paranoid. She doesn't even confide in her good friend and next-door neighbor, Ruth, who has turned to drink to combat the stress of her husband's job as a police officer. When David goes away for a couple days on business, Gretchen clearly hears footsteps in the bushes at nighttime, outside her bedroom window. Then, she trips over a wire in the garage deliberately placed there. David tells Gretchen the best thing to do is to avoid going outdoors unless it is necessary, and be careful of whom they talk to. They have no idea who is doing this or why. The last straw is when they receive a threatening letter with no return address. David goes to the police headquarters, advising Gretchen to remain at home. However, she decides to go outside quickly to mail a letter. That's when the inevitable happens -- Gretchen is abducted, & her beliefs (or lack thereof) are seriously called into question by the aftermath that ensues. I am seventeen and really found this book enjoyable. I was initially drawn to the mystery/suspense element, but this book is also about the testing of faith. One of the themes is how God allows certain situations to happen in one's life so that we will turn to him when there's "No Place To Hide." This book does a good job of showing that without sappy platitudes or watered-down theology. Anyway, I'm sorry for the length of this review, you need to just read this novel for yourself...it's a real page-turner and well-written thriller.