Tarnished Image

Who knew so many heart-stopping events could happen at a plain-old humanitarian relief agency? Well, Alton Gansky for one. That's why he's written Tarnished Image, the second novel in his Barringston Relief series. This book is a well-paced thriller that could've come straight from today's newspapers. For starters there's Hurricane Claudia bearing down on Cuba and the southeastern United States. And there's that tsunami that barreled through the Bay of Bengal, killing thousands and destroying entire villages. David O'Neal and the rest of the Barringston Relief agency are going to have to work fast to get people and supplies out to combat the disasters... Except David O'Neal is sitting in a prison cell, arrested on trumped-up charges of embezzlement and smuggling of illegal aliens into the U.S.! Worse yet, since David is CEO of Barringston Relief, the FBI has frozen all of the agency's bank accounts--and a weasel of a finance officer is trying to usurp David's power at the agency while he's gone. Without access to their resources, and without David to lead them, will Barringston Relief be able send help in time? And why is somebody trying to stop them? And is David's Christian faith enough to see him through these crises? Only God--and Alton Gansky--know. (Well, you'll know too once you read the book. But until then, it'll have to remain a mystery.) It's refreshing to discover Christian fiction like Tarnished Image. Kudos to both Gansky and WaterBrook Press for remembering there are female and male Christians, and for creating enjoyable reading for both. BOOKBLOG RATING: B+ --MN

Tarnished Image takes up where Terminal Justice left off. For that reason, I recommend reading the Terminal Justice first. In Tarnished Image, David is now the head of Barringston Relief. His character is further developed, and the story line is equally full of twists and action. It is top level entertainment with an uplifting message. I particularly like the way the author, Alton Gansky, ties up all the loose ends. Many writers fail to do that. The ending was highly satisfying, and left me with a good feeling for having read it and a wish that the Barringston Relief Chronicles would continue with another book. I highly recommend this as a combination of mystery, suspense, ample action, and Christian theme.

Being framed for something he didn't do,the evidence is nearly fool proof. David is faced with an ordeal most people do not have to face, and the difficult task of proving his innocence. No one believes him, only his attorney, the owner and the Lord. His love of Timmy and his girlfriend Kristen gives him the motivation to fight back. He now realizes that without his faith in God, he is going down hard. I loved the ending (...). The book overall was very written.