Have you ever read a book by an author who possesses the incredible ability to tell a story that crawls into your imagination and comes to life with the vivid clarity of a movie? Does that author also have the ability to plumb the depths of the heart and soul, bringing to light some of the questions we all have inside? For me, Charles Martin is just such an author. Although I’ve only read two of his books so far, both affected me deeply, and I don’t think I will ever forget the poignant tales that he shares or the quotes that are so filled with truth. Mr. Martin’s newest work is “Send Down the Rain”, and was published by Thomas Nelson in the spring of 2018.

Although “Send Down the Rain” is not a perfectly clean book, and is filled with numerous scenes of horrible violence, I can see that it had to be that way. Quite simply, the story required each of its scenes to be included. So, I would not recommend this book to younger audiences, nor to readers who become scared or bothered by violence and intense scenes. But to those who love a deep, powerful, compelling, bawl-your-eyes-out, can’t-put-it-down-until-you-know-what-happens sort of story, filled with vivid characters and fascinating plots and paragraphs that should be hung on the wall as inspirational quotes, “Send Down the Rain” is a story you simply must read.

The overarching theme of this remarkable story is, to put it simply: Love vs. Evil. Although it may seem simplistic, the way “Send Down the Rain” portrays (in a small way) the incredible price Jesus paid for our sins, out of love, is anything but straightforward.

If you aren’t convinced yet to give “Send Down the Rain” a try, let me leave you with just a couple of my favorite quotes…

“Love rushes in where others won’t. Where the bullets are flying. It stands between. Pours out. Empties itself. It scours the wasteland, returns the pieces that were lost, and it never counts the cost…”

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“I once owned a carnival. On Friday nights, when we were operating over capacity, I called it controlled chaos. But it was nothing compared to what that courtroom became when (the judge) pounded his gavel one last time and said. . .”

Well, you’ll just have to read the book to discover the verdict!!

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.