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The Heart of Matthew Jade |
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T he Heart of Matthew Jade byRalph Allen St Kitts Press 288 pages, December 2000 ISBN 0966187954 Reviewed by Nancy Mehl A strange voice over the telephone. An ominous death threat. But the fear of his own destruction is not Matthew Jade’s main concern. His worry is for his daughter Katie, almost a teenager. Matthew is already living within the shadows of death; one shadow belongs to his wife, Maudie. His responsibility for her death haunts him every waking moment. The second shadow is the one that darkens his own soul, the darkness he cannot escape. Matt’s personal struggle to find meaning in his life runs parallel with a desperate attempt to keep his daughter safe. The ghosts of his past call out in an ever-increasing chorus. His father, his brother, his best friend, and his wife are gone. All he has left is Katie. Now her life is threatened, too. When the Chaplain of the Coffin County Jail asks Matt to assist him, Matt balks. This is the same jail where he was taken after being arrested for DUI, causing the accident that cost Maudie her life. He is repulsed by the memories of the dark cell where he spent that night in shame and despair. But the Chaplain's plea begins to shine a light of hope into the invisible prison of despair Matt has created for himself. Maybe Matt’s life can mean something again. As he reaches for the light however, death still pursues him. Someone is determined to take away his last chance at redemption. Ralph Allen served as a jail chaplain, then as Chaplain Coordinator in the Sedgwick County jails in Kansas for nineteen years; his insight into the jail system is an eye-opener. The Heart of Matthew Jade is a compelling novel that will stay with you long after you put it down. |
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