Sky Zone--a great read!

Sky Zone: A Novel by Creston Mapes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars




No one can look back on America's recent history and not think about the threat of terrorism. There are more incidents of it in the news than we want to hear about. For most of us, it hasn't hit too close to home, but it could at any moment. Jack Crittendon is about to find out what it's like.

Jack has been through some tough times, but nothing has prepared him for what's coming. Not only are he and his wife Pam struggling financially, but one day when he checks in for work, he gets way more than he bargained for. Providing security for Festival Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Jack and his ex -military, survival-crazy friend Brian Shakespeare, are thrown into a life and death situation. Independent presidential hopeful Martin Sterling is holding a rally at the arena--one that will pack the seats--but when Homeland Security uncovers intel of a possible terrorist attack, everyone is thrown into panic and chaos. Thousands of people are trapped inside the arena, along with Jack, Shakespeare, Sterling, Jack's reporter friend Derrick, and Everett Lester, former rock star-turned-Christian artist scheduled as part of the evening's festivities.

Who can stand against the evil men holding the public hostage to their every whim? Can Jack, Derrick, and Shakespeare stop the madness without getting themselves killed in the process?

The books in the Crittendon files keep getting better and better. The plot, elements of suspense, setting, characters, subject matter, and faith issues were handled flawlessly to create a complete work that I thoroughly enjoyed. The problems the characters had were ones anyone could relate to, and most of the situations were entirely believable. Although I saw a major twist coming a mile away, it didn't take away from the drama, and I maintain that this is definitely Creston Mapes' best book yet.

As a reader and reviewer who has been with Mapes from the very beginning, I loved that Everett Lester made an appearance in the story. It made me want to go back and read Dark Star and Full Tilt over again.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that Sky Zone is less about terrorism and more about a lot of other things, including maintaining our freedoms, being courageous under fire, being a witness by our example, the importance of our relationships, and God's providence. If I could use spoilers, I would talk a lot more about some other themes that came up, but I won't do that here. Discussion questions are included in the back of the book that address these for group or personal thought.



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