Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington

Thicker than Blood by CJ Darlington is 372 pages of Christian fiction published by Tyndale House Publishers, copyrighted 2009. This full-length novel was the 2008 Christian Writers Guild Operation First Novel contest winner. Darlington has skillfully woven a story of emotional impact that touches on the tough subjects of domestic abuse, abortion, alcoholism, and loss of loved ones through death and separation. Two sisters, Christy and May, haven't seen each other for 15 years. The death of their Aunt Edna brings them together again, but their reunion is beset with problems, pain, and heartache. Christy needs love and acceptance and drowns her sorrows in a bottle. Can May ever forgive her for running? She's run from the ones who've truly loved her all her life, always thinking she was alone and worthless. She's blamed herself for her parent's death. She discovers in the end that she always had someone there, if only she'd have called upon Him. And, she finds that blood is truly thicker than water, when she and her sister share a bond that can't be broken.

When she finally finds a job she loves in a bookstore, a charming man deceives her until he wrecks her position, her apartment, and turns her world inside out and upside down when he frames her for stealing valuable antique books. He's called her worthless so many times that she's begun to believe it. With no place to go, homeless and jobless, she visits the sister she hasn't seen in all those years only to discover her sister has her own problems. The bank is foreclosing on her beloved ranch, but instead of turning to booze for comfort as Christy does to alleviate her problems, May puts her faith and trust in God.

This award-winning novel was so captivating that I started reading it one evening and completed it the next. It's 23 chapters of suspense as Christy weaves her way back into May's life, and Vince stalks her to the ranch. Just as Christy feels she can breathe again, Vince intrudes upon her life and threatens to kill her sister. The author has paid attention to detail and provides excellent descriptions and dialogue. This is a novel you won't want to miss. A friend on Facebook told me she ordered hers today, after I'd told her how much I enjoyed reading it and from my brief description. She asked what the book was about, and I replied, two sisters who haven't seen each other in 15 years. I told her I'd put the review on my blog soon, but she didn't wait and ordered hers through Amazon.com. The author started the Christian entertainment Web site www.TitleTrakk.com in 2006. Check out Christian fiction and author interviews at the site and meet the award-winning author, CJ Darlington. This novel truly showcases well-written Christian fiction. It's my kind of book!