not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols

Will Birdie fall?

not a sparrow falls by Linda Nichols is a 350 page awesome read published by Bethany House. From an empty shell of a life living with a drugged-out boyfriend, Mary Bridget Washburn becomes Birdie, takes on her mother's identity, and escapes to a small town.On the bus, the money she took from Jonas, so she could begin a new drug-free life, is stolen, and she's left to find work in a small-town grocery.

In a decades old church as she seeks sanctuary, a young girl's plea captures her heart and connects her to the local reverend. With a tainted past that opens her eyes, Birdie has insight and wisdom that she uses to help the pastor's family. His first wife died and left many unanswered questions, but journals discovered in the attic allow the young daughter she left behind to understand and know her mother. When Birdie discovers the hidden journals while looking for Christmas decorations, the teen takes them and asks her to read them with her. Behind the girl's behind door in privacy, Birdie helps her discover her mother as she reads entry after entry, and they devour every single journal, pictures, scrapes of material, and all.
Meanwhile, Birdie keeps an eye on her ex by checking a site on the computer to be sure he's still imprisoned, but her once empty life becomes so full that she carelessly stops. He is released from prison and tracks her down. He wants his money and his brain back.

Her new life becomes unraveled when he finds her, ranting about how she stole his brain. In the end, he realizes it was his heart, she took, not his brain. His drug-crazed frenzy takes Birdie home, but not in the way she hoped. With a gun to her head, she's forced to bring this demon into the house with her beloved grandma, who's a force to be reckoned with.

She provides Jonas with a story about who he's named after, Jonah in the Bible, and brings him out of his drug-induced stupor long enough to claim his attention. She says, "The Lord called Jonah, but instead of obeying, he run off from the presence of the Lord. Just like you're doing."

Birdie can hardly believe her ears, when Jonas blinks and responds, "Yes, ma'am." Grandma brings a memory of Vacation Bible School back to him, and he hangs his head.
"Don't you fall asleep while I'm talking to you," Granny rebukes. She tells him it's not too late to call upon the Lord, and he almost knocks over his chair, tells Birdie she's killing him, bolts out the door to his Plymouth and drives out of their lives.

Will he return to demand Birdie find the money she took once his drugged mind settles? Will the pastor and his family welcome Birdie back into their lives like a lost sheep, or will she remain the black sheep of the family she thought of herself as being? Can there be a future with the reverend and his family? Will his church be taken from him? Can he find the strength to start over? This novel holds the answers to these questions as well as many life-altering ones and would be a good read for young women, since it showcases how Birdie was pulled down in life with a drug addict boyfriend and how hard escaping that life was. It also conveys the problems of ministry when the flock wants a new preacher. What truly happened to the pastor's first wife? The deadly secret is revealed in her journals.

Don't miss not a sparrow falls. Look for it at Amazon or Barnes and Noble.com as well as many online bookstores. It's forty-two chapters that'll keep you on the edge of your seat and open doors to other worlds.