The first in the Ollie Chandler series, although he doesn't feature as the main character. Plenty of action in the beginning but does tend to get bogged down a little with issues such as abortion, fundamentalism, sex education in schools, ethics in medicine. However the mystery and intrigue keeps you reading until the end. Interesting take on what happens to believers and unbelievers when they exit this life which should be challenging to both. ( )

Randy Alcorn is one of my favorite Christian novelists and this is the book that first exposed me to his writings. The book deals primarily with one Jake Woods, a liberal newspaper columnist in Portland whose life is turned upside down by a tragic car crash that takes the lives of his two best friends, Doc and Finney.

The book revolves around the challenge of the two worldviews represented by these two men and the battle for Jake's ultimate destiny. Doc, the successful popular doctor with no need or time for God, and Finney, the Christian businessmann whose entire life was devoted to serving God. When Jake discovers that the accident that took their lives and left him injured was not quite the accident he thought it was, he launches into a personal investigation wherein he discovers exactly who his friends truly were. With the help of such memorable characters as Clarence Abernathy (a fellow columnist at the newspaper) and Ollie Chandler (a police detective), Jake puts all the pieces together. Far more importantly than the crime, however, Jake comes face to face with himself...with the man he has become. As he compares himself to his two friends he begins to question everything that he has believed, and he begins to see how his actions have affected everyone around him, from his daughter to his ex-wife, to his coworkers.

Ultimately, the book is a very satisfying read. Alcorn's depictions of heaven are beautiful. If you are familiar with his non-fiction book "Heaven," you should know that it was from writing this novel and its sequel that Alcorn was inspired to write it. In the novel, Finney dies and is taken to heaven, where he meets His Savior and all the saints that have gone before him. As Jake deals with his life on earth, Finney prays for him and roots for him from heaven. Doc, however, dies and finds himself NOT in heaven. While Alcorn's depictions of heaven are wonderful, his depiction of hell is terrifying. Alcorn does not seem to believe in a literal hell of undying fire, but there is nothing in his version of hell that minimizes the truth that it is not a place where anyone wants to find him or herself!

So pick up a copy of this book and read it. A quick aside here...in the newer versions, it is a bit misleading that they refer to this book as the first in the "Ollie Chandler" series. Ollie Chandler is certainly an important character, but to refer to this book as the first in an "Ollie Chandler" series is to suggest he is the main character...and he is not. His is a support role in this book, as it is in the second book, where Clarence Abernathy is the main character. Ollie Chandler does not become the main character until the third book. Still, don't let that affect whether you read this book or not. Read it and you'll find yourself wanting to read the next two. And by the time you read the third one you'll certainly have become a fan of Ollie Chandler! I certainly hope that Alcorn writes more books revolving around this character!

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