K. R. Dial

This thriller does a great job of balancing plot, character development and moral issues: from the start, the reader embarks on Sam's unexpected adventure, from hard-working ambitious lawyer to roots-based nonprofit legal representative. The author obviously masters her topic well because the scenes in Thailand and Burma are extremely believable and well described.
The issues are dealt with caring but they are not glossed over. The religious character is sometimes a bit contrived, but it show more flows well with the rest of story. The characters are multifaceted and interesting; Sam, in particular, grows well from a single-focused individual to a giving and passionate young man.
The plot has its weaknesses: the cloak and dagger stuff is a bit thick but fun, and other events are precipitated to the detriment of properly developed relationships.
Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with this book and very much enjoyed the read. show less

An easy read covering a very serious crime in society. The characters introductions to one another was planned well and the story ran at an suitable pace. Id did feel that some of the religious comments seemed a little contrived, that they did not come across as sincere. Also Sam's change of character from the young man eager to earn a high salary to one who works for the good of society happened too quick. The end was all too much of a 'happy ending' for me but I did enjoy the book and show more would read more by this author. show less

I don’t think I’ve ever said this about a book before but I wish The Lotus Keeper had been longer. While child prostitution is an unfortunate reality in many countries, this confronting book opened my eyes to a subject I hadn’t previously given much thought to, and I would have loved the story to include a bit more information on the problem and get the reader more involved in the real-life tragedy of what these girls go through at the hands of their abusers. I would also have loved an show more appendix at the end giving some information on what can be done to help or some statistics on the issue to show if improvements have been made to the laws that govern the offending countries.
Having said that, I really enjoyed The Lotus Keeper. I was a little put off at times by the focus on the characters’ religious beliefs but at the end of the book this helped me think more deeply on the subject - was that done to show that man, not God, is to blame for these horrible injustices? I think it showed me that God can only do so much and then you have to rely on men of courage and action. And this book has plenty of them.
The Lotus Keeper is a really fast-paced read, which I love, and I would definitely look for more work by K.R. Dial. show less

This was an interesting and thought provoking novel. I have read several Christian related books through Early Reviewers and this was on a par.

The subject matter is harrowing (child prostitution and the selling of young girls through the sex slave trade) so it was obviously difficult to read at times. I did feel that the religious references were contrived in places and imposed on the writing itself....something that other Christian fiction in my library did not do.

The story is told from show more different points of view which was successful and the pace was maintained throughout. show less