Paul McCusker

In the third story of the Chronicles of Narnia (third in publication order, that is), Lucy and Edmund get back to Narnia through a painting on the wall of their Aunt Alberta's house. But this time they accidentally bring along their cousin Eustace, who is a "record stinker." Focus on the Family Radio Theatre's adaptation starts with the classic line of the book: "There was once a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it."

I think this is my favorite of the radio show more adaptations so far. The worst part of the first two — David Suchet's badly overplayed Aslan — is hardly present in this story. And actually Suchet is starting to grow on me a bit. To be sure, his loud, stronger lines are rather awful. But when he is more subdued, his purring growliness is actually quite good. He didn't have any really loud lines in this story, so there were no wincing moments for me.

I like the actor that they chose to play Eustace. His voice is higher than Edmund's, and he was quite convincing in his peevishness. His journal entries are some of my favorite parts in the book, and I'm glad they were kept in this adaptation. Reepicheep is back, and I'm really starting to like their choice for his voice. It definitely sounds different from the humans.

The sound effects and music are again excellent, and the faithfulness to the original story is wonderful. I don't think they put a foot wrong in this adaptation, and it has already become a favorite of mine. Highly recommended! show less

After a successful run in Focus on The Family Radio Theater, Paul McCusker is bringing his Scotland Yard detective turned Anglican priest to readers. The first book in the Father Gilbert Mystery series, The Body under The Bridge, is a treat for fans of mysteries. It has a very British setting, a puzzling mystery and a main character who struggles with issues of faith and the nature of good and evil. I rate this book a 5-star read! I loved it!

Father Gilbert has returned to St. Mark’s after show more a sabbatical of resting, and regrouping. This late in life cleric is rather unconventional — a former detective with a traditional liturgical bent, he also has had first hand experience with evil. When a series of events, both physical and spiritual, draw him into a police investigation, his world is once again knocked of kilter. Unseen dangers await him as he searches for truth.

The Body under The Bridge is first and foremost a mystery. There are multiple suspects and motives involved. The present gets tangled up in curses and feuds from centuries past. This one is a puzzler that will engage all of your deductive powers. Very British, its subject matter is supported by the many spooky houses, cemeteries and crypts that serve as the book’s settings. McCusker’s main character, Father Gilbert, is very complex. His former life influences how he leads and interacts with his church and others in the community. Although tuned into the unseen battles of good and evil, he is often caught off guard — a subtle, but important point made to be fully armed with God’s truth. Father Gilbert has a number of visions that are mostly met with skepticism by the police and his curate, Father Benson, and his bishop. I found the disbelief expressed by the police natural. It was the dismissal by the church that spoke to me. How many times do we discount true spiritual encounters as mere coincidence or bad timing. We speak of evil in the world without really taking it seriously. I underlined a number of passages in the book, but here’s one that made a big impression:

Father Gilbert didn’t believe that the seemingly random convergence of mundane events often labelled by people as “coincidence” was random at all. The world was a vast tangle of interwoven webs and intricate patterns of cause and effect that, at its core, reflected a spiritual reality. We, as humans, were constantly being nudged towards a heavenly or a diabolical realm. Nothing was random. Even the mundane was filled with significance. (page 86)

Father Gilbert knows evil, but believes and trusts in God. A man who daily wrestles with his faith, he nevertheless, continues to lean on God in the midst of weakness.

As I said in the beginning, The Body under The Bridge is a 5-star read. Its plot, setting, and characterization are great, but the presentation of the reality of the battle waged by evil is truly excellent. This is one I would recommend to anyone. The book wrapped up the mystery, but more from Father Gilbert is promised — I can’t wait!

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

Great for book clubs.

(Thanks to Kregel and Lion Hudson for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

For fans of pure mystery, Paul McCusker’s latest Father Gilbert novel is a very satisfying read. I loved the British flavor, the complex characters and the thought-provoking themes that define Death in The Shadows. Father Gilbert is attending an ecumenical conference at a seaside resort town when he again is confronted with evil. Murder is the crime to be solved, but there is also the degrading and dehumanizing sin of human trafficking that is confronted. This novel struck a personal note show more with me. My daughter is employed by a non-profit that works to free women from the prison of sex trafficking. Death in The Shadows explores the very dark and ugly side of what many term victimless activity — timely subject matter.

Setting plays a big role in Death in The Shadows, with this novel having a very atmospheric feel to it. Father Gilbert is an intriguing character with a past that informs his present — he is former police detective who is now a Church of England priest. As in a previous novel featuring Father Gilbert, the supernatural is again a part of the story, which I found very apt. At one point Father Gilbert ponders the many realities that people confront, and the supernatural reality is one many dismiss or deny, yet is very real. The mystery unfolds slowly, yet this book is not one to be put down easily. You’ll want to keep turning those pages into the wee hours of the night.

A book to keep you puzzling and pondering along with Father Gilbert, Death in The Shadows is one I can recommend.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Kregel and Lion Hudson for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

---CONTAINS SPOILERS---

The Body Under the Bridge is a fantasy war between good and evil with a mystery subtext. I was really hoping it would not all boil down to "the devil made him do it" and that there would be a logical, reasonable explanation for the murders. Satanic black masses do not count as a logical, reasonable explanation. Chesterton's Father Brown, after all, was able to pull off "spiritual show more warfare" with the evil behind murder and yet have a surprise ending with a purely rational explanation for everything. Unfortunately, the killer turns out to be the character who should have been red herring #1, with red herring #2, the femme fatale, for an accomplice, due to demonic possession. Much, much too easy.

The women are all beauties or frumps. Men are not described so superficially. Within the genre, this might offend no one.

From the point of view of the target audience (not me, but fans of cozy clean Christian mysteries looking to shake things up a bit with a touch of scary, like a ghost story at church camp), the book might be a wild success. The book borrows from the romance of England, rather like American writers of Christian twaddle borrow from the romance of the Amish. The target demographic may overlook the most serious flaw, which is that while Father Gilbert is a fine Christian leader by any measure, he is a completely flat and uncompelling character. Instead of fleshing out the protagonist, the author expends a lot of type on the detective's theology, which was wasted, since I am still in the dark about whether he believes inanimate objects and symbols can have evil power. At times, the good Father repudiates this idea, only to embrace it again in the very next chapter.

The devil, or rather the demon Legion, is still hanging around at the end, paving the way for future battles in which, presumably, Father G will need to figure out who the possessed murderer is, thus solving the mystery. I'd say it will be the person who is misbehaving the most and/or the woman the Father has the hots for (again), but that would give the next plot away to the Focus on the Family folks (endorsement on back cover) and they might have some fun with it, especially if they enjoy this inaugural book in the series. show less