Someone to Blame: A Novel

Let me preface this review by saying that I'm a Christian but I don't often read Christian literature because I find it dull and uninspired. This book is, sadly enough, not an exception. The plot unfolds in a small coastal town in the northwest. The Moore's, a grief-stricken fragment of a family move to Breakers after suffering the loss of two of their members. Doubting their faith and wondering how God could have let this tragedy befall them they learn an unlikely lesson from a no-good teenage drifter.

My biggest beef is that the central protagonists (the Moore's) are stiff and only vaguely characterize automatons at the mercy of the bizarre twists of the ill-conceived plot. The drama in this book can most easily be described as show more surreal. From scenes as absurd as a fourteen year old girl bludgeoning herself with a stick to falsify evidence for her rape accusation to scenes as grotesque as a teenage boy digging up the bones of his mother after he unlocks a repressed memory of his father murdering her and burying her in the backyard, this book takes the reader on a wild ride that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief.

That said, the doctrine is sound and the author is at her best when she is dealing with real issues of faith and forgiveness. I must admit it was neither preachy nor overly optimistic. Still, she couches it all in such an oddball plot I find it difficult to appreciate. When six regular men come together to blithely discuss a plot to seize and murder a man who they only suspect of petty theft I began to wonder if the entire population of this remote town were sociopaths. The climax of the book came a full sixty pages before the end of the novel which the author used for an overly detailed and arduous tying up of loose ends, most of which could have been summed up in a few lines of dialogue.

I can't say I hated it. I liked it alright. It took a while to get going, it was pretty predictable, and full of jaw-dropping plot decisions that baffle and stagger the mind but ultimately I finished it and some parts weren't that bad. But really, it's just not my cup of tea.

If you want to learn more about the book check out the authors website http://zndr.vn/9NzNMN show less

I thoroughly enjoyed the way this author gave you pieces of the back-story within the context of the present day story. It helped to know little details while something else was happening - made the flow better and facts easier to remember. I lost a sibling when I was a teenager so I can identify with the storyline & characters. The feelings described are true to form - right on the mark. The writing is earthy, poignant, and makes for a riveting novel. It also pointed out how quickly most humans can jump to the worst possible conclusion - especially involving strangers. Read this book with an open mind and heart - you will enjoy it immensely.

I received this book through a give-away here on LBT. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I liked the way things were wrapped up in the end. Christian, but not goody-goody Christian. Just real life.

C. S. Lakin has written a book that will inspire any reader and give them a sense of hope. The characters are real, and the writer shows the good, the bad, and the ugly of those characters. This is an inspirational book but it does not preach at the reader like some books. Lakin quietly gets the point across without sounding sanctimonious. It took a few chapters for this book to hook me but I soon found I was unable to set it down.

I was very disappointed in this book. I felt that there was no crescendo in the action, the characters were undeveloped and it just kind of plodded along as in this happened, then this happened, then this happened. I noticed on the back of the book that the author has written and published numerous books since August of 2010.It states she is completing her 10th novel - that is a lot of books in a few short months. Perhaps she needs to be less prolific and spend more time with some real story line work. I found the book to be trite and tedious at the same time. I felt as though Ms. Lakin is trying to write in the style of Jodi Piccoult but she did not leave any real question as to why or what the characters were struggling against. There show more were no real surprises. I honestly would not have read more than half of this book if I had not promised to review it for the Early Reviewers list. It is rare for me to not enjoy a book I request as I try to only pick things I really want to read. This book was a sad disappointment. show less

NCLA Review -Lakin has created a very thought-provoking, somewhat disturbing, real-life story. The storyline is harsh as you turn pages catching a glimpse of life after the loss of two children. It is easy to identify with Matt and Irene and understand why they pull up roots and move to a small, out-of-the-way town with their teenage daughter and try to begin life anew, existing and not really living. No wonder Matt loses his faith; amazing that Irene clings to God's promises. Then along comes Billy, a downtrodden youngster who has no one but needs someone. The twists and turns of the story surrounding Billy and his numerous rejections from the townspeople are too close for comfort—how easy it is to judge those we don't really know. show more Lakin does a great job developing the characters. Don't expect to read this book and walk away from it with a light heart. Rating: 3 —PL show less

When this book first arrived, I tried reading it, but had a difficult time "getting into it". I put it aside, and then picked it up again, and I couldn't put it down! The book was not only captivating, but caused me to understand and feel the pain of the loss of not only one child, but two. "Someone to Blame" pulled on my heartstrings and as a parent, I think it really hit home. A good read dealing with loss and the road to healing.