A Light in the Desert traces the story of a lonely pregnant teenager, a Vietnam veteran and former Special Forces sniper who, as he descends into the throes of mental illness, latches onto the girl, and a group of Pentecostal zealots - the Children of Light - who have been waiting over thirty years in the Arizona desert for Armageddon. The Amtrak Sunset Limited, a passenger train en route to Los Angeles, is derailed in their midst's, a deadly act of sabotage. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when local and state police, FBI investigators, and a horde of reporters make camp by the twisted wreckage of the Sunset Limited. As the search for the saboteurs continues, the authorities find more questions than answers. The girl mysteriously vanishes, the assassin struggles to maintain his sanity, and a child is about to be born in the wilderness.
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[THE MOONLIGHT ILLUMINATED the desert floor as the boys walked along the tracks]***
(Treehouse Publishing/Amphorae Publishing Group, 6 November 2018, 286 pages, ebook, copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed)
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The blurb gave me high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed. This book tackles a few series issues including teenage pregnancy, mental illness and child abuse. These issues are tackled with sensitivity. The book is well paced with intricately woven sub plots. I was impressed by the book and the author's style. The book blends fact and fiction and it's not clear where the barrier is. Jason is a great, sympathetic character. I loved Kelly as well. Her story and circumstances broke my heart a little. Billy, the bad guy in the story is also very sympathetic. The setting comes to life and really pulls the story along. I was engrossed. My one criticism is the cover, it doesn't do much.
