Every Tuesday, Juliet
"Jules" Belleno of Wissberry, Maine reviews a book on her blog. But
when Jules is disappointed in the latest novel written by her favorite author,
Patrick Reagan, and she posts an unfavorable review, her life changes in
unexpected ways. Jules is a reclusive, 34 year-old widow who rarely leaves her
house since her husband, Jason, died in the line of police duty. On the day of what
would've been her wedding anniversary, Jules sets out to the grocery store to
buy ingredients to recreate their favorite meal. Along the way, she meets
Patrick Reagan, who ultimately kidnaps her, ushering her into a nightmare where
she's taken to task and forced to explain her review and herself to a deeply
troubled man who has suffered heart-wrenching personal losses of his own.
With Jules missing, her
worried, alcoholic father, a retired military Lt. Colonel, enlists the help of
Jason's former police partner. As the two search for Jules, startling
revelations begin to emerge about Jason's death. Was it really an
accident? Or might Jason's death be
connected to Jules' kidnapping?
Misery
Loves Company is categorized as "spiritual suspense."
The flawed, lonely characters grapple with ideas of faith amid loss, evil and
corruption. However, as in Gutteridge's
other novels (Listen,
Possession),
the narrative is never preachy. The fast-paced twists and turns of the plot
present an insightful, chilling look at how privacy is often compromised in the
internet age and how choices in life can ripple beyond the scope of personal
existence.
Tyndale
House Publishers, $12.00, Trade Paper, 9781414349336 , 346 pp
Note: This review is a reprint and is being
posted (in a slightly different form) with the permission of Shelf
Awareness. To read this review on Shelf
Awareness: Reader's Edition (8/6/13),
click HERE