The Falling Away

As an avid reader, I love picking up new and interesting titles and passing along recommendations when I find a good one.  This book is no exception.  When I first picked it up, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I was immediately hooked.  T.L. Hines does a fabulous job of taking these characters and turning them into old friends you miss when their story is done.
The Falling Away is about very real, very imperfect people.  Dylan Runs Ahead is a Native American who is running from his past.  After his sister disappears he joins the army and gets shipped off to Iraq as part of the EOD - a team that destroys explosive devices.  After his good friend is killed, and he is injured, in an explosion,  Dylan becomes addicted to painkillers and ends up so desperate for his next fix that he gets mixed up in being a drug mule.  When things go wrong, he runs away again.  Little does he know that he is Chosen.  There are people watching him, following him, trying to protect him from the evil that pursues him as a Chosen.
Quinn, a young girl who spent four years homeless and living day to day on the streets, is an "embedder."  She started dealing with the stress of her situation by cutting herself.  Eventually that wasn't enough, and she began to embed objects in her flesh. Though she certainly has her own demons to deal with, she also knows the love of God and is among the people watching Dylan.
The circumstances that bring these two people, both of whom have psychological and spiritual demons to overcome, together is dramatic and suspenseful.  I was hooked the minute I picked up the book, and couldn't bear to put it down until I finally reached the last page.  This is a story of spiritual warfare, guilt and hopelessness, that eventually turns into a story of redemption.  The message of God's love is present, but not overbearing.  If you are looking for a good work of Christian fiction, I highly recommend this author and especially this book.

Discolsure of Material Connection:  I received this book free from the publisher through the Booksneeze book review bloggers program.  I was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."