The Miracle of Mercy Land

Jordan (Saints in Limbo) writes magical realism, and the result is pure magic. The titular Mercy Land is a girl "born in a bolt of lightning on the banks of Bittersweet Creek." The talented Mercy is nudged by her Aunt Ida to leave her backwater town for the bright lights of Bay City, where she comes to work for and with Doc Philips, owner of the local paper. Doc receives a mysterious secret book that somehow narrates the lives of people in the area. From there springs the rest of the action, involving things done and not done in the past and a movie-star handsome stranger summoned to town by Doc. Jordan is an imaginative writer, developing engaging characters and strong dialog. Things get a tad heavy with allegorical meaning toward the end, but the plot trajectory helps the story's credibility. Jordan's talent raises the bar in Christian fiction. (Sept.)