#BookReview :: A Light in the Desert by Anne Montgomery

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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A Light in the Desert deals with the story of a pregnant woman, a war veteran, a teenage sociopath and a group of zealots and how their lives are entwined.

First there is Jason, a war veteran, who moves into a town for a quieter life to deal with the mental illness that he has been struggling with. Once he settles into his new life he meets ‘The Children of Light’, a group of Pentecostal zealots. The Children of the Light live their lives quite differently and often help out people in need. It is through The Children of the Light that Jason meets Kelly, a pregnant teenager. He is convinced that somehow they were meant to be a part of each other’s life - either he was meant to help her or that she would be his salvation. Then there is Billy – a teenage boy who is truly menacing. How do their paths cross and what does fate have in store for them?

The first thing that jumps out of the book is the way the author has included and handled quite a few societal issues in the book. Teenage pregnancy, the stigma around mental illness and child abuse are the major points that the author puts forward for her readers. Also, the presence of The Children of the Light ensure some religious angles, but the author never over does it by presenting other point of views as well. The second thing that I liked about the book was its plot and sub plots. There is a lot going on throughout the book; never a dull moment. As a result, when I picked up this book the pages just flew by and before I knew it, I was turning the last page. The characters in the book present a wide variety to its reader. They are mostly well developed, though I would have liked to see a little more depth to Billy & Kelly.

The only downside to this book is that it takes a couple of chapters to really real you in. But once it does, there is no looking back. Also, the book cover doesn’t really make much of an impression.

Review Copy received from the Author