Reviewer: Lori Graham
Title: Pray For Us Sinners - Ash Lake Mystery #2
Author: Kathryn Lively
Publisher: Wings ePress Inc.
ISBN: 1-59088-6Z8-3
Release Date: June 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Romantic Suspense
Year/Setting: Current
Overall rating: 4.5
Sexual content rating: None/Very Subtle
Kathryn's Website:
home.earthlink.net/~mklively
Ronnie Lord is quite surprised when an old high school friend contacts her and asks to see her, mainly because this friend is now a soap opera star. Allayne Witt (who used to be Elaine Witz) is battling breast cancer but in her conversation with Ronnie, she hints the cancer is not what is scaring her. Ronnie leaves with the impression there is someone in Allayne’s life who is stalking her. In spite of this belief, Ronnie is surprised to hear Allayne has died. Lorraine Witz, Allayne’s mother, is convinced foul play was involved and begs Ronnie to look into the situation since Ronnie now has a history of working on mysteries. Ronnie wants to believe Allayne died of natural causes stemming from her breast cancer but several items just won’t let go.
Along the way, Landon Dennis, the man who was involved in the first mystery Ronnie solved as the perpetrator, has now expressed an interest in Ronnie. The hesitation for Ronnie is she enjoyed his kiss but yet she still cares for Lew Caperton, the sheriff. Ronnie and Lew have hit a snag in their relationship because Ronnie doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. Can Ronnie solve the mystery of her own heart?
Kathryn Lively continues her Ash Lake adventures with Pray for Us Sinners. This work is a thought-provoking, yet charming companion to the first in the series, Saints Preserve Us, while maintaining its own identity and can stand alone for a new reader. Kathryn develops new depths in her characters and reveals additional strengths they possess. I was particularly intrigued by Ronnie’s ability to forgive and put someone’s past mistakes truly in the past. While the story is based upon Catholicism, the author weaves the message Christians must be open to each other no matter the "religion" which they practice.
In Pray for Us Sinners, I was touched by the growth within the heroine, Ronnie
Lord. Ronnie has struggled continually with her faith, her husband’s death, her feelings for
Lew, and her place in life. Her faith isn’t really in question as far as what she believes
but what is in question is how she should practice it. She wants to be strong to her beliefs
such as no sex before marriage but finds herself horribly out of step with the world. (One
hint 
, she does find a way to have her cake and eat it too in this
area!) She struggles with opening the last box of her husband’s possessions because in doing
so he might really be gone. However, it is only in opening this box she finally begins the
true healing process. She struggles with her growing feelings for Lew not only from the
aspect of the sexual relationship but also from the fact that like her first husband, he is
a police officer – and her husband’s old best friend.
Given all of these struggles, just where does she fit in? Kathryn wove all of these struggles together very well and still put a lot of suspense into the mystery which brings everything into light. I gotta tell you I was really taken by surprise with the final results of the mystery!
Lori
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