First I must share that I have loved every book I have been blessed to read by Richard Mabry. He is an outstanding writer. So, when I received, "Heart Failure", for review I was super excited.
As the story begins we are introduced to Dr. Carrie Markham and her fiance Adam Davidson. They had just enjoyed a great evening together and now they are getting shot at! Bullets are flying and now questions are being asked. Just who is on the other side of the gun? The questions are only beginning. The book escalates and we begin to know more about the characters.
This was an unputdownable for me. I can't tell you that I loved this book, but what I did enjoy was the main character. Carrie was someone I could relate to. Richard Mabry did a great job at making her character come alive in these pages. She is confused as she is thrown some information that floors her. She isn't sure if she should follow what her head is telling her to do or to listen to her heart. She has grieved loss in her life. Healing has not been easy. She believes she has once again found love, but trust is now a factor for her. She isn't sure of what to do, so she calls on a friend. This friend doesn't give her worldly advice, but reminds her to pray. "I know, sometimes praying is hard, especially if you haven't done it for a while. But there's no magic formula. Just talk to God. He's been listening all the time. All you have to do is make it a two-way conversation."
We get a close up of Carrie's life as a doctor. The decisions she must make and the consequences that follow. We see her struggles and her victories. I love when stories bring us the good, the bad, and the ugly. We see the mess and we see just what God can do when we turn everything over to Him.
Now, lets move to Carrie's fiance. I didn't really like the character of Adam. I found that he was selfish and inconsiderate of the woman he claimed to love. Adam has secrets. Secrets that have kept him safe, but secrets that are now placing fear in the heart of the woman he loves. Everything surrounding Adam's life is an untruth of who he really is. This could be a life lesson for us. How often to we hide secrets and pretend to be someone we are not? Our actions touch the lives of those we love. Adam is trying to fix everything. Almost as though he must be in control, but he quickly learns that everything short of his own actions is out of his control. He must learn to totally rely upon the Lord.
These two characters are in different places in their walk with the Lord. I found Adam calling on the Lord as to what he should do next, but in the same time he wasn't being honest with himself, Carrie, or those around him. Yes, he had to hide his true identity for his safety, but in doing so, he brought Carrie to question herself and to fear the dangers that were now surrounding her.
You may pick up this book and love it. It wasn't one that I really enjoyed. Especially the character of Adam and all that surrounded him. As the story was coming to a close and questions were being answered I was able to turn the last page knowing that whatever turns our world upside down there is One who is always in control and in that I can find peace and assurance.
This book was a gift from Thomas Nelson for sharing my review with you.
Richard L. Mabry, M.D. is a retired physician. This is his sixth published novel of medical suspense. His previous works have been finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times Reader's Choice Award and have won the Selah Award. He is a past vice president of American Christian Fiction Writers and a member of the International Thriller Writers. He and his wife live in North Texas.
