Review and Giveaway: The Healer by Gregg Luke

 

 

The Healer (Thirty-Six) by Gregg Luke

272 pages

Published February 3rd 2015 by Covenant Communications
Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Description:
After successfully completing his first-year professorship, Welsh folklore expert Chris Pendragon has earned a vacation. At least that's what the young scholar tells himself—but deep down he feels an urgency to reassess his life, to find a sense of purpose. Hoping that perhaps a trip to Wales will provide the answers he seeks, Chris embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But he could never have anticipated the unimaginable adventure that awaits him ...

Shortly after his arrival in Wales, Chris is witness to a horrific accident with more far-reaching consequences than he could have dreamed. Following Chris's heroic rescue of one of the victims, an unexplainable phenomenon is revealed: bones that had been broken were made whole with Chris's touch. Still reeling form this discovery, Chris is approached by a wizened old man with an implausible answer: Chris has been chosen to be the bearer of the Dial, a healer of unparalleled power. But the calling is fraught with peril, and Chris soon discovers there are those who will stop at nothing to seize the power of the Dial. With the help of a beautiful, if skeptical, doctor, Chris must choose: go back to the life he was leading or embark on a thrilling new destiny.

My Review:
This is quite a different story from anything else I've read by this author. Chris is on a vacation in Wales and comes across a terrible accident. His life changes from that point on, as he learns that he has been chosen to be a healer. Chris has a lot of questions and is determined to find answers, which leads him on some crazy adventures. One question asked of him was, "Have you ever wondered if you might have a higher calling in this life?" That really opened his mind to the situation.

Being a healer is a very religious role, found in legends, and many of the answers lie with priests, in churches, and within himself, as he discovers a faith he never knew he possessed. I can't imagine being in a foreign country and finding myself is some of the scrapes that Chris found himself in. There were times when the wrong people were trusted and other times when unexpected people helped him out. Through it all, he learned a lot and received a lot of wise counsel. He was told, "There are clues aplenty. You just need faith to see them." Isn't that just how life is?

Father Llewellyn is a fantastic character and one of my favorites. Dr. Kathryn Ingledew was great, too. She seems very conflicted, which confused me, and I'm interested to see if she appears in another story in the series. Chris is a very mature and competent character. I especially enjoyed the ending and seeing him come into himself.

This was an interesting read and I'm looking forward to seeing where the series will go from here.


Content: Squeaky clean in the romance department (none); no language; mild violence elements (car accident, injuries--not very graphic); heavy religious elements (the main focus is religion with a lot of references to prayer, healing, scriptures, and religion)

 

About the Author:  
Gregg Luke is a practicing pharmacist. He received his medical training at the University of Utah. He has been writing since he could put pen to paper. He enjoys medical thrillers and is one of the first to work this genre into the LDS market. 

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