THE RELUCTANT DISCIPLE by Jim O’Shea

It was a risk writing a story about end times after the huge popularity of the Left Behind series.  But Jim O’Shea gave the events an interesting twist with the paranormal activity.

TV host Ryan Kates has a large following due to the increase in UFO sightings.  The missing persons epidemic is also fueling the fire of interest and concern.  Add to this the conflicts between countries, and the world feels like a powder keg about to explode.

Meanwhile, Eleanor Mitchell has her hands full with her daughter, Meghan, who is living in a haunted apartment.  Mother and daughter don’t agree on the source of the strange happenings, but Meghan is convinced it has nothing to do with the old building itself.

Then there is Warren Boul, a private investigator who is looking into the missing person cases.  His past profession as a priest proves helpful in judging the innocence of the people he interviews.  But his past also gives him insight into the present events that other people lack.

I really wish I could give this book a glowing review, because I found it to be very entertaining and interesting for the most part.  I could even overlook the plethora of grammatical errors since the story was so good … until page 228.  I lost interest at that point and never regained it.  This was due, in part, to an offensive declaration by one of the characters.  I suppose the author included it for shock value, but I just found it to be in poor taste.  It is also inaccurate; it isn’t recorded in the Bible.

If I could remove the last 96 pages, I would recommend this novel.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of the book through BookCrash.