The Gathering Storm (Valley of the Peacemaker, Book 1)

When his horse and money are stolen by a prospector, Matt Page drifts into the gold rush town of Bridgeport, manages to foil two robberies, and becomes deputy sheriff in the process

Released simultaneously, these two novels introduce a new series. In The Gathering Storm, Matt Page sets out to find his fortune on the rapidly developing Western frontier of late 19th-century America. He is ill prepared for the hardships that come his way. Shortly after he arrives in the mining town of Bodie, California, he meets his father (long thought to have died in the Civil War), through whom he learns the power of forgiveness and the beauty of love. Matt's goodness is finally unconvincing, however, because it occurs more through happenstance than through choice. Even so, Davis delivers a deftly written story in the tradition of Stephen Bly (Stay Away from That City, LJ 2/1/95) that far surpasses his earlier attempts at detective fiction (Suspended Animation, LJ 11/1/94). For libraries where Bly and other Christian Westerns are popular. In the sequel, The Proving Ground, Matt tries to bring order to the lawless West. As acting sheriff of Mono County, he faces daily the evil that darkens men's souls. Yet when Matt's new wife, Sarah, miscarries, the couple's faith is battered by doubt raised by the inexplicable suffering of the innocent. Though Davis's introduction into the story of historical characters like Wild Bill Hickok is disruptive and unnecessary, Davis nevertheless succeeds in telling a rather simple story of God's providence in an acceptable if ultimately paltry fashion. Recommended only for libraries that purchase The Gathering Storm.
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