Thicker Than Blood

Title: THICKER THAN BLOOD
Author: C. J. Darlington
Publisher: Tyndale Book Publishers
December 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4143-3448-6
Genre: Inspirational/contemporary

Christy Williams has been separated from her sister, May, for years. Now, Christy is barely making ends meet at her bookstore job, she has recently discovered her ex-boyfriend, Vince, is stealing valuable first edition books from her employer, and she has made some bad decisions, resulting in an arrest.

Now Christy is desperate to get away, fearing what Vince would do if she refuses to meet his demands. Who would have dreamed that a rare first edition book will lead her to her long lost sister? Christy shows up on May’s doorstep fearing for her life.

Can the two sisters find a future together after the bittersweet reunion? Or will they discover that some hurts are too deep to be healed?

THICKER THAN BLOOD is the debut novel by Ms. Darlington, and it won the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers award. The cover is certainly intriguing, luring the reader in.

Christy is a realistic heroine, battered by hard living, an alcoholic and chain-smoker, and struggling to make ends meet. But she still has a conscious, and doesn’t quite know how to react when she discovers Vince’s thefts. Vince threatens to give all Christy’s secrets away if she doesn’t cooperate with his little side business of stealing and reselling rare books. Christy’s reactions are completely normal, endearing the reader to this messed up character in spite of her faults.

Ms. Darlington did an excellent job with character development, making them come to life. The story doesn’t have any lapses in it, flowing seamlessly from start to finish. For a debut novel, THICKER THAN BLOOD is stellar. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book. $12.99. 376 pages.