Review: Coldwater

Coldwater by Samuel Parker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon
I received a copy of this book from Interviews and Reviews Website as well as the author (Samuel Parker) and publisher (Revell). What follows is an honest review.

It is very hard to talk about this book without giving away major plot points. The story opens with a man in a pine box struggling to get out. It is the start of many struggles that this man will go through in his life for the next few days.

Branded a murderer as a child and sent to jail, he is released as an adult and tries to live by himself at his home, venturing out to a bar once a week for a drink. This does not sit well with the locals, and they want him dead, so that is why we find him in a box in the opening.

Characters are quite well developed in this book, even the minor ones. There was no one sided character in the book. We got to see what made them tick and why they were the way they were.

The plot was excellent. When I thought that the author could not pull out a new twist to the story anymore, he still did. It was an excellent thrill ride through why these people were like they were. Nothing was out of place. Each new reveal went with the others. It was just well written. The only reason that I put it down once I started was that was bedtime, or I had work to do. It just latched on and would not let go.

One surprise to me was that the website that allowed me to request a review copy of the book is a Christian website. The books at this site are generally Christian books and Revell is a Christian publishing organization. With that I was expecting some mention of Christianity but it was just not there in the story straight out. As I thought about it, the story could seem a little allegorical. I cannot talk about why I feel that way because it would give away major plot points. But there is a big need for empathy and forgiveness in this story. The story revolves around if the main character will get them, but also the need for them from some of the minor ones.

I highly recommend this book with the understanding that there is a lot of death in it. For that reason if it was a movie (and I could see this becoming one) it would at least get a PG-13 rating. Drinking is done but not glorified. Sex is non-existent. If death bothers you this might be a book to avoid.





View all my reviews