Donn Taylor's Lightning On a Quiet Night ~ Reviewed

Lightning on a Quiet Night

By Donn Taylor

Print Length: 315 pages

Publisher: Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas

Language: English

ASIN: B00P70CCA4

In the years following World War II, a town too proud of its own virtues deals with its first murder. 

Despite the implications of this crime, the town of Beneficent, Mississippi, population 479, tries desperately to hold onto its vain self-image. The young veteran Jack Davis holds that idyllic vision of the town and tries to share it with Lisa Kemper, newly arrived from Indiana. But she is repelled by everything in it. While the sheriff tries to find the murderer, Jack and Lisa's contentious courtship reveals the town's strange combination of astute perceptions and surprising blind spots. Then they stumble onto shocking discoveries about the true nature of the town. But where will those discoveries lead? To repentance or to denial and continuation in vanity?

Review: 

1948 and the boys were home from the war. It was an era of innocence, where people only saw the good. A good, nostalgic time for this book to be set. It is somewhat different from Taylor's other books. Those who know me know I shy away from thrillers and suspense, but this story is so compelling, I had to keep reading. With characters you'll care about and snippets of Taylor's tongue-in-cheek humor, it's a book I highly recommend. 

Reviewed by: Ane Mulligan, president Novel Rocket, author of Chapel Springs Revival