Tag: Sex Trafficking

ECONOGAL > Sex Trafficking

Widows and Orphans Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

Library Check-out

Widows & Orphans is a library check-out that could fit in more than one section of the library. I found it in Mystery but the Christian section would be appropriate as well. Perhaps the subject matter determined the book’s placement. Susan Meissner penned this book almost twenty years ago. The last of the three-book series was released in 2007.

Rachel Flynn Series

As the first book in the series, Widows & Orphans introduces N.Y.C. lawyer Rachel Flynn with a phone call from her distraught mother in Minnesota. Joshua Harper, brother and son respectively, has confessed to murder. Quickly, Rachel, husband Trace and newborn daughter McKenna load up and fly to Minneapolis.

An interesting group of friends as well as family members make up the bulk of the characters. Additionally, law enforcement and the judicial system are represented. Finally, the confessed murderer and those he seeks to protect grace the pages.

Meissner created a superb mix of characters from the avant-garde mix of artists-friends of Trace to the ordinary parents of an offspring who is different. And then there is the relationship of the siblings. The relationships shore up the plot.

Plot of Widows & Orphans

It is always difficult to surprise the reader when a murder confession begins the story line. For this reader, the plot took a back seat to the characters themselves. Rachel Flynn determinedly searches for the truth and finds it.

The subject matter is difficult. Child trafficking has popped up in other Christian fiction I have read and even when physical details of the violence against the girls are omitted, the crime is abhorrent. So much so that a man devoting his life to God’s word can violate the commandments handed down. Thus, the plot of Widows & Orphans is so very plausible.

Christian Fiction

The genre of Christian fiction is vast. Romance, Cozy Mysteries, and novels such as this one all have their place. In Widows & Orphans the writer keys in on a specific Bible passage, James 1:27. Meissner does an excellent job weaving an exploration of the meaning of this passage throughout the novel. She doesn’t preach, she delves. I plan to read the next in the series soon. Look for Widows & Orphans in your library or online.

Code 6 Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

The opening pages of Code 6 are not misleading as much as they are mis-directional. James Grippando purposely creates a complex storyline. On the surface, Code 6 presents a tale of family dynamics. Yet, so much more is going on behind the scenes. Intrigue, appeasement, espionage and sex trafficking are all intertwined. And the story works. Furthermore, not only is Code 6 a story worth reading, but the book should also be read.

Protagonist and Heroine

Kate Gamble is both an aspiring playwright and a third-year law student. Not an easy task. Then, a rough day at the theatre changes to one of devastation as she learns of her alcoholic mother’s suicide. Furthermore, the note left behind makes no sense, “I did it for Kate” provides only questions and no answers.

There is no romance in Code 6. Instead, Ms. Gamble is portrayed as an independent woman willing to stand up for herself. But she also understands there are battles to fight and skirmishes to lose. Through it all she stays focused.

Secondary Characters

Grippando fleshes out the story with a full cast of characters. Each storyline depicts good versus evil. And the characters fall in line. Broadway director Irving Bass and his assistant Sean provide the backdrop for the book. Although this storyline is far from the action, the parallels provide plenty of nuance.

Elizabeth Gamble’s suicide occurs close to the start of the book. So, her character is all through the eyes of others. The author does an excellent job. The reader knows and understands her before the conclusion of the novel.

Christian Gamble is the CEO of Buck Technologies, a tech company built around Big Data. The Chairman of the Board is Jeremy Peel. The whiz kid coder is “Baby” Patrick Battle. Kate Gamble babysat for him when both were even younger than in the story. These three employees are key players in the kidnapping and espionage storyline that commands most of Code 6.

Multiple Storylines and Themes

The underlying theme of Code Six is good versus evil. Each thread of the novel shares this idea. Big Data plays into this.

Action scenes revolve around Patrick Battle (appropriately named) and his kidnapping while on a corporate retreat in South America. This storyline revolves around espionage and sex trafficking. Not all the ‘good guys’ survive.

Secondary to the good/evil theme is “What mothers will do for their children” (p.316). Sacrifice can come in many forms and on either side of the good versus evil decision.

Code 6

Perhaps slow to start, Code 6 packs a punch as it races towards a conclusion. Big Data is everywhere. But it is nothing new. Ms. Gamble’s ‘play’ discusses the role IBM played in the Holocaust. This part of the novel has basis in fact. An important detail that the reader should reflect upon and research if the information was previously unknown. (Click here for one source.)

James Grippando highlights other concerns as well. Corporate greed, espionage and sex trafficking often go hand in hand. Fortunately for the reader, the author counters these sins with heroism and true patriotism. Reality is not so kind.

A Distant Shore Book Review

Posted on by Econogal

A Distant Shore Is Christian writer Karen Kingsbury’s latest. This book of faith combines romance and finding faith while spotlighting the seamy underworld of child sex trafficking. The main characters each have their own reasons for doubting their faith.

Tragedy on A Distant Shore

The novel opens up with an American family vacationing on a beach in Belize. As two teenage brothers toss a football back and forth, a very young girl purposely swims too far from shore. Eliza sees the rip current as a way to reunite with her mother and brother who drowned at sea. She believes God will bring them together again. But He has other plans.

Jack, the oldest brother, immediately swims out to the rescue. He warns his younger brother to stay onshore. To no avail.

The young girl is saved. But the brother is lost.

Fast Forward

The story resumes a decade later. Jack is now a top notch FBI agent. Not caring whether you live or die helps. His new assignment is to infiltrate a sex trafficking ring by marrying the daughter of the owner. Unbeknownst to Jack, she is the same girl he saved years ago. Before he lost his faith.

Eliza is turning twenty. She has been “saved” for this day. Her father hopes to expand his business by marriage. Eliza is being sold. The horrors of her life have taken a toll. She no longer prays.

Sex Trafficking

The author creates a heart-wrenching story of a young girl forced to entice other young girls into her father’s brothel. The details of human trafficking are accurate. Victims are often young runaways, but not exclusively. Very young girls do get kidnapped and forced into this life of slavery.

The use of older girls to trick younger ones off the street into a forced life of a sex worker as depicted in the story is well documented. Kingsbury thoroughly researched the topic before weaving this tale of trafficking, faith and romance. Often this mix does not work, but in A Distant Shore the sex trafficking is an integral part of the story.

Finding Faith

A Distant Shore is a faith based story. The characters have lost their belief in God. Once Jack realizes who Eliza is, he re-evaluates his relationship with God. And with her. However, the weaving of faith into the story is not as seamless as it could be.

Struggling with one’s faith after a tragedy is natural. The concept is good.

The execution needs fine tuning. There was only one hiccup in the story line. Eliza’s father discovers Jack’s identity before the denouement, yet the author depicted a smooth rescue. At least to this reader.

Recommendation

I think all who enjoy Christian fiction will like A Distant Shore. Karen Kingsbury does an excellent job with the mix of rediscovering faith and the very ugly story of sex trafficking. My one complaint mentioned above does not negate the writing. Others have tried to mix romance with sex trafficking. (See my review of The Deception.)  Kingsbury strikes the right mix with her approach of romance and finding faith. A Distant Shore is a good addition to this genre. And the book accurately depicts the ugliness of human trafficking. This deserves a read.