Thursday, January 11, 2018

Angels' Share: A Novel by James Markert - Book Review



The Angels' Share


About The Book:

Some believed he was the second coming of Christ.

William wasn’t so sure.

But when that drifter was buried next to the family distillery, everything changed.

Now that Prohibition has ended, what the townspeople of Twisted Tree, Kentucky, need most is the revival of the Old Sam Bourbon distillery. But William McFee knows it’ll take a miracle to convince his father, Barley, to once more fill his family’s aging house with barrels full of bourbon.

When a drifter recently buried near the distillery begins to draw crowds of pilgrims, the McFees are dubious. Yet miracles seem to come to those who once interacted with the deceased and to those now praying at his grave. As people descend on the town to visit the “Potter’s Field Christ,” William seeks to find the connection between the tragic death of his younger brother and the mysterious drifter.

But as news spreads about the miracles at the potter’s field, the publicity threatens to bring the depth of Barley’s secret past to light and put the entire McFee family in jeopardy.

The Angels’ Share is a story of fathers and sons, of young romance, of revenge and redemption, and of the mystery of miracles.

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My Thoughts:

Author James Markert's captivating novel, "Angels' Share," grabbed my attention in the bookstore first with it's appealing cover (I like a good looking book cover!). The description too was fascinating, and I'm so glad that I went ahead and picked it up to read.

This story, set just after Prohibition was lifted, pulls you into the lives of the McFee family of Twisted Tree, Kentucky, Once prominent maker of one of the best bourbons around, the family had fallen on hard times with the closure of the distillery and the tragic loss of their youngest son. So it is understandable that the strange occurences after the burial of a man who claimed to have special power related to Jesus himself would affect the McFee's all in different ways.

Head of the family, Barley McFee, is especially troubled and finds a renewal of faith and forgiveness as he and his son William seek to fnd the answers to the question on everyone's mind - was Asher Keating, the deceased homeless man, possibly the second coming of Jesus?

I really enjoyed this book. Markert does a fine job of describing both the post-Prohibition era as well as the absolute bare-bones production of whiskey. I also admired how Markert wove in a thread of faith that continued throughout the story.  While not your typical faith-based novel, I found "Angels' Share" to be a hidden treasure of a novel. I can't wait to read more from this author very soon!

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About The Author:

James Markert

James Markert lives with his wife and two children in Louisville, Kentucky. He has a history degree from the University of Louisville and won an IPPY Award for The Requiem Rose, which was later published as A White Wind Blew, a story of redemption in a 1929 tuberculosis sanatorium, where a faith-tested doctor uses music therapy to heal the patients. James is also a USPTA tennis pro, and has coached dozens of kids who’ve gone on to play college tennis in top conferences like the Big 10, the Big East, and the ACC. Learn more at jamesmarkert.com, Facebook: James Markert, Twitter: @JamesMarkert.

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I purchased this book for my personal library. I was not compensated for my opinion.

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