SUMMER OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

Author: Tracie Peterson ISBN: 0764227734 3/2006 HISTORICAL/INSPIRATIONAL Publisher: BETHANY HOUSE
Time Period: 1915 Alaska

Leah Barringer and her brother, Jacob, have come to love the rugged Alaskan Territory they call home. But when Jacob determines to join an arctic expedition, Leah realizes her heart yearns for more than this solitary existence. The unexpected arrival of Jayce Kincaid, the man who spurned her ten years before, awakens feelings that Leah would much prefer to leave buried. As Jayce sets out to prove he’s a changed man, Leah cannot deny the effect he once again has upon her. But the appearance of a young investigator casts a cloud over Jayce’s past…and over Leah’s dreams for the future.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Tracie Peterson has another winner with the first book in her new Alaskan Quest series. The idea of mercy (introduced with the eighteenth chapter of Matthew) is strongly tied into the plot of SUMMER OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN. As with the best of Christian fiction, I found myself relating this concept to my own life as it was discussed and illustrated in the book, and rereading passages as they motivated further consideration.

Not only is it thought provoking, SUMMER OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN is also a good novel. There are four main characters—brother and sister Leah and Jacob, who have lived together for many years in a small Alaskan village. They have an old friend, Jayce, who Leah has been in love with for years, even though it's been a decade since they've seen him. When an accident occurs, the siblings have to get Jayce to a larger town to save his life. In Nome, they encounter Helaina, who unbeknownst to them is a Pinkerton agent on Jayce's trail. Is he a criminal? Adventure ensures, as Helaina chases the unwittingly elusive Jayce. I won't ruin the plot by saying more!

Heather Hiestand