“This is the novel I’ve always wanted to write and is unlike anything I’ve ever written. My hope is that it stays with you long after the final page.”

Jerry B. Jenkins is the author of over 170 published works, both fiction and non-fiction. He’s had twelve New York Times best-selling books, and over 63 million copies of his books sold since 1995. When he says, “This is the novel I’ve always wanted to write”, I’m inclined to sit up and take notice.

RIVEN is a story about two very different men whose lives become inseparably intertwined.

Brady Wayne Darby, a young man interested in acting, could have had it all—fame, fortune, success. Instead of grabbing hold of the opportunities given him and rising above his difficult life in a trailer park, Brady chooses a life of crime that begins with misdemeanors and quickly spins out of control. He spends time in prison as an adult and when finally out on parole, Brady is given every chance to turn things around. When it seems as though he might finally get his life together, Brady commits first-degree murder landing himself on Death Row.

Interwoven into Brady’s story is that of Thomas Carey. A diligent servant of God, Carey has devoted his life to pastoral ministry. Through the years Carey serves at church after church, each position ending in failure; finally he takes a position as prison chaplain at one of the nation’s most notorious penitentiaries. Unable to preach the gospel unless he is asked, Thomas struggles to see fruit in his new position, until he meets Brady. Through interactions with this death row inmate he sees God’s power to redeem even the hardest of hearts. The Spirit of God is able to change Brady’s life so completely that he wants nothing more than to see God glorified.

Given the freedom to decide his own method of execution, Brady chooses to be crucified. Conscious of the fact that Jesus on the cross is rarely depicted any other way than in beautiful repose, he wants the world to see the death of Jesus for the reality of what it was—a gruesome and painful sacrifice.

Although it was challenging at first to follow Thomas and Brady’s separate stories, due to the author’s frequent jumps between the two, the characters were so compelling that they held my interest. This novel touched my heart and caused me to reevaluate the things I typically take for granted. Riven is well worth a read.