Lightning on a Quiet Night by Donn Taylor

Lightning on a Quiet Night

by

Donn Taylor

(Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas 2014)

In the town of Beneficent, "A Town As Good As Its Name", a myriad of characters come to life and begin a journey that changes the town's heart and soul.

From the first pages of learning more about Lisa and her unwillingness to give this rural town a chance to the end where Jack learns more about what it means to forgive and trust his faith in the future, the reader is pulled into a story set within rural Mississippi and held there throughout this spellbinding tale.

Lisa is a northerner thrust into a world that is different and as she tries to label and categorize its people she finds herself befriending the unlikeliest of people and learning to love what she started off as hating. Jack begins as an enigma, a mystery that takes time to discover as each chapter peels back another layer to his character: his history, his military life, and his determination, but above all his love for the town and its people. 

As for the secondary characters, each promises and delivers a well rounded tale and adds the dimension needed to the story, from the red herring to the wolf in sheep's clothing.

With each steady pace of the plot the reader is shown every facet of the town which prided itself as the jewel of charity and doing good. But as the Scripture says: Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

But instead of completely falling, the town and its people learn a valuable lesson in love, forgiveness, and humility. 

In my opinion this book is a great piece of literary prose. Multiple layers of symbolism, well developed characters, deep themes, and a range of tones and moods keep this book interesting and engaging.

It quickly became one of my favorites and one that I would recommended time and time again. Donn Taylor wrote an excellent novel!