The Angel of Maryville is a very sophisticated and elaborate work of literature. I was
immediately and immensely impressed with the author’s ability to bring to life characters who could
well be taken for everyday, ordinary people, showing them to be complex yet simple and profoundly
human.
The story is about humanity’s foibles and tenacity in the face of many of the dark demons and
hidden secrets of life as we know it.
Although the book is inhabited by many varied and unique personalities, the main character is
Roni, the woman who runs the Coffee Café, where the locals all gather for gossip and sustenance.
Other characters include the local police officers, Mac and Bonnie, who just happen to be
father-in-law and daughter-in-law. Bonnie’s late husband was also a police officer. Then there
is Pastor Brown, who is dealing with his own spiritual crisis while trying to be the strong arm
of the Lord to help his flock to thrive. The cast and characters of Maryville are varied and many.
I’d like to list them all, but I’d rather recommend that you read this wonderful book and discover
them for yourselves.
Maryville is unlike any place I have ever visited, yet it certainly may exist out there
somewhere—a small, hidden town, where everyone knows each other, but most do not know each
other’s secrets. They do know enough not to ask.
Things in Maryville will change on one destiny-fulfilling New Year’s Eve. Justice will be served
in its own time and fashion. There is a question of the triumph of Good versus Evil, and who makes
the decision as to the victor.
The story is told in such a way that it speaks to the reader’s very core, and I found it quite
touching and intellectually stimulating. It is a long, thick book at 525 pages, but this should not
be daunting. It is a book you will want to savor, read a section at a time, mull that over, and then
move on. I took a good deal of time to read and write this review, hoping that I can somehow do it
justice. This book rates a five star review from me, and I hope many readers will take the time to
learn from this wonderful tale.