Chasing the Wind

by Pamela Binnings Ewen

At 8:47 A.M. on Wednesday, October 12, 1977, new-to-town businessman Bingham Murdock flew his small plane into New Orleans, banking it in such a way that a ray of sunshine shot through the city at light speed.

Amalise Catoir saw the flash from her sixteenth floor law office window. Finally feeling alive after the death of her abusive husband, she imagined seeing the plane was a fate for her eyes only; a special connection between the unknown giver and she, the recipient of light.

But someone else saw it, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care for whom a sudden burst of brightness reminds him of artillery fire.

Destined to cross paths with the man and the child, Amalise doesn’t yet know the deeper spiritual lesson she will learn: that we are responsible not only for the things we do, but also for the things that we don’t.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Suspense

352 pages, Paperback

First published July 12, 2012

About the author

After practicing law for many in Houston, Texas, Pamela Binnings Ewen turned to writing. She lives in Mandeville, Louisiana near New Orleans. She is the author of The Moon in the Mango Tree, and five other books. Based on a true story, The Moon in the Mango tree was awarded the 2012 Eudora Welty Memorial Award by the National League of American Pen Women.

Pamela's newest novel, The Queen of Paris, will be released April 7, 2020 by Blackstone Publications. This electrifying story, based on the real life of Coco Chanel during WWII as the Nazi's occupied Paris, reveals the underside of the celebrated icon, as has never before been fully told. The Queen of Paris is available for Pre-order now.

Pamela's other novels are Dancing on Glass (a Single Titles Reviewer's Choice award), Chasing the Wind (a Top Pick for RT Reviewers), An Accidental Life, and Secret of the Shroud. She also wrote the non-fiction best-seller Faith on Trial, now in second edition.

Pamela has served on the board of directors of Inprint (Houston, Texas), The Tennessee Williams Festival (New Orleans, Louisiana) and on the advisory board of the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society (New Orleans). She is President of the Northshore Literary Society located in St. Tammany Paris, Louisiana. In 2009 Pamela received the President’s Arts Award from the Cultural Commission of St. Tammany Parish as Literary Artist of the Year.

Reviews

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a recommended-read on Overdrive one day, and I love stories set in N'ahlins, so why not?

I'm not crazy-in-love with this story, but it's not such a bad story either. A few times, the jargon with the real estate and bank sales was so beyond anything I cared about that I wanted to just stop and move on to another book, but there's a sweet little thread through this about a Cambodian refugee who is about 4 years-old, and I liked that part enough to keep reading.

The story is set in 1977 New Orleans and revolves around Amalise Catoir, a single lawyer who is recently widowed (and thereby released) from a horrible abusive relationship, except that isn't exactly cleared up. She manages to land a really intense business deal at work where she is one of few lawyers chosen to handle a new hotel/casino to be built over one of the historic districts of New Orleans. (Petty things like non-legalized gambling and whether or not this district is already protected by law and lots of little loopholes are just kind of...dusted over.) This is where the author's jargon of the business transaction is SO eye-glazing, I skimmed. Yes, I skimmed. It was like reading a bank document myself, and if I wanted to do that then I would just drive to my bank and ask for a commercial real estate loan agreement.

Amalise has a best friend, Jude (*major eye-roll at boy/girl best friendships with either one being oblivious to major feelings for the other*) who "practically raised her" and she has known her entire life. After her traumatic car wreck (where she becomes a widow and escapes that bad first husband), Jude decides he loves her. Only for some reason he can't/won't tell her. Amalise decides she has known her entire life that Jude is for her, but again, she can't/won't tell him.

Storylines with any of this stuff just make me nauseated. I don't have time for this. Shout it from the rooftops, plunder a village, do SOMETHING about it. But this inner-dialogue of "OOh should I? Shouldn't I? I can't imagine life without him/her! Will he/she reject me even though we've been besties for twenty-five years?" is just too much for me.

Oh, and throw in beautiful Rebecca, a mutual friend who is kind of/not kind of dating Jude, and she keeps running her fingers through her "mane of red hair" and letting it "fall like silk down her back". Who...who does that? I have no friends who do that. And if I think a female keeps doing that, that's a red-flag for "Come on over here big boy." Only, Jude doesn't. Because he doesn't get it, and he is in "love" with his childhood friend Amalise.

I bet by now you're surprised I gave this 3 stars.

What saved this story is Luke, the refugee Cambodian boy. There are four very very short chapters on his plight of escaping Cambodia through Operation Babylift and how he ends up in the foster home he does (which, you may predict anyway, is right in the Zone for being Destroyed by the new hotel/casino.)

Another thing that kept me interested was 1977 workplaces, mainly a law office, where only two female lawyers work, and the way men react to them. I can't even imagine...but I'm glad Amalise found a backbone to just stare at a male lawyer who tells her to get his coffee. And my favorite, I must replay it here, when Amalise was being harassed by phone by a visiting male lawyer:

"Is your name Amalise? Did I pronounce that right?" Richard asked.
"Yes, Dick, you did," Amalise replied.

It's not a bad story, or a bad read. It is a somewhat-boderline-Christian fiction novel, but very lightly so. Don't be afraid, if that kind of thing turns you away. Amalise prays to "her Abba" throughout the book, in italics of course, but it doesn't beat you over the head with anything. It's all very in-context and makes perfect sense.

[Dev · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could have done without 2/3 of this book. Actually, I did; I skimmed over a lot of it.

Plot line 1: Best friends since childhood both love each other but can't manage to communicate that to each other. Cue 1/3 of the book with that misery.

Plot line 2: Business dealings between various moneyed people about building a resort hotel in New Orleans. Cue 1/3 of the book with confusing legal proceedings surrounding that and repetitive thoughts on the matter by one of the characters.

Plot line 3: The situation between a little boy from Cambodia who has wound up in foster care in New Orleans and the lawyer who finds herself drawn to him. The 1/3 of the book I actually cared about.

It could have been a good book. Just cut plot line 1, make plot line 2 shorter and more understandable, and leave plot line 3 as is. Too bad that wasn't done.

[Marla Mutch · Rating 2 out of 5]

No one says anything they think or feel they need to. I hate false dramatic tension based on simple misunderstanding. How are you supposed to want a couple to get together when they aren't able to say the most important things? They pray for guidance all the time, I mean, a lot, and even though they feel a compulsion, which is a sign, don't ya think, to speak, they weenie out. Also, disturbed by the "buy a house for someone and you get a kid part". I seem to be the only grouch who disliked it, but I found it boring and trite. Lots of wicked lawyering, which is boring.

[Deborah Kornbau · Rating 3 out of 5]

The intrigue was good but the love story interfered with my enjoyment, a harlequin romance type love story where they start out the book against all odds and you’re supposed to wait with bated breath to see if they make it together when of course you know that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Pages wasted that could’ve better been spent in other ways! I kept waiting for explanations on what happened with her first husband, how she was injured and why such a long recovery time and none of that was ever explained. I probably won’t be looking for another book by this author

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story that held my interest throughout. I enjoyed some of the unexpected twists.

The characters were likeable. I must admit that Amalise got on my nerves at times, though. For someone who was intelligent enough to become a lawyer, she sure had trouble communicating with her best friend.

The ending surprised me. At first I wasn't sure that I liked it but the more I thought about it, I did. Bingham sure turned out to be a character to shake things up. Ü

[Lorraine Shaw]

A great book 581 page long but great story right to the end.

[Mary Eklund · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not even finish. . .horrible attention-holder.

[Kathleen (Kat) Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wonder if certain things that happen randomly can be considered as signs from God? On October 12, 1977 at 8:47a.m, three very different individuals will soon be brought together in a very unexpected way when they all see the same thing but see different reasons behind that encounter with a flash of light.

Bingham Murdock flew into town on a star one day. At exactly 8:47am he banked the silver Lockheed JetStar at such an angle that the rays of the sun glanced off the wing and shot a glint of silver through the city of New Orleans. He'd never felt such kindred spirit with a city before. This was a town with open pockets and attitude. He is the owner of Lone Star Incorporated who is looking for a new business venture to build a hotel in the French Quarter.

Amalise Catoir is a young lawyer with the firm of Mangen & Morris who has returned to her office on the sixteenth floor of the First Merchant Bank Building, after the recent death of her husband, Philip Sharp, who abused her during their marriage. As she stands at the window looking at the people below, it seems as if nothing had changed. It is only through the actions of her friend Jude, who she thinks she loves, that she has returned to work. As she took in the view, a quicksilver glint in the sky drew her attention. For a moment she tracked a small plane as it descended toward the Lakefront Airport, sunlight winking off a wing like a shooting star aimed straight for her. She wondered if she were the only person in the world who had just seen the momentary flash of light. In her office she shivered with the odd fancy that the flash somehow signified a fateful connection between the giver and the recipient of the light.

But someone else saw it, too. About a mile away, a small boy with delicate oriental features sat alone on the front porch of a sagging house in the Faubourg Marigny, watching the other children play. In the distance he saw a small plane shining in the sun. He watched it for an instant, shading his eyes with his hands squinting. Then a bright flash of light came at him like a burst of gunfire, and he flinched remembering.

Bingham Murdock, Amalise Catoir and a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care are all brought together in what most would consider a random encounter much like the television series Touch shows how we are all connected through a string of random encounters that lead us to one another and impact our lives in profound ways. In the novel, Chasing the Wind, by Pamela Binnings Ewen, these three individuals will find out what God has in store for each of them and how that one encounter will change them in very different and similar spiritual ways through a flash of light.

I received Chasing the Wind compliments of B & H Publishing Group and Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review and found this story to have a profound impact on the so-called chance encounters we have with people we meet. Sometimes God places these people in our lives for reasons that may not seem clear to us at the time, but in looking back we can see how He uses them to bring about His purpose in our lives. I rate this novel a 5 out of 5 stars and look forward to many more novels from Pamela Billings Ewen in the future.

[Iola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amalise Catoir is a second-year associate with the firm of Mangen & Morris in New Orleans in 1977, and has just returned to work after several months recovering from an accident that left her a widow. Amalise finds she has been assigned to Project Black Diamond, working for property magnate Bingham Murdoch to develop a new hotel in the city. She has also realised she is in love with Jude, her best friend since childhood, but thinks he might be falling for her Rebecca, her co-worker.

But there is a vague feeling that all is not as it seems, particularly regarding Bingham, the man behind the deal to build a hotel and casino on a piece of prime New Orleans real estate. Interspersed with the main plot were a series of flashbacks to 1975 Cambodia, chilling scenes with a woman named Samantha Barlow rescuing a small boy and trying to escape Phnom Penh before the Khymer Rouge arrive.

The story is told from several different points of view, with a style that seems rather remote at times, but it works. Chasing the Wind is very well-written, with characters that drew me in, and a tightly-woven suspenseful plot with some very interesting twists (one I saw coming, one I did not). This is one of those books that I think would be worth re-reading, as that way you could catch the nuances and clues to the ending.

My one complaint would be that between the lawyers, bankers and property tycoons, there were too many male characters with middle class names (not to mention he names of the banks and law firms), and I found it difficult to keep them all straight in my head. Fortunately, the major characters have suitably memorable names, so it didn’t matter that the others all blurred into one at the beginning.

Chasing the Wind is also an interesting insight into women in the professions (and working in general) in the 1970’s – smoking in the conference room, long lawyer lunches, asking the woman (Amalise) to fetch coffee and donuts, a reference to a single mainframe computer, research in libraries and on microfiche readers. Other scenes have the secretary clacking away on her typewriter and sending documents down to the typing pool, reminding us how much working life has changed in a very short time with the introduction of computers and the internet. Recommended.

Note that this is actually a sequel, but is easily read as a stand-alone. I suspect the earlier book (dealing with Amalise's marriage) is much darker in tone.

Thanks to B&H Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing a free book for review.

[Victor Gentile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pamela Binnings Ewen in her new book, “Chasing the Wind” published by B&H Publishing Group introduces us to Juliette Taylor and Marcus Stone.

From the Back Cover: At 8:47 A.M. on Wednesday, October 12, 1977, new-to-town businessman Bingham Murdock flew his small plane into New Orleans, banking it in such a way that a ray of sunshine shot through the city at light speed.

Amalise Catoir saw the flash from her sixteenth floor law office window. Finally feeling alive after the death of her abusive husband, she imagined seeing the plane was a fate for her eyes only; a special connection between the unknown giver and she, the recipient of light.

But someone else saw it, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care for whom a sudden burst of brightness reminds him of artillery fire.

Destined to cross paths with the man and the child, Amalise doesn’t yet know the deeper spiritual lesson she will learn: that we are responsible not only for the things we do, but also for the things that we don’t.

The King James Bible tells us we are “lively” stones jointly fitted together. I went and looked at a stone wall and each stone touched six other stones; two on top, one on each side and two on the bottom. ”Chasing the Wind” is all about how one person’s action can affect so many lives. ”Chasing the Wind” gives us the theme of healing, not only physically but emotionally and spiritually as well. This is an exciting adventure story that will keep you wondering just what is going on. On top of everything this is also a romance.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book for free from Wynn-Wynn Media for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars.

This is good. The year is 1977. Amalise Catoir, a lawyer, is currently recovering from the death of her abusive husband. In love with her best friend Jude, who is seeing her friend and fellow lawyer Rebecca, she is learning how to move on and cope with her life. On her first day back at work after her time off, she is handed a large project -The Black Diamond. The project is a large, lots of acres resort/hotel that is going to be bring in a lot of revenue and taxes for the city. Only problem is is that where they want to build the homes is where families and churches and neighborhoods live. So Amalise's firm is in charge of helping keep this matter quiet until the head honcho's can buy off all the families in the area before the public catches wind of what is going on. Amalise struggles with this. More so when she meets Luke, a 6 year Cambodian foster child who lives with his foster family smack down in the middle of the proposed project. Suddenly she finds herself having to make a choice, having to make a stand.

The pacing of this story was slow, a lot slower then I am normally accustomed to and there was a lot of lawyer jargon that I am not familiar with but could see someone with a background in law firms understanding. However, this book is character driven and I really enjoyed that. Young Luke is well down (I really enjoyed his flashbacks from 1975, they helped to understand him more and realize the horrors he went through) and both Amalise and Jude and later on, Bingham (the man in charge of the project) are all fleshed out with their flaws and strengths. It showed that not everything is black and white, there are several shades of gray.

*ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY.

[Julie Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amalise is just coming back to work after the nightmare of her husband dying and the events that happened before that(see my review of Dancing on Glass). As a second year lawyer she is put on a real estate case that will take all of her time and energy.

When Amalise finds that the plan is to destroy a section of the city in order to put in a future casino and resort she has qualms about the morality of the decision. Sworn to secrecy Amalise makes the mistake of meeting a family that lives in the section slated to be destroyed. Meeting the family that has taken in foster children, Amalise falls in love with a little boy named Luke. Nobody knows where Luke is from, he hasn't spoken since arriving. Luke and Amalise seem to bond instantly which pushes Amalise to execute a daring plan that may compromise her future as a lawyer.

In the meantime Jude has discovered that he is in love with his lifelong friend Amalise. But she thinks that he is in love with her co-worker Rebecca. When Amalise explores her own feelings she realizes that there has always been only one man for her, Jude. One misunderstanding after another keeps them from discovering their true feelings for each other for a time.

I enjoyed the continuation of Amalise's story and to see how she has healed. I thought that the story read like a John Grisham book with all of the technical lawyer speak which I enjoyed very much. I also enjoyed the flashbacks to how Luke came to the United States. Even though I liked the story very well I didn't feel like it affected me as much as Dancing on Glass did. Pamela Binnings Ewen is a very good story teller that knows how to keep the reader turning the pages.

[Linda Munro · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the book jacket: At 8:47 A.M. on Wednesday, October 12, 1977, new-to-town businessman Bingham Murdock flew his small plane into New Orleans, banking it in such a way that a ray of sunshine shot through the city at light speed.

Amalise Catoir saw the flash from her sixteenth floor law office window. Finally feeling alive after the death of her abusive husband, she imagined seeing the plane was a fate for her eyes only; a special connection between the unknown giver and she, the recipient of light.

But someone else saw it, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee in foster care for whom a sudden burst of brightness reminds him of artillery fire.

Destined to cross paths with the man and the child, Amalise doesn’t yet know the deeper spiritual lesson she will learn: that we are responsible not only for the things we do, but also for the things that we don’t.


I’m not sure that I agree with that assessment. Yes, supposedly two people saw the flash of life and all three of these people would cross paths. But, I question as to whether or not Amalise learned a deep spiritual lesson. I would say that she chose the road to follow when her life forked, and a great deal of things came full circle for her; but the ending was too happily ever after and left a gaping hole as to what would ever happen to the family Amelise helped and what they thought of her so-called “win.”

It was a strange book to say the least. While reading the book, I had difficulty putting it down, yet when I laid it down, I found it difficult to pick it back up. There may have been a message that I somehow missed, I just cannot say.

[Amanda H · Rating 5 out of 5]

On October 12th, 1977, a young lawyer and a Cambodian refuge both notice the flash of silver in the sky, the reflection off a private plane bringing Bingham Murdock into town. Little do Amalise and young Luke realize that Bingham will be the one to tie their lives together, changing lives forever.
I haven't read any of Pamela Binnings Ewen's previous books, but I plan to remedy that after finishing this one! The details were rich and yet straight forward, the story beautifully written and the characters amazingly real. I found out after I was well into this story that there is a previous novel about Amalise, Dancing on Glass, which made sense since it felt like there was more to her story then this book was giving. The fact that there is another book about her does not keep one from enjoying this story though! There are just enough details in this one to let you know what happened before, without giving away the end of the previous novel.
I loved the history in this story, since Amalise is one of the first women lawyers in the firm she works for. The Vietnam war and Shadow children are also a big part of the story. But at the center is a beautiful story of how God can take less than desirable circumstances and turn them into something that shows His glory.
Two thumbs up!!!

[Tima · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amalise is a workaholic returning from an accident to make her place again in the law firm she works for. The very first case that she takes on is a major revitalization of a down and out part of town. The new buildings and plans will bring in new jobs and help for the economy. But it will leave many of the tenants without homes. Amalise is almost immediately in conflict with her job and the people she will soon have a hand in evicting.

I had a really hard time with this book. Almost from the beginning I had the feeling that the book was very well written, but not once was my imagination captured. I just could not get into the story. Not matter how hard I tried, I could never find a connection with the characters or the plot. I enjoyed the twist at the end, although I saw it coming and I liked the ending. But it just wasn't my style. So while this is a book that I'm certain will be a hit with quite a few people, it certainly wasn't for me.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evocative language and amazing storytelling elevates Ewen's novel far above similar books. The way the different plot points come together in the end will cause both tears and sighs of joy. True events from the 1970s coupled with imaginative fiction blend seamlessly together. This one is not to be missed!
SUMMARY: After the death of her abusive husband, Amalise Catoir is back to work and looking forward to proving herself with a high-profile law case. Businessman Bingham Murdock brings a complicated purchase to the table, which involves a great deal of work, but will also earn those involved a great deal of money. Somehow, a six-year-old Cambodian refugee who doesn't communicate with his foster parents fits into the larger picture. Amalise must balance what she knows is right with what she needs to do in order to complete her job.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amalise Cotier has recovered from an accident and on her first day back at work in the law firm she is assigned to a huge case with financier Bingham Murdoch. One of two women in the firm she is determined to go above and beyond in her duties as a partnership is coming up. However, she gets involved in an area that may end her career as an attorney. This is the story of how God works, chance meetings that we may not think anything of could be part of His big plan.

Amalise's best friend since childhood, Jude, has fallen in love with her. She has fallen in love with him but he's dating her good friend and associate. The way this evolves is wonderful.

I loved finding out Murdoch's true identity, Ewen is a great story teller, I read this book in one day and enjoyed it very much.

I received a copy of this book free from the publisher through CFBA in exchange for an honest review.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHASING THE WIND by Pamela Binnings Ewen is a gripping inspirational mystery/suspense. Filled with mystery,faith,healing,danger,forgiveness,past memories,suspense and hope.Set in New Orleans follow Amalise Catoir,Bingham Murdock and a six-year-old Cambodian refugee on a change encounter to "the light". While written as fiction it also has some real life facts from the 1970's added into the plot. Slow at times,but others are fast paced and come alive on the page. We learn that our or others past actions can and do sometimes come back to haunt us, and learn a spiritual lesson along the way. What a profound and powerful story!Received for an honest review from the publisher. Details can be found at the author's website,B & H Books,and My Book Addiction and More.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: SWEET

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews

[Mandy Whilden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a free copy of this book from Goodreads Firstreads for an honest review. Thank you to Firstreads, the author and the publisher!

This book started out a little bit slow for me. It took me a little while to connect with the characters and get into the story. About half way through, the story really started picking up. This book is full of lovable characters and situations that are easily relatable. It provides just the right amount of mystery and just the right amount of love story. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Christian fiction. It is a very good read!

[Kristin]

I didn't care for this as much as the moon in the mango tree. But I did like how Jude and Amilise's got closer. Wasn't a big fan of the db cooper bit, at times I was really interested but they even didnt really take it anywhere. It like how Amilise recovered from her relationship with Philip in the last book it was a natural transaction. I

I have one last book of here's to read and then I will have finished her entire works.

[Angela Maone]

This was well written and picked up on the nuances of nOLA. Will have to read more of this author's works.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Ewen knows New Orleans. You can feel the stickiness from humidity and hte layer of powdered sugar from Cafe du Monde. A great mystery too with a few twists.

[Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great story - thanks to my friend Natalie for turning me on to this author. I love the way she writes and I plan on checking out more of her books! Moon in the Mango Tree is fabulous as well!

[Cherie Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just ok.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful. And heartwarming. I had inklings about the surprise ending, but not enough to spoil anything. I enjoyed it.

[Hal]

This book was absolutely too boring to finish. Not giving it any starts. Giving up at 15 pct.

[Roberta Sievers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a little difficult getting excited about, but once I got over the hump, it was a very interesting story.

[Judy Spare · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my kind of book.