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The Handler
This story, which is set along the Tennessee River, reflects the eccentric problems of love, faith, and duty as experienced by a young mother trapped in a snake-handling cult, and the man, Matt Fagan, who is hired to find and rescue her from the clutches of a fanatical holy-man claiming to be a living god. In his effort to snatch the young mother, and her baby son from the cult and return them to the arms of a worried family, Matt, a wounded Viet Nam veteran uncovers a dark and frightening secret from his past. Even though this story is fictional, it is based on actual events of spiritual cults that use brutality and sexual molestation in the name of God. This is not a story for the timid or fainthearted.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 9, 2021
An offensive book, no matter who you are.
After reading several positive reviews of this book, I thought I would give it a try. I grew up in Chattanooga and lived there for over 25 years, so this aspect really caught my attention. While the author correctly identifies the geography of the area, that's where his knowledge seems to end. His description of the inhabitants of Chattanooga would give an outsider the impression that the city is filled with backwards, gun-toting people who only have a cursory grasp of the English language. He resorts to tired stereotypes that are as misleading as they are offensive. His misogynistic, racist, and homophobic rhetoric only further serves to make this book so distasteful that I couldn't finish it. If you are wanting to read a book that accurately portrays life in this area of the South, this isn't that book.
After reading several positive reviews of this book, I thought I would give it a try. I grew up in Chattanooga and lived there for over 25 years, so this aspect really caught my attention. While the author correctly identifies the geography of the area, that's where his knowledge seems to end. His description of the inhabitants of Chattanooga would give an outsider the impression that the city is filled with backwards, gun-toting people who only have a cursory grasp of the English language. He resorts to tired stereotypes that are as misleading as they are offensive. His misogynistic, racist, and homophobic rhetoric only further serves to make this book so distasteful that I couldn't finish it. If you are wanting to read a book that accurately portrays life in this area of the South, this isn't that book.
October 16, 2016
Very entertaining read
I love stories like this and the fact that it's set in my home town makes it even better. Starting the second book now.
I love stories like this and the fact that it's set in my home town makes it even better. Starting the second book now.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews