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Mysteries of Sparrow Island #13
A Light in the Dark
When Wayfarer Point Lighthouse goes dark, several near-misses with oil tankers lead to fear that an environmental emergency is just around the bend. But why is the faithful lighthouse dim at suspicious times? The investigations uncovers a host of suspects and a long-buried secret. Meanwhile, Abby is busy with an ambitious eagle-spotting project for the conservatory, and a blind birder sets out to help Sand McDonald's uncle, who has recently lost his eyesight. Can Abby help everyone to see that there is one true light that guides them all?
246 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Carter
20 books25 followersCharlotte has authored more than 50 books for Harlequin, Dorchester, Guideposts Books and Love Inspired. She lives in Southern California with her husband of 50 years. They have two married daughters and 5 grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2019
The lighthouse keeps going dark for short periods and the coast guard can’t figure out why. When they dig up the whole line they find a skeleton. Abby gets involved trying to figure out who the skeleton is and why the lighthouse keeps going dark. Sandy’s uncle has recently gone blind and an blind bird watcher tries to help him. The uncle also teaches Sandy’s ten year old son Morse code and helps him get his license.
January 23, 2020
I remember enjoying earlier books in this Mysteries of Sparrow Island series, and so when I saw a bunch of them in a used bookstore, I took the chance to get some more. I like the gentle flow of the stories, and how the Bible is woven throughout. They would be good for a light beach read. You do have to be in the mood for savoring a slow pace.
These are gentle, leisurely mysteries. This one's got more of a mystery than some in this series: a possible terrorist taking down a lighthouse, a body found at that lighthouse. I do enjoy stories about lighthouses, and, if you're looking for a recommendation for one, probably my favorite is that about Captain Jim in "Anne's House of Dreams."
As a ham radio operator, I liked the role that had in this "A Light in the Dark" mystery. I will point out, though, that the first time Uncle Robert complained because two operators didn't use their call signs, it was possible he simply hadn't listened long enough. The narrative made it sound as if they'd only listened a couple of minutes instead of to the whole transmission, and it's only required to give one's call sign every ten minutes.
That part of the story made me smile, though. Yes, I know what Ohm's Law is. And yes, very young children can and do earn their licenses.
This time, it was Mary, rather than the usual Abby, who, in my opinion, misspoke, and stuck her foot in her mouth in giving unwanted, forceful advice. Sometimes, I think the sisters could go about encouraging in a nicer, less blunt way. Mary'd told a recently blinded Uncle Robert, "When God takes something away from you, it's because He intends to give you another gift that will bring you great joy." That's "cringe-worthy," or "cringy," in my kids' lingo. The man was still grieving his eyesight, and one of the steps of grief is to acknowledge all that has been lost, not to minimize it. We have to know what has been lost in order to eventually come to terms with the loss in a healthy way.
Plus, it's not always true that God would give us some other joyful, replacement-gift here and now in this world, this life. Often, He does. But sometimes, He does not, and that's setting someone up for another potential disappointment. After listing some of the heroes of the faith, the writer of Hebrews said, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar ... And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." - Hebrews 11:13ab,39-40 ESV
I was glad that Mary, in trying to speak to Uncle Robert, did speak from a position of having faced her own loss, her own restriction to a wheelchair. "Mary remembered how tired she'd become of people telling her everything would be fine after her accident. It hadn't been. But she'd adjusted and learned to appreciate the differences in her new life." That seemed a little more honest to me.
I thought it was funny that the two blind people unexpectedly took a walk ("the blind leading the blind") without the friend in the wheelchair. I know what one of my teens would've said about the consternation of the one left behind, who had been so sure they would need her help, but they hadn't: "Get wrecked!" (Funny how I can "hear" my teen's lingo even in places they haven't said it yet.)
I'm afraid I like this series much better than the parent organization, Guideposts. Guideposts has wandered further and further away from anything substantiated by scripture, although this series may have been written before that detachment from the Bible, and this author (Charlotte Carter) is different one than Norman Vincent Peale, founder of Guideposts and author of "Positive Thinking," who, in my thinking, set up people for disillusionment with faith by making it sound like God has promised things He has not, and that that all we have to do to get something is to think positively about it. But if you consider only this series, and not its parent establishment, it's a very good series indeed.
Favorite quotes:
"Silently, she thanked the Lord for these moments of peace where she could reflect on His world and, its beauty. She realized this was a blessing she should enjoy more often just as her sister did, and not fret about having idle hands."
"What do you smell, Robert?"
"A barnyard. It stinks."
"Well, yes, but I don't think the horses object."
These are gentle, leisurely mysteries. This one's got more of a mystery than some in this series: a possible terrorist taking down a lighthouse, a body found at that lighthouse. I do enjoy stories about lighthouses, and, if you're looking for a recommendation for one, probably my favorite is that about Captain Jim in "Anne's House of Dreams."
As a ham radio operator, I liked the role that had in this "A Light in the Dark" mystery. I will point out, though, that the first time Uncle Robert complained because two operators didn't use their call signs, it was possible he simply hadn't listened long enough. The narrative made it sound as if they'd only listened a couple of minutes instead of to the whole transmission, and it's only required to give one's call sign every ten minutes.
That part of the story made me smile, though. Yes, I know what Ohm's Law is. And yes, very young children can and do earn their licenses.
This time, it was Mary, rather than the usual Abby, who, in my opinion, misspoke, and stuck her foot in her mouth in giving unwanted, forceful advice. Sometimes, I think the sisters could go about encouraging in a nicer, less blunt way. Mary'd told a recently blinded Uncle Robert, "When God takes something away from you, it's because He intends to give you another gift that will bring you great joy." That's "cringe-worthy," or "cringy," in my kids' lingo. The man was still grieving his eyesight, and one of the steps of grief is to acknowledge all that has been lost, not to minimize it. We have to know what has been lost in order to eventually come to terms with the loss in a healthy way.
Plus, it's not always true that God would give us some other joyful, replacement-gift here and now in this world, this life. Often, He does. But sometimes, He does not, and that's setting someone up for another potential disappointment. After listing some of the heroes of the faith, the writer of Hebrews said, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar ... And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect." - Hebrews 11:13ab,39-40 ESV
I was glad that Mary, in trying to speak to Uncle Robert, did speak from a position of having faced her own loss, her own restriction to a wheelchair. "Mary remembered how tired she'd become of people telling her everything would be fine after her accident. It hadn't been. But she'd adjusted and learned to appreciate the differences in her new life." That seemed a little more honest to me.
I thought it was funny that the two blind people unexpectedly took a walk ("the blind leading the blind") without the friend in the wheelchair. I know what one of my teens would've said about the consternation of the one left behind, who had been so sure they would need her help, but they hadn't: "Get wrecked!" (Funny how I can "hear" my teen's lingo even in places they haven't said it yet.)
I'm afraid I like this series much better than the parent organization, Guideposts. Guideposts has wandered further and further away from anything substantiated by scripture, although this series may have been written before that detachment from the Bible, and this author (Charlotte Carter) is different one than Norman Vincent Peale, founder of Guideposts and author of "Positive Thinking," who, in my thinking, set up people for disillusionment with faith by making it sound like God has promised things He has not, and that that all we have to do to get something is to think positively about it. But if you consider only this series, and not its parent establishment, it's a very good series indeed.
Favorite quotes:
"Silently, she thanked the Lord for these moments of peace where she could reflect on His world and, its beauty. She realized this was a blessing she should enjoy more often just as her sister did, and not fret about having idle hands."
"What do you smell, Robert?"
"A barnyard. It stinks."
"Well, yes, but I don't think the horses object."
May 7, 2020
A friend gave me this book when she was finished with it. Like her, I've read other books in the "Mysteries of Sparrow Island" series. I really liked this one. There are several mysteries: 1. why the lighthouse seems to go out intermittently? 2. Why does the Coast Guard monitoring of the lighthouse say nothing is wrong even when the lighthouse is not working? 3. Who sent the flower centerpiece arrangement to the sisters?
I liked that Bobby is learning ham radio operation from his uncle. I guess he is rather motivated to learn because he gets to take the test rather quickly and passes on his first try. (A bit convenient that the test is given so soon after the topic comes up, but the rest of the book was so good, I could overlook that.). It was nice to see the outcome of that.
Robert (the uncle) was blinded as an adult by an act of ecoterrorism. He's still angry about it (and I gathered that others with him did not survive what happened, so some of his anger may be understandable). At first he's feeling useless and not self-sufficient because of his disability, but a blind lady who still goes out bird-watching as well as Mary (who has a different disability) help him to see that it only means he's differently abled. Bobby also helps Robert to understand the need to forgive.
I liked the interaction between Pamela, Mary, Abby and Robert.
I didn't really have much that I disliked from this story.
I liked that Bobby is learning ham radio operation from his uncle. I guess he is rather motivated to learn because he gets to take the test rather quickly and passes on his first try. (A bit convenient that the test is given so soon after the topic comes up, but the rest of the book was so good, I could overlook that.). It was nice to see the outcome of that.
Robert (the uncle) was blinded as an adult by an act of ecoterrorism. He's still angry about it (and I gathered that others with him did not survive what happened, so some of his anger may be understandable). At first he's feeling useless and not self-sufficient because of his disability, but a blind lady who still goes out bird-watching as well as Mary (who has a different disability) help him to see that it only means he's differently abled. Bobby also helps Robert to understand the need to forgive.
I liked the interaction between Pamela, Mary, Abby and Robert.
I didn't really have much that I disliked from this story.
January 23, 2021
This was actually the first book in the series that I read. I received about 17 of them from my grandmother and I have left them sitting there for quite a long time as I read other Guidepost mysteries. Now, I hate that I missed out on such great books. Abby is a great female sleuth and I really enjoy reading these books. I love the sleuths that are Christians. Some people don't like that, so these books are written with a Christian perspective with a leading female who loves the Lord. I personally love that.
January 6, 2019
Another great mystery. Well-written, clean with just a hint of religion. Love it!!
January 26, 2022
The ending was good. It just was a little slow in parts.
November 24, 2015
This book is published by Guideposts, so it is guaranteed to be clean and moralistic. Guidepost is the Hallmark of Christian fiction. A bit syrupy, and the good guys always win, and the bad guys reform and set their life on the straight and narrow.
Sarcasm aside, the setting was in the San Juan Islands, which I love, and involved a lighthouse, which I also love.
Characters include loving sisters, disabled people, and the plot used bird-watching, ham radios and environmentalism.
An okay read for busy times when you can't focus on anything deep and meaningful.
Sarcasm aside, the setting was in the San Juan Islands, which I love, and involved a lighthouse, which I also love.
Characters include loving sisters, disabled people, and the plot used bird-watching, ham radios and environmentalism.
An okay read for busy times when you can't focus on anything deep and meaningful.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews