The Chairman

by Harry Kraus

Something is wrong in Fisher's Retreat. And police officerNathan McAllister is caught in the middle without a clue how he gotthere. He knows one thing for certain-his life will never be thesame. He no longer has a job. His wife Abby has become distant anduncaring. And his entire world now revolves around the one questionhe cannot answer: What really happened that fateful day in Fisher'sRetreat? The official police report states that a drug bust wentawry, but he doubts that is the truth.

As Nathan's suspicions grow about that day in Fisher's Retreat,so does his need for the truth. But he has been warned to stopasking questions. Someone doesn't want him to learn what reallyhappened. But the greater mystery for Nathan is what happened tohis marriage.

Can Abby love Nathan now? His body no longer works. He needs tobe cared for as an infant. Yet, as Abby learns to face Nathan'sphysical difficulties, she begins to see a side of Nathan thathadn't existed before. A new creation has been born in a brokenbody. But just when she feels the love rekindle, Nathan beginspushing her away, afraid. Is it too late for both of them?

Genres: Christian Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Mystery, Disability, Adult

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Harry Kraus, M.D. is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both non-fiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Dr. Kraus resides in Virginia with his wife Kris and the youngest of his three sons.

Reviews

[Rose Canteiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, brilliant!

It's a suspense involving a possible crime against a police officer, Nathan, and the historical research his neurosurgeon is doing to cure paralysis. But, that's just a glimpse, for there are so many course of events in the plot and layers to the characters, and the accuracy in portraying Nathan is perfect.

The strong point in the story telling is the inner dialog of the carachters, that bring us close to them intimately, and makes us care about them and their troubles. Nathan's dialogs with god are so sincere and realistic, it's touching. I love him! ♡♡♡♡♡

But the most beautiful and inspiring thing in this book is Nathan's fortitude as a mature, well formed Christian, as we see him strugling to cope with quadriplegia, a tragedy that changed his life forever, and to win back Abby's love and his self-esteem, while gradually falling in grief and sadness for all that he lost. He's so together and defenseless at the same time, and yet stilĺ he's able to comfort other people.

At some point Dr. Hannna says:

I wish I was like Nathan McAllister."


It's a story of true love, worth every single page!

5 stars!

[Stan Horst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. It held my attention from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the perspective of married life, and how a debilitating injury can wreak such havoc. Kraus did a great job of letting us peek into the private thoughts of each party, and the reasoning behind the decisions they made.

[Nancy DeValve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Nathan is a police officer who is shot on duty and becomes paralyzed from the neck down. But who really shot him and why? This book is a mystery, but it also deals with medical ethics, adjustment to life as a family after such a devastating accident, healing, handicap access in public places, forgiveness, self-concept, and the care of those with disabilities.

Two stories are happening simultaneously, then they come together as one. The story is told from various points of view, but mostly from Nathan's and Dr Hannah's.

Some things were never explained... like surely Elizabeth master-minded the stealing of the baboon so that the experimental phase would move more quickly into testing on a human subject.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperfect people finding peace

I really liked the variety of challenges covered in this book written by an obviously, very intelligent, well-educated writer. A glimpse into the world of physicians, researchers, the disable, and just ordinary people who face unique as well as typical struggles made this an interesting read. It was a good medical mystery book. The solution to unresolved struggles we face was well made by the author without preaching. It took a few pages to understand the author’s use of dialogue, quotation marks, and line placement. Why didn’t someone proof it to make it perfect? Oh—never mind. It is ok not to be perfect.

[Heather(Gibby) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book out of a Little Free Library, and knew nothing about it going in. It is a good story with the storylines converging into one. It was a little heavy on the "belief in God" preaching, but not so much that a non Christian couldn't enjoy the story.

[Barbara Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nerve regeneration for quadriplegic patients total recovery to walk again…..interesting book.

[Mary Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of medical suspense will enjoy this novel by Harry Kraus. Police officer Nathan McAllister faces life as a quadriplegic after a drug bust goes bad and he's hit by friendly fire from his buddy and fellow officer. He can't remember a thing about the incident, but what he's been told doesn't add up. And his wife seems less than excited to have him home. She's battling her own guilt over an affair with the man who shot her husband.
Dr. Ryan Hannah is on the verge of making medical history when his lab is broken into and the baboon at the center of his experiment is stolen. An uproar ensues over animal cruelty, and Dr. Hannah is forced to continue his research using human subjects. Nathan McAllister fits the bill perfectly. But the surgery puts Nathan and his wife at risk when the bullet lodged near his spine is removed--the bullet that will identify who shot him.
While some of the medical terminology went over my head, the book kept my attention throughout and I had a hard time putting it down. Harry Kraus is an excellent novelist who knows how to entertain his readers with memorable characters and engaging plots.

[Jen Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author. He is able to mix mystery, romance and life experiences with a dash of faith. When Nate is shot in the line of duty and becomes a quadraplegic his entire life changes as one would expect. But another layer is added as we have glimpses of the surgeon who operated on him and the struggles he experiences mixed in.

[Brenda Wharton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great author. The story of Nathan, a cop, who is shot on duty and becomes a quad and confined to a wheelchair . He lost his memory and had no real idea what happened to him. He moves back home after the accident with his wife, who has some of her own secrets.

[Partridge Public]

Kraus M.D.,Harry PB

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoy this author - this one was long.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about a man who becomes a paraplegic after an accident on police business. A bit of a mystery and a bit of a novel about love. It also addressed where is God when bad things happen.

[Margie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a suspenseful book. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I would reccomend it to men and women. Kraus is an awesome writer. I have read almost everything he has written.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it, def a good read

[Hk · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part of this book was the realism, the raw emotion and honest look at a marriage s/p a life altering injury to one partner.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very realistic. Never thought about just how much life changes for a quadriplegic and their family.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. And really like his style of writing

[Jeff Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written medical suspense novel.

[Allison Heredia · Rating 2 out of 5]

poor story line but strangely consuming. you really do want to find out what is next yet also in the back of your mind knowing how it's going to end. classic christian fiction.

[Paula Strome · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I reserve 5 stars for the classics. But this was an excellent book! It was longer than most current novels, but kept my interest the whole way through. Very suspenseful! I'll definitely read more by this author!