Prayer

by Philip Kerr

From New York Times-bestselling author Philip Kerr comes an amazing departure: an intense psychological thriller, sure to garner even more acclaim for this powerhouse author on the rise.

Gil Martins, an agent with the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Unit in Houston, confronts the violence generated by extremism within our nation’s borders every day. He sees hatred and destruction wrought by every kind of “ism” there is, and the zealots who kill in their names. Until now, he has always been a part of the solution—however imperfect—a part of justice. But when Gil discovers he played a key role in wrongly condemning an innocent man to death row, it shakes his faith—in the system, in himself, and in God—deeply. It even estranges him from his wife and son.

Desperate, Gil offers up a prayer. To know God is there, not through a sign or physical demonstration but through the strength to cope with his ever-growing, ever-creeping doubts.

His problems become more than personal as things heat up in Houston. A serial killer terrorizing the morally righteous turns out to have religious motivations, upping the case from homicide to domestic terrorism. A number of prominent secular icons die or are grievously injured abruptly and under suspicious circumstances, the latest of which is a New Atheist writer who’s fallen into an inexplicable coma. Left and right, it seems Gil can’t escape the power of God and murder.

As Gil investigates both cases, he realizes that there may be a connection—answering his prayers in a most terrifying way.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime, Fantasy, Horror, Suspense

423 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2013

About the author

Philip Kerr was a British author. He was best known for his Bernie Gunther series of 13 historical thrillers and a children's series, Children of the Lamp, under the name P.B. Kerr.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Shelly Donaghey · Rating 1 out of 5]

PRAYER by Philip Kerr is a real piece of work. I finished reading this 400-page thriller/horror/crime story/internal quest for the meaning of God story almost a week ago and have been struggling to write a review. Stepping away from this thing for a moment and looking back, this does not bode well for Mr. Kerr.
Gil Martins is Scottish born, American raised, ex-Catholic now evangelical Christian turned atheist FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer who may not exist. Or to be more precise, the killer is the Angel of Death, straight out of the bible, come to slay atheists because some people prayed for God to kill these people.
And Gil’s marriage is falling apart, his friend the Bishop is being looked at by the Bureau for helping a pedophile priest escape from Texas, and he is about to have a sex romp with a sassy, brilliant scientist from the University of Texas while the Angel listens at the door.
I found the story plodding between expository sequences talking about lack of faith, God and, oh yes, there is also a serial killer running around shooting people who has been deemed “Saint Peter” because he only kills really good people, perhaps to get them into Heaven where they belong.
Oh, and Saint Peter may be or hero Gil or at least one of the murders might be his.
I can’t recommend this book as there are so many, many great books out there just waiting for you to open their cover. If you are a fan of Mr. Kerr, go back and try to discover something he has written that you have missed. If you do decide that you have to read PRAYER, you have been warned.
I won this book through Goodreads and am sorely disappointed.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Prayer” is a story told from the viewpoint of FBI agent Gil Martins, who is assigned to the domestic terrorism task force in Houston, Texas. As the story opens, Martins is suffering a crisis of faith brought on by his involvement in sending an innocent man to death row. His unsympathetic wife cannot understand this lapse and, in short order, she tosses him out of the house. As the story progresses, Martins, still seeking a resolution to his personal dilemma, becomes involved in the bureau’s hunt for a serial killer.

Despite the author’s undeniable skill in weaving words into a wonderful tapestry, the story itself fails to become compelling. In a tale populated with characters that are more caricature than true-to-life, ridicule and derision seem to be the order of the day. Even Philip Kerr fans are likely to be disappointed; the story is cynical and filled with a dark pessimism. Overly-long and drawn out, readers who plod through to the final pages are likely to be insulted or to feel cheated by its preposterous ending.

Skip this one and wait for the next Bernie Gunther outing.

[Colin David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Philip Kerr and his Bernie Gunther series, and was looking forward to a more comtemporay novel. The theme of disaffection runs through the book; Glasgow and the religious divide there, fanatical religious fervour upsetting marital bliss in Texas and his job as a FBI agent involved with domestic terrorists. The plot builds well with pedophile priest, terrorists with drones and serial killers abounding, and a church leader hell bent on ridding the country of published atheists. The last third of the book is slightly disapointing.With the devil trying to kill the hero, this could have been another Exorcist style book but this missed the mark. Clearly Kerr must have had a bad time in Galveston as this area comes out of the book badly, it is not as bleak as is painted! Still the hero Gil Martin could return as detective priest!

[Bettie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Uzma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Please dont consider my review before buying the book. This is just my personal opinion of the book, which has been formed based on the person I am and the experience Ive had over the course of my life.

The book is definitely written brilliantly. The writing is amazing. The beginning was intoxicating and it hooked me for sure. But halfway into the book I realized that I still hadnt been able to peg a genre to it (or it to a genre), which could be a good thing specially if it ended up surprising me with the conclusion. Sadly that wasnt the case, and it left me confused. Maybe I missed something or misinterpreted something but the book just seemed so irrational towards the end.

It was unbelievable. Literally unbelievable. Unrealistic. The emotions of the characters seem so out of touch with reality, swerving out of control towards the end. I dont know what happened. I missed the agenda and I missed the point of the book. Maybe I should read it again after a while. Maybe itll make more sense.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with promise that fails to fulfill. The book is about Gil Martins, a Houston-based FBI agent, who is investigating a series of killings of prominent atheists at the same time that the Houston office is investigating a series of killing of "do-gooders." At the same time Martins decides he's an atheist and his wife leaves him. A crisis of faith. Interesting combination of subjects that doesn't deliver.

Kerr takes many swipes at the Christian (Catholic/evangelical) church and priests. It felt like I was reading a diatribe about religion that was thinly disguised as a thriller.

As another reviewer said, "Prayer doesn't know if it's a thriller or a horror novel and fails at both."

The book was in serious need of editing. There were long digressions, long prayers and speeches, that failed to move the book along. As often happens, a much-published author gets a pass from the editors.

Kerr doesn't resolve the more interesting aspects of the plot and the ending is ridiculous. I didn't waste much time on it (an evening) because I skimmed through many of the digressions.

[Monica · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's difficult for me to believe that this book was written by the same man who writes the excellent Bernie Gunther series. And it's difficult for me to say in just how many ways this book fails. The premise seems as though it might be interesting - somebody seems to be praying prominent unbelievers to untimely deaths, and a lone Houston FBI agent is trying to find out what is happening.

And yet. The characters are flat, less than one dimensional. The plot quickly veers into the absurd. The lone sex scene is embarrassingly badly written. And boring. The writing is pedestrian. I couldn't finish it - skimmed the end bits which confirmed that it got worse rather than better. Bleah.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story and the characters were well-crafted. The plot was exciting and fast paced. On the downside, I didn't agree with the theology presented, but I don't hold that against the author when rating books for their content.

[Toni Osborne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mr. Kerr’s latest is a creepy and baffling standalone, a kind of mishmash of horror and mystery. Reading this fright-filled meditation on faith was similar to watching a supernatural scare show. The central theme is religion and faith. It is of no surprise some reviewers highly praised this thriller and others simply found the premise to be unbelievable, rather uncomfortable and genuinely disturbing.

The backdrop is the metropolis of Houston and in the town Galveston shortly after Hurricane Ike. To make things spooky Galveston is a ghost town and the action take place in a mansion owned by a priest (Amityville). The melodrama begins beautifully with an exciting police procedural and gradually morphs into a modern Gothic horror show with boogie, devils and all the works. The sharp turn towards the supernatural takes place towards the end of the novel and gives us a genuinely scary atmosphere. We have excellent scenes where the Angels of Death shows up and some scary chases. In whole, I found the plot to be slow moving and offered a medley of events that seemed to go nowhere. This is one of those novels with big ideas about religion and showcases it evil. This is quite a moody and though provoking addition to Mr. Kerr’s library. The narrator is the main character, FBI agent Gil Martins, an atheist who struggles not only with his faith but also with his marriage. The characterization and dialogue are standard versions, nothing spectacular.

In a nut shell:

When Gil’s friend, the worldly Bishop Eamon Coogan, asks him to look into the curious deaths of some prominent atheists, Gil suspects that they are being murdered by members of a fundamentalist mega-church and he is soon drawn into a mystery that defies both faith and logic….

My last words:

I was captivated by this psychological thriller for most of the book but dreadfully disappointed in the denouement.

[Helen the Bassist · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of FBI Procedural and Supernatural Horror. If you've a good imagination I'd recommend not reading the second half at home alone in the dark.

Remember: "There are no atheists in foxholes".

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Philip Kerr's books since his very first novel and, although a huge Bernie Gunther fan, I have also enjoyed all of his stand alone novels (and wish they were all on kindle). It is good to see him writing a new thriller and this is a very original and interesting read.

Special Agent Gil Martins works for the FBI Domestic Terrorism unit. Originally from Glasgow, his father left for the US after facing sectarian violence and religion has always been an important influence in his life. Now he lives with his wife Ruth and son Danny - but Ruth has found solace in religion after Gil had an affair and while having trouble conceiving her son. Her obsession with evangelical religion has left him feeling alienated and he has doubts about his faith, which leads to Ruth and him growing apart.

One of Gil's links to his former life in Glasow is an old friend of his family, Roman Catholic Bishop Coogan. He contacts Gil about a friend of his, the outspoken Philip Osborne, an atheist author who lies in a coma. On investigation, Gil finds links between 'enemies' of the right - athiests, abortionists, outspoken liberal academics, and deaths in suspicious circumstances. When Osborne also dies, seemingly terrified out of his mind, Gil is thrown into an investigation into the power of prayer, which will test all his beliefs. This novel looks at many things - the rise of religious intolerance (particularly in the United States), the rise of religious extremism ("Half the terrorism in this country is done in the name of God...") and the role of religion. I found it absolutely fascinating and hope those who know Philip Kerr just as the author of Gunther will give something else by a him a try, as he is a brilliant author and able to effortlessly switch genres.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book....but clearly not one that lots of people can love. I even live in Houston, and the author Philip Kerr is quite harsh on Houston...and even worse on nearby Galveston.
All that aside, it's a well drawn study with serious undertones about morality, spirituality, and religion.
I imagine that this book gave his publisher fits. Lots of people will hate it. I didn't, but I admit that it is harsh and hard to swallow.
I heard the author talk recently on his book tour for PRAYER and so know a bit about where the book is coming from. I also admire tremendously the amount of history Kerr knows. This book comes from a deep place of learning and consideration. Perhaps it is so dark because Kerr spends so much of his time researching the Nazis. He almost said as much.

[Doug Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I took a flyer on this book after reading a review in the New York Times but was greatly disappointed. For starters, the writing falters toward the end, the terror isn't terrifying, and the denouement is entirely prosaic. Kerr is at his worst when attempting to convey the speech of Evangelical Christians, whether in dialogue or sermons. The novel offers an utterly scathing take on religious faith, and that's fine, well within the author's rights, but when Kerr in his own voice offers a cherry-picked set of Bible verses at the end to demonstrate his point, critique descends into a simple cheap-shot.

[Karl Jorgenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This may be the lowest rated book I have ever reviewed. It's not that bad; almost everything by Lee Child is worse. What Kerr does here in his quest to expand his work to all genres is a blend of horror and police-procedural. Prominent atheists and humanists are dying in bizarre ways, seemingly terrorized to death. Our hero, Giles the FBI agent grows suspicious and investigates. He has recently lost his faith, his Christian-fanatic wife, but he's a passionate investigator, no matter his personal troubles.
That's the perfect set up for a Stephen King or other horror story. Readers know there really is something going on; we delight as Giles uncovers bits of the truth, eventually confirming the supernatural element as he fights against those who won't follow the evidence.
Alas, Kerr doesn't get the pacing. He spends two-thirds of the book giving us another and another and another example of somebody who's died in an unusual way. This is exactly as it would be in reality where there are no demons, ghouls, or ghosts. No matter what the internet says, the hanged guy in Philadelphia has nothing to do with the drowned guy in Seattle. Kerr's mistake is that we're not dealing with reality here, it's fiction. I knew after two chapters that there were hidden, Stephen King-style forces at work. Not because I'm smarter, just because I know the story has to have substance, and random, unrelated deaths don't qualify.
This is the point in a well written horror story where the protagonist begins to have doubts, begins to investigate the supernatural, begins to fight with his superiors.
Kerr waits until the very last chapters for Giles to convert. Most of the book passes with the reader screaming 'GET ON WITH IT!'
The ending also proves unsatisfying because the bad guy, supernatural that he is, is untouchable. All Giles can do in the end is save his own life by praying. Huh.

[Joe Maggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I got in a The Works 3 for 5 deal that I then took off my Want To Read after seeing how low a rating it had on here. A few months after that though I had the urge just to read it to see if it stacked up to the very low expectations.

The number one criticism of this book that I’ve seen consistently is really badly written sex scenes. That’s definitely true but they make up such an underwhelming proportion of the book that I think it’s a bit short-sighted to tarnish the entire work. I actually found this to be quite a lot of fun, with Kerr daring to take on quite a high-concept, unusual storyline that threatens to make readers balk and doubt and feel uncomfortable. However, I think this was executed just the right side of the line between “different” and “so different to be unbelievable and beyond all suspension of disbelief”.

I was in particular enjoying the second half so much that I feared Kerr had bitten off more than he could chew and would fail to resolve the story in any acceptable way. However, for me at least I was able to interpret the ending in a way that was suitably satisfying for my own imagination.

I will say though that I don’t think this has enough in it to be called a full-on psychological thriller, as that only really comes to fruition in the latter half of the book. Though when it does, it does well.

I think overall, this to me represents the fact that one man’s trash is another’s treasure when it comes to fiction like this. Perhaps some dislike it because it strays from the archetype of the contemporary thriller and doesn’t resolve as neatly as some might wish. For me I found this part of the fun. Not to mention that Kerr clearly is writing from a place of doubt in his faith and it’s always nice to get a glimpse under the bonnet of what makes someone tick - part of why I love reading so much is that it can often feel quite intimate reading what someone else across the world has dared to commit to writing.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first novel by Philip Kerr, who died recently, was a disappointment. The premise of the novel was excellent, but the execution of the story fell flat. The main character is an FBI agent has lost his faith. He is investigating the mysterious deaths of several high-profile figures who have been outspoken in their criticism of Christianity. That's all very intriguing, but then the novel just spirals into a black hole of horror and fantasy. With proper care and feeding (and editing), this should have been a much better book. One of my takeaways is the mental image of Joel Osteen's church in Houston, Texas filled with 17,000 worshippers. I googled it to see whether that was exaggerated for effect, and it was not! I haven't given up on this author yet, and I plan to read one of his popular Bernie Gunther novels next.

[Johnny G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't believe that one of my newest, favorite authors wrote a book a few years ago that has only accumulated 2.80 stars! The book goes through several stages. In the beginning, we learn about a troubled FBI agent whose family life is a mess, not to mention he doesn't believe in God. Next, there is the mystery part - several bodies are turning up and our agent is trying to connect the dots. Next, there is the action/thriller part, which leads to the horror part. The last stage of the book goes through a religious phase, and...well, let's just say I can't say any more. I like Stephen King, and this book by Kerr kind of fits that same vein in the last 120 pages or so, so people looking for a typical mystery would be disappointed. This one will stay with me for a while!

[Becca Schu · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why did I finish reading this fucking tripe? Holy shit, the author must be the most insufferable person on the planet.

Typically I wouldn’t attack the author just because I didn’t enjoy a book, but this book screams “I was written by a middle aged white man who just discovered Reddit and edge lord humor.”

Review to come, if I can convince myself to sit down and contemplate this book long enough to put my thoughts into meaningful sentences.

[Sylvie · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'aime beaucoup les romans policiers de Philip Kerr. Mais ici on sort du policier. C'est toujours bien écrit, mais les énigmes ne sont pas résolues à la fin de ce livre qui dérive plus vers du fantastique. On a l'impression que l'auteur traversait une crise existentielle et spirituelle et que cela a influencé son livre. Dommage.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

FBI agent Gil Martins has just lost his faith and become an atheist when his old friend, a Catholic archbishop, asks him to investigate a series of deaths that, to the archbishop, seem connected in some way.

All of the deaths appear to have no hint of foul play, and there are no murder investigations ongoing, but the victims are all outspoken critics of conservative Christians: among the dead are a prominent atheist journalist, an abortionist, and an evolutionary biologist. The archbishop thinks that there is something suspicious about these critics of fundamentalist religion all dying within a few months of each other, but he doesn't know what the connection may be.

Gil is skeptical at first, but as he investigates, he, too, comes to think that there is something strange about these deaths. Eventually, his investigation leads him to a huge church headed by a charismatic pastor. Gil learns that this pastor has a select inner circle that has been waging a war of prayer against the perceived enemies of God. They have even been praying for the deaths of those they perceive as God's enemies.

Without spoiling anything, I can say that the denouement was completely unexpected. I was taken aback and frankly didn't care terribly much at all for the ending, but the overall story was still fairly interesting, so I felt the book still deserved three stars.

Other than the ending, another problem with the book was that it was too long: it's 409 pages but could easily have been cut to around 350 or maybe even 300 pages. We are provided with the stories of several of Gil's other FBI investigations that are really very tangential to the overall plot and add little of value; cutting these passages would not really have detracted from the story at all.

This novel has an interesting conceit, but the final pay-off just fell flat for me. It's not a bad novel, but it's certainly not much above average either.

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Okay, so here is the resolution to the mystery of the deaths of the prominent critics of evangelical Christians: God killed them.

Yep, God did it. He sent his angel of death to kill them at the behest of the pastor's group of prayer warriors.

Now, I certainly did not at all see this ending coming, and it was completely disappointing. It was the old deus ex machina wrapping up everything for us a little too neatly and easily.

I was expecting some elaborate revelation that would show how some ingeniously clever, diabolical villain had managed to subtly murder all the non-believers in such a way that, had it not been for the keen investigative skills of Gil, no one would ever have even thought to classify the deaths as murders.

Alas, what we get is a supernatural solution: God kills the non-believers.

Now, having said that I didn't like the ending, I will give the author credit for a novel take: the God he presents is not the God of love of the Christian New Testament. It's not the loving, kind, compassionate God who is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. No, this is the vengeful God of the Hebrew Bible, the God who orders genocides without batting an eye and who murders all the first-born children of Egypt. This is a God to be feared above all--not loved but feared.

At the end of the novel, Gil regains his belief in God, but his belief differs significantly from his previous faith. Gil now believes in an angry God of wrath and judgment, not a God of love. In fact, Gil would prefer not to believe, but he's had direct experience of God's dark power, so he can't deny that God exists.

On one hand, I find the plot resolution ridiculously facile: God did it. On the other hand, I found the author's presentation of God as a spiteful, vengeful, God of wrath to be bold and very interesting: I certainly didn't see this portrayal of God coming, and it's really not a depiction of God that one often sees in literature, so I have to give the author credit for surprising me on this point--even though I felt the ending itself was weak.

[Rowena Hoseason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially, this seemed as if Kerr had written an FBI serial-killer thriller. Then Prayer went through a Dan Brown global conspiracy phase. Then the tone changed to a supernatural stalking, or possibly a psychotic meltdown as part of a midlife crisis following a loss of faith.

Prayer is all of the above, and more. It struggles somewhat to pull all of these aspects together into a coherent theme, however, and some parts are outright clichéd and a little cringe-worthy.

At first the key character seems to be artfully drawn, a talented investigator, an intelligent man. Like so many of Kerr’s protagonists (yes, Bernie Gunther, I’m thinking of you), Gil Martin has problems with authority. He’s a wise-ass, confident in his own abilities and inclined towards confrontation with his superiors when he doesn’t respect them.

The events in Prayer strip away Gil’s support structure – not just the love of his wife but also his dependence upon his own intellect and the importance of belonging to an organisation. Gil relishes being part of the machinery which keeps society safe. He bends rules but he also participates in the rituals; at home, at church, at the club. Gradually, all his connections are revealed as being faint and superficial, as something infinitely more important is revealed to him.

Alternatively (and it’s not entirely obvious from the way the narrative is presented) he might just be going bonkers, seeing patterns where there are none and allowing his personal life to shatter into fragments as his sanity unravels.

There's more details on the plot and characterisation here:
http://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress....
but overall the novel doesn't really succeed in pulling all its disparate threads together. It veers from sentimental to spooky, and some of Gil's actions go beyond questionable and into flat-out unbelievable.

In the end, Prayer suggests that there’s something infinitely more frightening than faith, and that thing is certainty. A chilling proposition indeed… even if the book can’t seem to make up its mind exactly what it wants to be.
7/10

[Greg Kerr · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the 15th Philip Kerr book I have read. I each of the previous books he has always spun an intelligent tale with many well-timed plot twists and interesting characters. In like manner, this book started off as a well-crafted police procedural but slowly dissolved into something akin to the writings of Mr. Koontz or Mr. King. It made me stop and ask, “Where is Constantine when you need him?”

To be honest, I never liked or felt sorry for any of the characters in this book, especially Giles, the main character and our narrator. Early in the book, regarding Giles, I wrote down “miserable comforter” (to quote Job 16:2) and never crossed it out. He was a weak-willed, unloving, ego-centric, obsessive fanatic that was always blurring the lines of his responsibility to both the FBI and his family. Similarly, his blushing bride, Ruth, failed to create any warmth or friendly feeling (unlike her biblical counterpart). Alas, what might one expect when two Harvard-educated lawyers get married and move to Texas.

If you are considering reading this book, thinking by its title it may be “Christian Friendly”, I am compelled to say, “I have this against you” (cf. Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation 2-3).

The following comments probably contain some “spoilers”. Keep in mind that your role is to read and review the book and not to review my review. I’m certain the late Philip Kerr will never take offense to what I’m about to share.

I was raised Roman Catholic in the western US. I stepped aside from the church in my mid-to late teens. Several decades and six years after returning to the Roman Church I accepted Christ Jesus. For the past 20+ years I have considered myself a conservative, covenantal and confessional Protestant.

Amazingly, even though this book has a heavy ‘Christian’ overtone, both by title and in content, this is not a ‘Christian’ book. In fact, it favors Roman Catholicism more than Evangelical Protestantism. Here are my reasons for this conclusion:

(1) The inordinate number of F-Bombs, along with some fairly graphic sex, is indicative of any modern-day secular novel and should be considered as such.

(2) There is no effort to present a fair representation of the vast majority of honest, hard-working and faithful Protestant Christians. Having read all but the last book in the ‘Bernie Gunther series’ I realize Philip sometimes builds his story around a juxtaposition of extremes. However, the Protestant theological was limited to mega-church ‘end times’ scary or mega-church ‘name it and claim it’ best life now (Yes, there is a strong presence of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church throughout the story). Sadly, this book just adds to the ever-growing secular intolerant myth that all Evangelical Christians are nothing more than radical and fanatical religious fundamentalist who are basically a bunch of intolerant blind-fool idiots.

(3) Most of the scriptural references used throughout the book are taken out of context or are not fully and properly exegeted.

(4) There is an unbiblical understanding of just about every basic tenant of proper Gospel Theology. These include God’s sovereignty and providence; prayer; the church; pain and suffering; faith and belief; justice, mercy and grace; love and marriage; the sacraments; faith vs. works-based salvation; etc. In fact, this can also be said regarding Roman Catholic doctrine. Twice in the final part of the book, when Giles has returned to the Roman Church, God is called both “capricious” and “hateful”. Woe!!!

There is however one fairly correct doctrinal statement on pg. 391 where Philip writes, “… put your trust in your fear of the Lord; you can’t go wrong with that.” I assue this may be a reference to Hebrews 12:28-29 which says, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

At the end of the book Philip Kerr shares 14 biblical verses. However, based on my comments above I have included additional verses that hopefully point to a right understanding of God and His plans and purposes.

Romans 3:10-12, 18: … as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. … There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Romans 5:7-8 “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Proverbs 9:10 which states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

1 Corinthians 1:20-21 “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

James 1:2-3 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

Romans 8:31-33 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Romans 8:37-39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”

And finally, consider Habakkuk 1:5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

God does not owe any of us an explanation as to the whys and wherefores of His plans and purposes. God told His own appointed prophet to Judea, Habakkuk, that he would lack the wisdom to understand even if God chose to share with him the plans and purposes of the Babylonian conquest that will send Judea into exile for 70 years (cf. Jeremiah 25:8-11).

[Charles Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review from USA Today:

Prayer

By Philip Kerr

Putnam, 432 pp.

**

The justly celebrated Berlin Noir novels, set in Nazi Germany and featuring the weary but decent detective Bernie Gunther, have made British author Philip Kerr an international best seller; now he turns his attention to modern-day Texas, with odd results. Gil Martins, an FBI agent, is investigating the deaths of a series of famous atheists – ironic, given that he has recently lost his own faith. At first the reader follows Gil from college campuses to megachurches in pursuit of the murderer, but then the plot veers wildly into a long Gothic horror set piece at his house in Galveston. Crossing genres is fine, and Kerr has an unteachable gift for suspense, but wooden characters, a gabby interest in theology, and a lack of procedural follow-through make this curiosity one of his less successful efforts.

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[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to this book and am still feeling puzzled over how to react to it now. The suspense is excellent for sure. It is the plot that developed strangely. This easily could have been about sexual abuse by Catholic priests. It also was set up to be about Christian religious fanaticism and I really thought the main character's wife was being set up to become his assassin. Both of those story lines just stopped, and in their place the author chose to create a sort of paranormal devil which didn't work especially well. The author blatantly slams the real life Lakeview Church in Houston led by Joel Osteen, makes normal Christians seem like idiots or radicals, and ultimately paints a picture of God that needs nothing more than to be feared, as in we need to be terrified of Him. Almost feels like the author took advantage of writing a novel to voice his own negative views of religion. Like the writing style and suspense elements though.

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

kerr, best known for his chandler esqe bernie gunther novels set in berlin pre and wwii and post wwii noir police detective novels, and a maybe also known for his ya series 'children of the lamp', tackles a contemporary thriller genre with houston tx mega churches, catholic hierarchies, fbi agents aaaand the angel of death.
so the mega churches have figureed out an interesting thing, how to direct god/angel of death through prayer, for their own nefarious ends, i.e. profit and the elimination of their arch enemies, the humanists of the world.
how does the angel of death kill? through the amplification of ones most primal fears, so that you kill yourself.
despite vapid dialog, steamy but so so sex, and an fbi agent as incompetent as the real ones, this is a fun look at the horror of mega churches and houston/galveston .
author does better at noir and wwii historicals than contemporary horror, but still a favorite author for me.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a concept, I thought this plot was really original and different to other thrillers/crime stories. Despite the main character being quite unpleasant and unlikable (definitely on purpose by the author), the events of the novel hurtle along at a great pace and I found it easy to get wrapped up in the mystery. My favourite part was the revelation of Esther's video diaries and the sinister life she had got mixed up in, because it was so dramatic and baffling. I understand that the point of the novel is to turn everything about Christianity on its head but I was unconvinced by the ending as I felt it had many inconsistencies, but then I guess that Christianity has just as many and people will always pick and choose the parts of the Bible that support their argument and it just depends which (if any) interpretation you accept as the truth. Though-provoking and definitely worth reading.

[Gatorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what to say about this book. I am a big Kerr fan from The Grid straight through to the Bernie Gunther series. This book is kinda out there. It doesn't have much positive to say about religion, if anything. It pretends to be a thriller but really ends up being a diatribe about the "myth" of a loving God. It's certainly well-written and I never found it boring but it becomes so heavy on the anti-religion slant that the story ends up consumed by it. It's probably a 2.5 star read but I gave it three because of the quality of the writing and the fact that it kept me reading right to the bitter end. And bitter it is.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Philip Kerr. He does great series with Bernie Gunther and then does these intriguing one off novels...like Prayer which is the story of an FBI agent investigating a series of murders that seem to have a divine origin. We get a very nice glimpse the world of atheists vs theists, a nice sense of how an FBI field office might work and a good slice of Texas and all its 'wonders'. The world of mega-churches and wealthy powerful preachers is also deftly painted. For Spoiler Alert reasons I will refrain from detail much of the plot other than to suggest it will have you and leave you wondering.

[Herman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always seem to enjoy a Philip Kerr book, and he takes on such diverse subjects I really didn't know what to expect when I picked this one up the title didn't tell me anything but I knew if it was Philip Kerr it was going to be good and I wasn't disappointed. It's slowly builds for 3/4 of the book then the last part is a fast paced page turner. Really made me think about the nature of god and how was it that no other author had thought to point this out. I read it the first time in four days, and then I started to reread it to my wife that took a little longer but wow what a book. Highly recommend it.

[Snow · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like Philip Kerr, please don't read this book. This is among the worst books I have ever read and I am a person that goes around introducing Mr. Kerr to my friends and family. This book is not worth the read and if his name wasn't there I wouldn't have bothered. I should have listened to the reviews, but I thought, nah, Philip Kerr is amazing. Just save yourself these hours and read one of his good books. And Mr. Kerr, please stop preaching. That is not the reason people read crime stories.