Seventy-five years ago, fifteen-year-old Hope McCormick disappeared. To remember her, the newly incorporated town was named “Hope.” When high school friends Kelsey and Harmonie begin looking into this unsolved mystery, they discover that someone will do anything to make sure the town’s secrets never come to light. Which neighbors are allies, and which face masks a violent enemy? And what will it … will it take for their struggling town to fulfill its original destiny of hope?
The Hope Trilogy is written for those who are hungry for God’s revival and transformation of their communities.
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(3.5 / 5)
A recent transplant to the small town of Hope, Colorado, high schooler Kelsey already knows that there are certain families who hold a lot of power in town. When a journalism assignment leads her, her best friend, and the class loner to dig into the origins of the town, they find an unsolved mystery. A teenager disappeared 75 years in the past, and when the town was incorporated not long later, it was named as a memorial to her. What Kelsey discovers is that all of the towns oldest and most powerful families were potentially involved in that mystery. And someone doesn’t want the past dug up.
The prologue drew me in from the beginning, making me wonder how the premise could tie in with what was set up there. Though I found the characters a little weak, I was intrigued and wanting to know more about the mystery. And then I hit the wall at the end.
The mystery of Hope’s disappearance was a slow burn, but was interesting enough to drive the story up to a point. From almost the first point that Kelsey and Harmonie began to look into the disappearance, they were targeted in increasingly dangerous incidents. It certainly seemed like something really bad happened all those years ago.
Kelsey, unfortunately, does not make a very interesting main character. She’s all over the place in regards to Christianity. She seems to be a believer, and even has some insight for her pastor father who goes through some rough times. Yet she’s also belligerent and doesn’t seem to care about the language she uses. She also doesn’t seem like a high schooler in a lot of ways. Other characters aren’t much better–many of the male characters are chauvinistic to the point that I had to keep reminding myself this was set in 2020, not the 1990s or earlier. I think some of this might be because this book is clearly setting up the fictional town for a revival, and showing why it needs it, but it’s still strange to me.
I don’t want to seem like it’s all negative, though. Though Kelsey is the main character, there are several large side characters that I felt were stronger.
As for the wall I mentioned…the book ended right as a huge puzzle piece was going to be revealed. I felt incredibly let down, and at first thought maybe the book was just missing a few pages. Originally, I thought the story goal was not resolved at all, which is a huge no-no. Even in a series, trilogy, etc., each individual book often has its own internal story goal. I thought that goal was something that I won’t state to avoid spoilers. But I did wonder after I’d had some time away from the book if the story goal was actually something else that was resolved, albeit in a somewhat anti-climactic way. However, if that’s the case, I think it could have been written in a way to make the unresolved plot not seem like it was just about to be resolved, only for the book to end. The upside, though, is that if does leave the reader wanting more.
I know many don’t like books with such cliffhangers, but for some, just knowing it will end that way in advance can help a lot. So you’ve now been warned. At this point, it’s difficult for me to recommend the book without knowing the outcome of the trilogy. I’ll be interested to find out how the story continues when the next book comes out, and I’ll be steeling myself for another major cliffhanger.
One final note: As I touched on above, there is a decent amount of language in this book, at least for a Christian book. I know Christian authors often have to decide which way to go in this regard–I’ve had this internal debate myself. But the amount used in this book doesn’t seem like there was any uncertainty on the author’s part, and the fact that the apparently Christian main character swore quite a bit really puts me off.
Hope Is A Dangerous Place by Jim Baton is a thrilling Christian suspense. It is the first book in the Hope Trilogy series which promises to be exciting.
The heart of God is the focus of the novel. The reader sees how God grieves when His church loses their original purpose. We learn that we do not need a building to be a pastor. We can share God anytime, anywhere and with anyone. We are not called to go to church, we are called to be the church.
It is said that the most segregated hour in America is on a Sunday morning as there are black churches and white churches. The former are seen in the novel to be full of life. The latter are in complete contrast. In contrast also are the neighbourhoods. The black neighbourhood is in poverty whereas the white neighbourhood is wealthy. The novel reminds us that we are not to store up earthly treasures that will decay but to store up heavenly treasures that will last for an eternity.
There is a decades old crime to solve. It seems that someone wants the truth to stay hidden, but who?
The God of the Bible spoke through dreams. The story shows that He still uses dreams to speak today.
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He healed in the past. He heals in the present and He will heal in the future.
Life is a spiritual battle. We need to arm ourselves with the word of God and with prayer.
Names are important. A name change signifies a change in circumstance. The town changed its name from Purgatory to Hope. Hope speaks of new life and not desperation.
I enjoyed Hope Is A Dangerous Place. It was a thrilling read.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
A word of caution: whilst this is a very Christian book in content, some of the language is not what I would expect to find in a Christian novel. I do realise this is to make the novel more realistic but some readers may not like it.
Hope is a Dangerous Place by Jim Baton is the first book in his Hope Trilogy series. While working on a school assignment to research the history of their town, Kelsey and Harmonie stumble onto a secret that someone doesn’t want revealed. Seventy-five years ago, a young girl went missing from the town and was never found. As Kelsey and Harmonie uncover clues the targets on their back grows. A few good citizens are praying for a revival for their small town, hoping that it will eventually live up to its new name of Hope! There’s a lot going on in this story. You have racial tension, town secrets, politics, and evil intentions but underlying all of that is an angelic presence and people willing to pray for their town and not give up on it. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the town. The author takes you on a journey where prayer is real and changes things.
Disclaimer: There are a lot of curse words in this story.
I received this book from the author for my honest review.
This novel has a mystery at it’s core and there’s no shortage of suspense. It could even be said to span genres and slip into Christian Young Adult Suspense.
Hope, Colorado has secrets, more than one. There are the ‘haves’ who’ve got all the power and the ‘wannabees’ as high school jock Jordy so crassly calls them. Harmonie Seymour’s family had been in Hope for generations on the black side of town where folks live in run-down houses. The Latino residents practically live in shacks. Bigotry is rampant. Kelsey is the new kid in town. She arrived with her widower pastor dad, Bret Axel. Both girls are outsiders in the high school and soon become fast friends. Pastor Bret Axel has the gift of prayer. He is a mighty prayer warrior, but he’s also bound by anxiety and fear since the untimely death of his wife…so much so that he pops Valerian to calm his nerves.
Enter the new high school teacher Olivia Montez, who has her own baggage. She assigns the three students in her journalism class an assignment and has no idea will blow up in all their faces. She wants Kelsey, Harmonie, and an angry young Latino student named Miguel to interview elderly residents about the town’s name change. It was once named Purgatory. However in the mid-1940s the name was changed to Hope. There are powerful people, perhaps those in the original families, who don’t want anyone looking into the past and they will go further to stop the investigation than these three students can ever imagine.
This novel is a very good example of redemptive Christian fiction…and yet the author keeps it real, very real. Bad and/or worldly guys act and talk like bad and worldly guys. I’d recommend this novel to anyone from ages 17 to 117 who enjoys suspense and a story where the characters grow in their Christian walk.