Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

In November, we'll be reading Trial and Error by Robert Whitlow.



About the Book:

A small-town lawyer has been searching for his daughter for eighteen years. Now another young woman is missing, and he’s determined to find them both—no matter the cost.

Buddy Smith built his law practice around tracking down missing children. After all, he knows the agony of being separated from a child. Not long after his daughter’s birth, her mother ran away and Buddy never saw either one again.

Gracie Blaylock has known Buddy her entire life, and now that she is clerk of court for the county, their paths cross frequently. When Gracie hears that a teenager in town, Reagan, has gone missing, she knows Buddy is the one for the case.

Reagan’s parents are desperate for answers. Together with Gracie and Mayleah—the new detective in town—Buddy chases all leads, hoping to reach Reagan before it’s too late. And as he pursues one teen girl, he uncovers clues that could bring him closer to the girl he thought he lost forever: his own daughter.

Master legal writer Robert Whitlow will keep you guessing in this gripping legal drama while reminding you of the power of God’s restoration.

About the Author:

Robert Whitlow is the best-selling author of legal novels set in the South and winner of the prestigious Christy Award for Contemporary Fiction. A Furman University graduate, Whitlow received his J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law where he served on the staff of the Georgia Law Review. A practicing attorney, Whitlow and his wife, Kathy, have four children. They make their home in North Carolina.

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This is a new author for me, but I've enjoyed the early chapters of the book. Looking forward to reading the rest this week (library book and due soon) and chatting about it with you.

Who will join me for this book of the month?

I'm in...just waiting for my copy to arrive. I have enjoyed being introduced to some great new-to-me authors through this group. Looking forward to meeting Mr. Whitlow.

Glad to have you, Janet! Such a great point about meeting new-to-us authors. Love it when that happens.

I've read 2 Robert Whitlow books now, and enjoyed both. Looking forward to reading and discussing this one!

Welcome, Kate!

I am finished
(11/3)

Welcome, Lauri! Glad to hear it.

Just started and already loving it☺️

Welcome, Sofiya! Love the spelling of your name. I haven't seen that one before. Glad you're enjoying the book!

Just requested from my library so I'll get started as soon as it comes in! I've read several of his books years ago and really enjoyed them.

Welcome, Leslie! Glad you've enjoyed some of Mr. Whitlow's other books already.

I'll be joining this one! We moved last week so I'm a behind on When Stone Wings Fly, but I found Trial and Error on audiobook today so I'll be listening to it while I unpack! This will be my first book by this author.

Congrats on the move, Crystal! I hope you enjoy this book and that it helps the unpacking go quicker.

I’m joining in this month-my first time so I’m clueless as to how this works-but excited to share. I’m on page 61.

Welcome, Marie! So glad you're joining us.

Mid-month, I will post discussion questions. Feel free to answer any of them or ask your own at that point. We generally reserve spoilers for after the 15th of the month, to give people time to read the book. Once the questions are posted, spoilers are allowed.

@ Laurie Gentry:

Over achiever! :-)

Lauri wrote: "I am finished
(11/3)"

Great job, Lauri!

Do any of you have trouble seeing the entire comment when using the app? Maybe I need to use my laptop?

Marie wrote: "Do any of you have trouble seeing the entire comment when using the app? Maybe I need to use my laptop?"

not sure what you mean by trouble seeing the entire comment, but in general, the GoodReads app isn't great, which is too bad . . . I use GR exclusively on my desktop and have had no issues

Just finished the book. I liked the missing persons aspects the best, and the softball scenes were a close second. But overall, the pace was much slower than I was anticipating, which was difficult for me. Looking forward to the discussion later this month.

I’ll be reading this month’s selection. I haven’t started yet but hope to get it read this weekend. The author is new to me and I’ve definitely enjoyed some of the other book selections with new-to-me authors by this group.

Yes Marie. I too have had problems seeing complete posts due to using GR app on my smartphone.
The biggest problem is viewing the posting of award winning books here on CFD.
I have read this Whitlow book (have to review it though as I don’t have a clear memory about plot) .. looking forward to this discussion.

Oops. Above comment got posted missing some bits .. but the gist is there :)

I'm a bit late but got mine from the library today.

Hope you enjoy it, Dorothy!

I just finished and really enjoyed it. I look forward to the discussion!

Glad to hear it, Kate!

Nancy wrote: "Yes Marie. I too have had problems seeing complete posts due to using GR app on my smartphone.
The biggest problem is viewing the posting of award winning books here on CFD.
I have read this Whi..."

Thanks Nancy!
Glad to know it wasn't a glitch with my phone/app.
I've finished the book and looking forward to the discussion.

So sorry I didn't get these questions posted yesterday. Work has been very busy.

Here are the discussion questions. Feel free to discuss the book at will, spoilers and all, at this point. If you haven't yet finished the book, I recommend coming back to the thread when you've finished.

1. Amber saw running away as her only option to protect her baby and herself. Imagine your child or yourself in a similar situation. What would you do? How might things have been different if Amber had told Buddy of her plans or asked for his help?

2. Millie made a promise to her late husband that she would never tell Buddy about the checks. Would you have done the same in her shoes? Was she right to tell Buddy, or should she have honored that promise?

3. Have you ever been in a situation where the more you learned, the more you wanted to stop searching for answers? Do you think knowing the truth is worth the search, even if it means learning something difficult?

4. Social media has changed the way we interact with people. The ability to keep in touch with friends and family is a wonderful benefit, but there are also some very real dangers, as shown in this novel. What are some ways that parents/guardians can protect teens from the risks of social media (without banning them from it entirely)?

5. How did Gracie's community involvement work in the story? In what ways did her coaching the softball team help Buddy?

6. In regard to raising Reagan, Sammy told Buddy it was "better to keep the peace than start a war." Are there times when keeping the peace is best? Why might it be necessary to "start a war" with your child? Is it possible to find balance?

7. What did you think of Judge Williams? And, of course, Bailiff?

8. Gracie and Buddy start off the novel at different places in their faith. Talk about those different starting points and how their faiths worked together. When did Buddy first start to change and deepen in his faith? What factors led to this? How might he have reacted differently in the end if he hadn't changed in that way?

I haven't finished quite yet but just wanted to chime in and say I was very moved by Gracies prayer when she asked that even if Buddy and Elise were never reunited, that Elise would also at some point make the decision to become a child of God. It made me think of all of the parents with missing children, and the hope that they have that even if they're never reunited on earth, they have a hope to be reunited in heaven for eternity. I'm really enjoying Gracies character, as well as how much faith plays a role in this book. I'm definitely enjoying it and will chime back in to answer a discussion question when I'm finished!

Gracie's faith life was definitely inspirational. I loved how she had a running list of people she was praying for, and that her prayers for them weren't just 'general', but were for specific things with which she knew they were struggling.
I want to be better at that kind of thing.😊
With regards to 'starting a war' with your child, I think those times would be very few and far-between. Times when they are about to be hurt, or about to hurt someone else (and I don't just mean physical hurt). One of the hardest things for me to do as a parent of a young adult child is to remember that he's God's child first and foremost . . . and from here on out, my job is to allow God to be the Parent he needs, and I will take my place in the background as his cheering section.

I really enjoyed this book! I did understand Ambers reasoning for making the choice she did in the beginning. I didn't understand why after her dad passed away she didn't at least reach out to Buddy. Even if she thought Buddy wouldn't be interested in Elise, as a mom I would still want my child to know their biological parent. I can kind of see that maybe she didn't want to disrupt his life.

Lovely thoughts, y’all!

This book was mostly a miss for me, but I loved Gracie’s heart for her softball girls and community. The way she prayed for everyone and kept a running list of prayers… so inspirational! I’m trying to incorporate the same into my life, was doing so before reading this book, but it reiterated to me that I was on the right track with that plan, as it can makea huge positive impact for those around me.

Have y’all ever tried keeping a prayer list or a prayer journal before? Do you think this is something you would liketo try? Or do you think it wouldn’t work for your lifestyle?

I enjoyed this book. I loved Gracie’s commitment to her faith and her friends-both her adult friends and her softball girls. I love the way she was an example to those around her.

I understand how Amber reacted to the fear of her father. It was disappointing that Buddy’s father hid so much from him. The one really cheated by the decision to run was Elise as she missed out on so much time with her father and grandmother.

I think Millie was right to tell Buddy the truth about the checks although I think she should have done so sooner. I could not have stood by and watched Buddy be tormented over finding his daughter if had information that might be helpful.

Sometimes the truth can be difficult when facing it brings hurt. However, I do believe that in the end, knowing the truth is where healing can begin. As stated in the Word, the truth will set you free.

I believe parents should always be watching when it comes to their children’s’ internet activities. My children are grown and I still watch what they post on their social media accounts.

I think a parent should always be ready to “start a war” if necessary when it comes to the safety and well-being of their kids. Teenagers think they know everything, however they do not have the life experience to know some things. When it comes to something that could harm them, I will start a war every time.

I did not like Judge Williams. I thought he was arrogant and just not a good fit for Beatrice.

I was thrilled with Buddy’s growth in his faith. It was though that journey of faith that he was able to see and be ready to accept a relationship with Gracie. And it took him becoming a believer to make him a good fit for her.

Andrea wrote: "Lovely thoughts, y’all!

This book was mostly a miss for me, but I loved Gracie’s heart for her softball girls and community. The way she prayed for everyone and kept a running list of prayers… so ..."

I am the leader at our Women's Bible Study in our senior independent living facility. We each keep a list every week of prayer requests so that we can pray for them through the week and mark answered prayers as well. One of our ladies makes a copy and keeps it on the mirror in her bathroom. Another one takes it with her to the exercise room and prays as she works out on the treadmill.

That is so fantastic, Loraine! I love hearing stories like that, of prayer warriors impacting the world. So glad y'all do that.

Andrea, this one was "mostly a miss" for me too. I did enjoy aspects of some of the characters. While I like a happy ending, this one had too many perfectly tidied loose ends...felt too perfect and predictable for me. Is that dark...wanting more realism in my fiction??

I totally understand that, Janet. Not too dark at all! I love it when stories are realistic rather than neat and tidy... yet I have a craving for the neat and tidy ones at times, too. I'm so glad there's such variety out there!

I could have done without the constant repetition of something happened, then the characters told 2-3 people blow-for-blow what happened. That slowed the pace waaaaay down for me. If all that redundancy were stripped from the book, I would have loved it, because the pace would have been faster, and the story much more appealing to me.

I liked the book overall, but the faith development bothered me a bit. Buddy went from 0 to 100 within a very very short time. I haven't really met anyone where that is the case. Usually, it takes a while to go all in. Or am I wrong?
Honestly, I admired Amber to some extent. She accepted being considered the bad person in this situation for 17 years and losing her lover to protect her child. That is impressive. I'm not sure if I could have gone that long.

Andrea wrote: "I totally understand that, Janet. Not too dark at all! I love it when stories are realistic rather than neat and tidy... yet I have a craving for the neat and tidy ones at times, too. I'm so glad t..."

That is exactly how I felt. The book was dragging on at times and I wanted the pace to pick up.

Janet wrote: "Andrea, this one was "mostly a miss" for me too. I did enjoy aspects of some of the characters. While I like a happy ending, this one had too many perfectly tidied loose ends...felt too perfect and..."

That's why I don't enjoy romantic novels that much. They usually involve instant love turned into the love of the MC's life, which doesn't happen that often, and unrealistic happy endings.

Simone wrote: "I liked the book overall, but the faith development bothered me a bit. Buddy went from 0 to 100 within a very very short time. I haven't really met anyone where that is the case. Usually, it takes ..."

It really depends on the person. I've known a couple that went 0 to 100, and I've heard of a handful of others. But if you haven't known or heard of any, I know it can seem unrealistic. I like to think of Paul. He did a complete 180 on the Damascus Road. So I know it's possible. I think it is fairly rare, though.

Simone wrote: "That is exactly how I felt. The book was dragging on at times and I wanted the pace to pick up."

Yes! That's it precisely.