The Sinners Garden

The Sinners Garden

Publishers Description
In the small Lake Erie township of Benning, someone is at work cultivating a supernatural garden ...
Andy Kemp's young life has been as ravaged as his scarred face. Disfigured by an abusive father, the teenager hides behind his books and an impenetrable wall of cynicism and anger.
As Andy's mother struggles to reconnect with him, his Uncle Rip returns transformed from a stint in prison and wants to be a mentor to the reclusive boy, doing everything he can to help end Andy's pain. When Andy begins hearing strange music through his iPod and making near-prophetic announcements, Rip is convinced that what Andy is hearing is the voice of God.
Elsewhere, police officer Heather Gerisch responds to a late-night breaking and entering in one of the poorest homes in town. She soon realizes that the masked prowler has left thousands of dollars in gift cards from a local grocery store.
As the bizarre break-ins continue and Heather pursues the elusive "Summer Santa," Andy and Rip discover an enormous and well-kept garden of wildflowers that seems to have grown overnight at an abandoned steel mill.
Soon, they realize who the gardener is, and a spree of miracles transfigures this small town from a place of hopelessness into a place of healing and beauty.

My Review

This is the second book I have read by William Sirls and he has become one of my favorite authors.  I once again couldn't put this book down.  My heart broke for teenage Andy, and I loved the fact that God spoke to him through his iPod!  Somehow, in this book, that was absolutely believable.  I kept trying to figure out who the "Summer Santa" was, and I didn't get it until close to the end of the book.  This book is a story of hope, forgiveness and love.  It has mystery, romance and tragedy.  I highly recommend adding this book to your to-read list.

I was given this book by The Book Club Network, Inc. for my honest review.