The Indwelling (Left Behind)

It's a formidable challenge to keep an audience's attention midway through a projected 12-volume series, but with its trademark blend of humour and gripping suspense, authors Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye continue to captivate readers in The Indwelling, the seventh instalment of the Left Behind series.

Carpathia's funeral takes a hair-raising turn for the four million people who attend. Over the crowd looms the centrepiece of a new world religion, a 24-foot bronze statue of Carpathia, belching black smoke and demanding obedience. Woven through the fast-paced drama are the ongoing stories of people struggling amidst the mayhem. Chloe Williams wrestles with the moral implications of whether to kill her toddler Kenny to avoid having him fall into enemy hands; her father Rayford Steele is brought face-to-face with the consequences of his pride; Dr. Chaim Rosenzweig, a prominent Jewish Israeli statesman, ponders a conversion to Christianity.

The strength of the series is in Jenkins' ability to keep the action moving and readers caring about the characters. And there's a hook: the end of The Indwelling promises "If the last three and a half years are your idea of tribulation, wait until you endure the Great Tribulation." The bad news is just beginning. But, the Tribulation Force believes, the good news is also on the way. --Cindy Crosby--Amazon.com