The Baker's Wife

The Baker’s Wife
Erin Healy
Thomas Nelson
October 4, 2011
Paperback
ISBN: 978-1595547521
352 pages
$15.99

The Baker’s Wife is the perfect novel to demonstrate the some occupations require more than others. Some people are burdened with their personal lives reflecting on their job performance. This is especially true for ministers.

Geoff and Audrey were forced to leave the church after their son, Ed was accused of making a member pregnant. Added to that, supposedly, Geoff, the minister, paid for the girlfriend, Mirilee, to have an abortion.

As a hobby, this ministerial couple baked and made bread for themselves and those in need. This was comfort to the couple and they decided to turn this hobby into a business in this same town. Adding to the kicked out of the church disgrace, Ed, their son, lost his college scholarship.

As Audrey was driving to work one foggy morning, she could barely see the road, but wasn’t as cautious as she should have been. She was shocked when she hit a motorcycle that she had not seen in the fog and was covered with the blood of the rider. Strangely, though no one can find a body.

Diane Hall is returning to her home town after spending a quarter of a century in prison, right before the accident, she found a cell phone on the road. She picks it up and keeps it even though she is uncertain about how to use it. Diane murdered her twin sister and has not been in contact with her family since then.

Strangely enough, Miralee, the girl who had the abortion now discovers that her family is now involved in the accident. It turns out that the person missing and supposedly on the bike was Julie who is now missing and the head detective, Jack, is her father. Was this accident on purpose?

The Baker’s Wife is spellbinding. Once you begin this enthralling novel, you cannot put it down. The writing is excellent with outstanding character development. This unpredictable tale in haunting but also carries a life lesson about what to do when you are in a troubled situation and about not letting go of anger.

The Baker’s Wife is one of those adventure novels that is in multiple categories. It is definitely a thriller but also in the Christian category. The story is so well-told that the strength is the pull of the plot which never loses intensity. If The Baker’s Wife is an example of Erin Healy’s writing, I definitely want to read more by this phenomenal storyteller.