Review -- Murder By Family

Murder By Family
by Kent Whitaker
Published by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2008
224 pages

I want to thank Paula from Author Marketing Experts, Inc. for sending my a copy of this book.

Summary: The real life story of the murder of Kent Whitaker's wife and youngest son. His oldest son, Bart, becomes a suspect in the killings and Kent relies on God and his faith to forgive his son and help him heal.

Review: I very rarely read non-fiction, but after reading Cindy's review of this book, I thought I would give it a try. It has been a few days since I finished the book and I am still going over passages in my head in hopes of putting my thoughts into words for this review. This was an incredible book about the personal strength and faith of one man. Murder By Family tells how Kent Whitaker's values and love for Bart allowed him to forgive his son for the greatest of sins. I would consider this a very religious book (another genre I rarely read), because Whitaker makes a case for seeing signs from God. It is through these signs that he is able to see a way of surviving the aftermath of the murders. Kent's other contention (which I am having a hard time agreeing with) is the premise that God allowed Bart to kill his mother and brother so he could be saved and find his way into heaven. With that said, I believe Kent Whitaker believes this, and I am amazed by his personal strength and conviction. The structure of the book gave me some pause. It was told in chronological order, but the story sometimes jumped around with memories of the past or foreshadowing the future. Overall, an intense read that makes you think even after the last page is read. Rating: ***1/2 out of 5