An Open Heart Grabbed Mine!

An Open Heart
Harry Kraus
(David C. Cook)
ISBN: 978-0781405355
June 2013/445 pages/$14.99
Best-selling author Dr. Harry Kraus weaves another powerful tale of suspense, intrigue, and medical drama, with a story of a surgeon shattered by allegations that could destroy his life and embroiled in a spiritual battle that begins with messages his patients bring him from beyond the grave.

Dr. Jace Rawlings arrives in Kenya fleeing a crumbling life. But when his open-heart surgery patients, after hovering between life and death, warn him of people about to die, a dangerous net quickly tightens around him. He must unravel a tangle of witchcraft, politics, and deceit, and find the faith he needs to restore his world.and survive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Harry Kraus, M.D. is a board-certified surgeon, medical missionary to East Africa, and accomplished writer of both non-fiction and fiction. Medical realism and gripping plotlines distinguish his writing, as he gets most of his ideas with a scalpel in hand. Dr. Kraus resides in Kenya with his wife Kris and the youngest of his three sons.

MY THOUGHTS

When I open a novel by Harry Kraus, I've come to expect more than simply a captivating read. His novels always provide much to ponder, even after the final page is turned. An Open Heart does not disappoint. Set in Kenya, where Kraus himself has served as a surgeon and medical missionary for a number of years, the book blends several themes together and does so seamlessly. On the surface, it is an intriguing tale of a physician trying to distance himself from a difficult personal situation by setting up an open-heart surgery center at a missionary hospital only to find himself in a hotbed of danger and deceit. But it is so much more than a medical suspense novel. Kraus weaves evidence of an unseen enemy into the story with the inclusion of supernatural events and a spiritual battle being waged for Jace's physical and eternal life. While some may be a bit unsettled or skeptical, as Jace was, I love this response in the book by one of the Kenyan nurses:

"The world you see is not the only reality, Dr. Rawlings. Does this collide with your culture?" She waited for an answer, but when he stayed quiet she added. "This does not surprise me. What surprises me is that we don't hear about it more."

I couldn't put this book down and stayed up into the wee hours until I finished it in one evening. I highly recommend it. Enjoy the story within the novel. Consider the possibilities within. Discuss it with your book club. Just don't miss it!




Disclosure of Material Connection: I received an advanced copy of this book from Wynn-Wynn Media and David C. Cook Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”