Fiction Review: Who is Harrison Sawyer?

Who is Harrison Sawyer? by Aaron D. Gansky hooked me with the first line: "Harrison Sawyer didn't sleep the night he died." When Harrison meets his killer, knowing what will happen, he tells him, "I'm on God's side." He has to be killed in order to save his wife, Misty, who's away from home.

"Accidental drowning" was the coroner's verdict. But, it doesn't make sense to Misty. He'd been found in the pool, tangled in the cover, dead. When Misty returned home, she noticed something else that didn't make sense. The bedroom was perfect. The bed was made, and there were no clothes on the floor. The bathroom was in perfect order, as well. This wasn't like her husband. Who had cleaned up? Who killed him? She was convinced it had to be murder but she had no idea whom she could trust. And then, she found the laptop—between the mattress and box spring. Misty knew it held clues, and she was terrified about what she'd find.

Many miles away, Harrison's father, Marshall, also knew. He'd approached Misty at the funeral, but she was in no mood to talk to the absent father she'd never met before. At the funeral, a stranger, Nicholas Merit, had given him a message: "Swimmers like Harrison don't drown." In his gut, Marshall knew it was true. Harrison had been murdered. He had to know why.

Harrison had been the successful pastor of a megachurch. Everything was going his way. Until he found Jesus Christ. After that, he knew he had to expose Green, Carmona, and the awful truths behind the Resurrected's organization: kidnappings, torture, reprogramming, surveillance, and the total control Victor Green had over his troop of minions. Curiously, Green's "robots" had one thing in common.

Marshall gets in touch with his daughter-in-law, and they team with a football player friend to try to find out the message Harrison left for them. The adventures begin. Whom can they trust? Why is that car following them? Can they trust the safe house?

I fully enjoyed this book. It was scary and full of action. It kept me puzzled throughout, provoking thoughts about many different topics. Aaron Gansky is a great writer. He understands how to unravel a plot little by little. I didn't think the writing in this book was as tight as in The Bargain, reviewed here, but is very good. You'll be flipping pages and staying up nights. You might even end up looking over your shoulder!

Who is Harrison Sawyer? is strongly Christian, though not preachy. I believe both men and women will enjoy this book. It's for a mature audience, as it refers to the married relationship (nothing at all graphic). There's violence and torture, but the author is somewhat restrained, although he describes broken noses, splattered blood, etc. You might want to understand that the subject matter is about a powerful underground, evil organization with the agenda of power, which includes church and state. If you allow your older teen children to read this, you may want to read it first and use it to springboard a discussion about true Christianity versus an organization like Green's Resurrected.

Easily five stars.