Title: Chased Across Australia
Author: Reynold Conger
Publisher: XlibrisUS
ISBN: 9781465350169
Pages: 282
Genre: Christian Fiction / Adventure
Reviewed by: Jake Bishop
Pacific Book Review
Two decidedly different couples are the protagonists in this tale of international intrigue and adventure. One couple finds themselves in the middle of a situation they never imagined they’d ever encounter. The other, prisoners of a belief system that has been heinously corrupted, struggle to extricate themselves from a potential catastrophe partly of their own making.
In New Mexico, Jack and Jill plan to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary by taking a trip to Australia, visiting their son’s family, and taking in the sights of the land down under. In Detroit, Cahr and Sarai plan to take part in a terrorist plot to be executed on Australian soil. Both couples wind up on a flight from Los Angeles to the faraway Pacific continent. Through an involved set of mishaps, vital information that was supposed to be transported by Cahr, winds up on Jack’s laptop computer. Jack and Jill are unaware of it. Cahr and Sarai aren’t. Thus, a series of events begin in hopes of recovering the needed info by whatever means necessary. Before you know it, surveillance, theft, even seduction are employed to no avail. At one point, Jack and Jill are even chased and shot at by ruthless villains.
There are many forces at play in this suspenseful adventure. A secret terrorist organization is attempting a strike resulting in mass casualties of the innocent. International government operatives are racing to foil the plot before it can be carried out. Cahr and Sarai, Moslems, are struggling with fealty to a religion that seems to them to sanction such carnage. Jack and Jill, Christians, care enough about their religion that they aren’t beyond a little “guerrilla evangelism” when the opportunity presents itself. Belief systems weigh heavily in both the plot and the point this literary entertainment is trying to make. Throughout the changing fortunes of all, Cahr and Sarai keep running into examples of Jack and Jill’s faith.
Whether it is a Gideon Bible in their hotel room, an unseen pair of hands that provide courage, or a life-changing experience in a Christian worship service, the presence of God is manifest, and it eventually presents them with a decision that must be made between the true nature of right and wrong.
Conger is an accomplished writer and storyteller. The pace of his tale moves swiftly as he interweaves multiple points of view—the pursued, the pursuers, the terrorist masterminds, and the officials committed to stopping them. While there are numerous scenes depicting both violence and sexual situations, they are all described with language appropriate for a Christian audience. If you’re looking for a literary adventure that’s involving, fun, and family-friendly, you’re likely to have a good time being Chased Across Australia.