The Sierra Madres is the mother of all mountain ranges, and legend says it was the landing spot for Lucifer when he was cast out of heaven. The area is known as "The Devil's Backbone" -- a land of marijuana fields, opium poppies, kidnappings, and drug-related killings. Abby Welles is about to find out if the legends and the stories are true.
Abby has lost her faith. After hearing a mysterious voice, she decides to write a book about miracles. Her research leads her to Mexico to meet a Christian mystic who has the gift of prophecy. On her journey into the heart of the Devil's Backbone, she is separated from her guide and must survive on her own with the help of an albino boxer named Bebo. As she attempts to find her way home, she discovers that two sixteen-year-old missionaries have been kidnapped by drug runners. It is up to her to free them from their captors. The book follows her journey inside the infamous landing spot for Lucifer. It is a land where she will face resistance unlike anything she has ever known before. It is not only natural resistance but supernatural resistance as well. It is a land that will revive or forever kill her faith. It is a land that will leave her stronger than ever, or it will leave her dead.
Kimber the Magnificent here. Introducing my new best bud, Bebo. He’s a blue-eyed albino boxer dog. Super smart. Loyal. Dependable. Totally fearless. Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. All-around awesome. You know. Like me.
Anyway, Bebo my new best bud is the hero of this cool book Mom and I recently read. It’s called Thirteen Miracles. Humans probably think this book is about a lady named Abby Welles. She kinda has a crisis of faith after her twin sister dies in a car wreck.
Depressed, confused, and running on faith fumes, Abby travels to Mexico to find Jose Luis Hernandez, aka: Destiny Man. He supposedly knows about miracles. Abby wants to research and write a book on the subject. She heads into the Sierra Madres and the Devil’s Backbone to try to make some sense of her life’s loose ends. What she finds is more than she bargained for as something dark and evil stalks her every step.
But Bebo steals the show.
There’s also a Patek Philippe wristwatch. “Carbohydrate courage.” Drug runners and hostages. “Keep everlastingly at it.” A storm. An earthquake. Flash floods. An ancient oak. A Cat. A still, small voice. A maleficent black bird. (“Maleficent.” Isn’t that a great word? Mom found it for me. You know how moms are.)
We also see how the difference between life and death “is often a split second decision.” And my favorite part, besides Bebo: Hugs that will never end.
Mom muscling in here. (You know how Kimbers are.)
I loved this book.
I just finished a slog and a half prior to reading this book. So Thirteen Miracles: Looking for God on the Devil’s Backbone was a breath of fresh air. A cup of cool water on a hot summer day. Oh yeah.
Faith-affirming without being preachy, Thirteen Miracles is a highly engaging read. It’s a little Narnia, a little This Present Darkness, a little The Shack and a bit Hatchet. All rolled into one...this delightful page-turner packs a wallop! There’s so much joy and hope in the final pages, I’m thinking of buying stock in Kleenex!
Note: I typically dislike reading books in PDF. The format is tedious and tiring. Moreover, indie, unknown, or self-published authors sometimes over-represent the quality of their work or their writing abilities when requesting a review. Sometimes both. So accepting a manuscript for review on those grounds can be risky. Like navigating a minefield. Or a garbage dump.
A Gem
But every once in a while, a real gem comes along. A beautifully written story that’s warm, invigorating, and maybe even a little bit extraordinary.
Thirteen Miracles is one of those stories.
Faith-affirming and uplifting without being preachy, Thirteen Miracles is nimble, creative, and fresh. It’s also brimming with engaging, lively characters who learn and grow. Ditto credible dialogue and enough mystery and intrigue to keep you guessing until the last page.
