Hope Fulfilled

"An edgy, intricately plotted psychological thriller…

 

Lumpkin's latest sequel in Covering all Wrong[s] is a suspenseful and gripping novel about love, marriage, betrayal, manipulation, lies, and mental illness. Lumpkin is good at drawing utterly humane characters. She beautifully portrays Elroy's inner turmoil as he struggles between his yearning for Lacey and doing right by his faith, astutely illustrating the subtle variations and manifestations of his self-doubt. The best part of Lumpkin's writing is her exploration of her protagonists' dull goodness, which despite the difficult circumstances stays intact. A gallery of secondary characters, pivotal to the plot, is infused into the narrative simultaneously: Nina, Alysha, Candy, Jafari are among many others who will leave their mark on readers' minds. The conflict in the plot not only comes from the sinister conspiracy that Elroy and Lacey find themselves entangled in but also from their human anxieties over their personal values, identity, and faith. Equally effective are Lumpkin's delicately woven themes of love, faith, integrity, duty, revenge, redemption, and soul-searching into the narrative. Her understanding of the complicated framework of romantic and marital relationships and of humanity's resilience in the face of impossible circumstances provides this story both authenticity and depth. Throughout, Lumpkin explores the complexities of marriage, love, and relationship, questioning all the while how love can make a person go through so much. This is as much a fast-paced domestic thriller as it's a story of love, family ties, sacrifice, second chances, and self-discovery. Un-put-downable" (The Prairies Book Review).