MADDERLY REVIEW
  • MAIN
  • GUEST REVIEWS
  • FEATURED AUTHORS
  • ABOUT
  • SUBMIT A REVIEW
  • CONTACT

Unspeakable Prayers by John Ellsworth

9/24/2015

0 Comments

 
Genre: Thriller/Historical/Legal
Click book cover for Amazon.com
I do not generally choose to read fictionalized Holocaust-themed books, but this one had enough buzz going on around it that I decided to give it a try.  The first part of the book took place in Treblinka and was quite troubling, but it was not as s graphically written as many before it.  It is the story of a Jewish boy and an army officer whose paths cross in Treblinka and then again many years later.

The first quarter of the book takes us through the thoughts and actions of these two men...Lodzi Ashstein, a Jewish teen who is taken from his home, and Janich Heiss, a member of Hitler's elite, who tortured Lodzi for sport.  The second quarter follows their escape from Germany and the lives that they lived in America.  The second half of the book takes place many years later, and it is where we meet Thaddeus Murfee, a defense attorney living in Chicago.  This is actually the seventh in the Thaddeus Murfee series, and those who follow him will enjoy seeing him in action.

When Thaddeus meets Lodzi, he is drawn to the survivor's story and the reader is lucky enough to watch a well written court case play out.  Ellsworth's characters are always interesting, and I find myself emotionally invested in each part of the story.  There is a sub plot that reintroduces Turquoise, Murfee's adopted daughter who played a big role in a previous book.  Both story lines introduced thought-provoking questions that kept me thinking deep into the night.

Unspeakable Prayers is definitely a worthwhile read.  Its mix of history and current legal cases  is done in a way that keeps the reader engaged throughout.  If you like a book that challenges your ideas of right and wrong than this should definitely make your list.

- Beverly


Publisher - Subjudica House
Date of Publication - January 27, 2015
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Submit

    Genre

    All
    Biographies Memoirs
    Childrens
    Comics-graphic-novels
    Cozy Mystery
    Erotica
    Fiction
    Food Wine
    Historical
    Humor
    Legal
    Medical
    Mindbody
    Mystery & Thriller
    Non Fiction
    Poetry
    Political
    Psychological
    Romance
    Science Fiction
    Sci-fi-fantasy
    Selfhelp
    Sports
    Teens Ya
    Travel

    Site Search

    search engine by freefind

    Archives 

    February 2022
    January 2022
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.