Review/Giveaway: Terror By Night

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Terror By Night
Author: Terry Caffey with James H. Pence

Genre: Christian nonfiction memoir
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: January 25, 2010
Restrictions: Open internationally

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway. Please note: we are giving away our review copy, so it has been gently read.

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I've already posted an author interview and a review of the Christian novel that features in this book. Now here's your chance to read about and possibly win this book with Terry Caffey's story.

Terror by Night is a nonfiction account of a terrible tragedy and the amazing restorative power of God in one man's life. This 288-page hardcover book is published by Tyndale House Publishers and has a list price of $22.99.

Here's how the publisher describes the story:

"At 3:00 a.m. on March 1, 2008, Terry Caffey awoke to find his daughter’s boyfriend standing in his bedroom with a gun. An instant later the teen opened fire, killing Terry’s wife, his two sons, and wounding him 12 times, before setting the house ablaze. Terry fell into deep depression and planned to kill himself, but God intervened. Upon visiting his burned-out property, Terry noticed a scorched scrap of paper from one of his wife’s books leaning against a tree trunk. The page read: “[God,] I couldn’t understand why You would take my family and leave me behind to struggle along without them. And I guess I still don’t totally understand that part of it. But I do believe that You’re sovereign; You’re in control.” That page was like a direct message from God, and it turned Terry’s life around. Now, one year later, Terry is remarried, the adoptive father of two young sons, and working to rebuild his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter, who is currently serving two life sentences in a Texas state penitentiary for her involvement in the crimes."

This is definitely one of those accounts where truth is stranger than fiction. I can't begin to imagine the sense of loss that would accompany such tragedy. Yet this story is once again proof that God provides grace and strength for any trial - and it is ultimately God's story, not Terry's. The book provides an overview of the events leading up to the family tragedy as well as Terry's perspective of the year that follows, including how he deals with the related court cases, his thoughts on his daughter's role and sentencing, and the blessing of a new family.

Thanks to the writers for keeping the human element in this book - Terry comes across as a very real person, dealing with real issues such as depression and betrayal. It's in human weakness that God shines brightest, so I appreciate the vulnerability involved in writing such a book, knowing that in such a publicized case, public judgement is bound to occur.

This book moves well and kept my attention throughout. It's a true story, so it doesn't have the ends all tied up and neatly packaged - I'll be eagerly waiting to see that final outcome one day!

Thanks to Kathy Carlton Willis Communications for the review copy of this book.