Customer Reviews

Day of Reckoning (The Baxter Series #2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
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I read this book right after finishing the first Baxter Series book "Tested By Fire". I liked this one better - I thought it was more compelling, harder to put down, and was written even better than the first one. However, I'd like to add a little warning - if you are a "sensitive reader", you might want to skip this one. It's an incredible book, but there is more violence and a few shocking scenes that you might not want to read if you don't like that kind of thing. I'm not saying that it's inappropriate for a Christian novel, it's just very different from most books of its kind that I've read.

The topic of the story is bitterness and the evil that can grow out of grudges that are nurtured and allowed to fester and take over one's life. There's a lesson here for all of us.

I can't wait to read the next in the series, Vital Signs. Thank you, Kathy Herman, for a great series! I'm very picky when it comes to fiction, and I love your books!

Please check out my other reviews!

I enjoyed her first book, TESTED BY FIRE, but this second effort captivated me on a deeper level. The twist and turns Kathy Herman used to bring her contemporary inspirational plot to a surprising conclusion will put this novel in any bestseller class. I'm hooked for the entire series! BTW the regulars at Monty's Dinner add a warm touch to the explosive headlines in the Baxter Daily News. I think readers will remember this book for a long time---it's POWERFUL.

This is the second book in the Baxter series by Kathy Herman. I could NOT put this book down, the story was extremely riveting. I give this book 5 stars.

The events in this book are instigated by an event that took place 5 years prior. According to the back cover of the book, "Many felt betrayed by fourth-generation textile magnate G.R. Logan's sudden decision to close the plant and move the operation to Costa Rica in order to hire a cheaper workforce. The unemployment that followed triggered hard times for this close-knit community. And somebody means to make Logan pay."

That "somebody" is obvious from early in the book, this is no whodunit story. The perpetrator in this story kidnaps G.R. Logan's daughter and her best friend, and nobody but the reader is aware of who did it. The FBI is again involved and tries to piece together who kidnapped the girls and why, using poems he leaves around town or sends to various people. He does this for two reasons: to make G.R. Logan squirm and to the notoriety he seems to be getting a high off of.

In this book we see the dangers of letting anger and resentment stew inside. Whether the anger comes out or is left within it is an ugly thing, which is what the author is trying to show with all the horrific acts that the perpetrator commits. In Kathy Herman's first book of the series we see the importance of God's forgiveness in our lives. In Day of Reckoning we see our need to forgive. Extremely Biblical lesson as if we do not forgive others God will not forgive us. It is important to realize we can't let anger and bitterness take hold, no matter how bad the wrong is that was committed against us. The perpetrator in this book takes his anger to the extreme, but even those who keep it inside have it eating away at them. I was a little shocked at what Ms. Herman allowed her main bad character to do when it came to the ghastliness of his acts. And to add to the creepiness of it, we see him going about his daily life with no one the wiser and then return to his home to terrorize the girls some more.

Here is part of a character's testimony that really stuck out to me in this book. "I want everyone who's listening to understand: If you're living with bitterness, a giant is growing inside you. If you don't slay it, it can get big enough to kill your joy, your purpose, your hopes, your dreams... and maybe even someone you love." Ms. Herman does a great job showing the importance of forgiveness and not giving way to bitterness. This is definitely not your happy go lucky, every thing will turn out all right book. Though, we see how God will use all things to His purpose, even though the characters can't see it right away, just like in real life. Definitely some twists I wasn't expecting.

Kathy Herman did a wonderful job with this novel. I almost didn't buy this book because Tested by Fire was only so-so to me. I'm glad I gave the series a second chance.

G.R. Logan is the owner of a factory that moved out of Baxter. Many people lost their jobs, homes, and families because of it. Wayne's father was one such person. He had a heart attack after he lost his job and to make matters worse, G.R. didn't even attend the funeral. Wayne made the decision to quit school and get a job to support his family. During that time, he devises a plan to get back at G.R., one that includes kidnapping the man's daughter.

Wayne ends up kidnapping two girls, G.R.'s daughter and her friend. The town searches high and low for the missing teenagers, while Wayne leaves cruel messages and items for them to find. Wayne's sister comes for a visit and finds out what Wayne has done. Wayne accidently shoots and kills her.

This novel addresses very painful issues: the death of a child, bitterness, anger, etc. Very good read!

DAY OF RECKONING is the second novel in The Baxter Series by Kathy Herman. When the Logan Textile plant closed five years ago, it was upsetting to the community and its workers. Feeling betrayed by the young G.R. Logan, who closed the plant so he could using cheaper labor in Costa Rica and raise his revenue, someone decides he should be punished. When G.R.'s daughter and her best friend are kidnapped, the town is shocked. When they find out it's payback for the plant closure, a mixture of feelings surface. But in all, the small town of Baxter is horrified to think these two girls are going to pay for the sins of the father.

DAY OF RECKONING has an interesting premise. Just how deep can resentment and hate go before it yields bitterness that leads to destruction? I enjoyed DAY OF RECKONING though at times I feel the dialog was a bit stilted. Sherry Kinnsington came across as a teenage super Christian. At times I felt it was a bit distracting, but in the end, I saw the purpose it served. Overall, I've enjoyed getting to know the characters of the small town of Baxter and will continue on to VITALS SIGNS, the third book in the series.

This book was one of the hardest, yet most compelling, books of fiction I've read in a long time. Her demonstration of emotion on the written page is truly a gift. My husband couldn't understand why I kept reading ....... and reading. I couldn't help myself. I also felt the need to examine my own life looking for anger. Thank you for your ministry to the human soul and your efforts to share the gospel.

This novel follows the kidnapping of two young girls, and eventually (surprisingly) one of their deaths and the wonderful outcome because of it.

Ms. Herman does much to dispell the myth of "coincidence" helping to subtly show that there is no such thing! That the Lord is in control of our lives and has a plan for each of us.

Yep, it IS preachy at times. But it also very informative about what it means to KNOW Jesus.

This book was very good. Its about two girls who are best friends. Both of the girls get kidnapped as the result of a revenge plot against one of the girl's father. As this event shakes the community and their faith, the girls rely in their faith in God to help them through their terror. This book was defitely better then the first one, you will be surprised by the ending.

Very good book, i found it too "preachy" at times. Very good story plot, amazing how faith plays into the crisis in lives. Definitely recommend the book, but you need to be able to get through to "preaching" that sometimes occurs in unnecessary places.

I have found few Christian authors brave enough to tender the toughest places in our lives. Kathy Herman not only does so, but she does so with a powerful characterization that changes the soul.

Day of Reckoning is a book you MUST read.

Grant Randall Logan IV closed down the Baxter Plant of Logan Textiles moving the factory to Costa Rica where labor is cheaper. The decision left 283 people out of work with few prospects. Some had put in three decades of loyalty only to be left with nothing except bills, bitterness, and beloved family members with no future.

Wayne Purdy, an adult child of a displaced worker, thirsts for vengeance against G. R. IV. He blames the cold magnate for his dad's death not long after the plant shut down. Wayne's world consists of an icon etched into his brain of he holding his mother and younger sister at their father's funeral with not even a condolence note from G. R. IV. However, is his obsessive ire enough to cause him to go over the edge and actively avenge his father and other family members starting with a kidnapping? Or is one of the other victims of the plant closing behind the attempts to get back at the seemingly insulated G.R.?

As with the first Baxter novel, TESTED WITH FIRE, DAY OF RECKONING is a fascinating tale overpopulated with too many secondary characters, yet readers will enjoy the basic story line. The well-written plot shows the aftermath of a bottom line decision on the people of a small factory town. Though lacking the bite of Michael Moore's Roger and Me, Kathy Herman's second Baxter novel is an insightful tale that is at its best when the author empowers her audience to see deep into the souls of her distraught cast.

Harriet Klausner