Customer Reviews

A Sounding Brass (Elect Trilogy #3)

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"A Sounding Brass" picks up where Bates' previous novel, "A Pocketful or Pearls" left off, switching the main character from Dinah to Dinah's friend Claire Montoya, who is still in the clutches of the "toxic" church, the Elect.

"Brass" is not nearly as captivating "Pearls" was, although it continues and concludes the story of the Elect quite nicely. The content of "A Sounding Brass" is also no where near as racy as the preceding novel... and while I am not one who thinks that edginess is necessary to make a novel good, I think "Brass" lacks that certain dark intrigue that "Pearl" captured well. The story is unique, entertaining, worth reading, and over all a good book - but considering how fantastic "Pearls" was, I was a tad disappointed with "A Sounding Brass".

Grade: B-

Heroines. We love `em all, and the best are those with whom we identify strongly. Does she feel as I do? Would I have the strength to face her trials? Gotta love `em. Bimbos, damsels in distress, rebels, forces of nature. The main character in this third novel in Shelley Bates' "Elect" series qualifies in the last category.

We're told today's heroine should be a kicker type. But you don't need to be Angelina-with-a-semi-automatic to be strong. It takes more strength to re-think everything that forms the framework of your life; to truly turn the magnifying glass on your own soul, to find yourself wanting, to change as you must--to survive. If you like a heroine like this, who must revamp everything she has ever been taught, about love, faith, and her place in life, Claire Montoya is tailor made for you.

A lifelong member of a "toxic" church, Claire lives in reluctant obedience to a set of rules whose senselessness would insult a child. After she's fired from her bank job, a newcomer--the bouncy, charismatic radio DJ who's advising her church on how to change--hires her on the spot to keep the station's books. Or is Luke Fisher all he seems? Detective Ray Harper, in town to see a rape case come to trial, smells something unsanitary in the eager-beaver Mr. Fisher, and stays to investigate. As he and Claire begin to click, he grows restive about his attraction for her. How can a man lacking faith make a match with a woman whose faith is her entire life?

With an unbeliever falling for her, and Luke's increasingly puzzling deployments of donated money, both men rock Claire's regimented world on its ear. As her outlook realigns, so does that of the Elect--can they be wrong about the nature of a faith-guided life, after all?

Shelley Bates tells the engaging story of a woman struggling to re-evaluate her faith. Though lacking the dark themes of the previous book, Pocketful Of Pearls, the journey is every bit as compelling. Claire's quiet, stark courage made her a winner beyond compare.

Five stars in my book.

Reviewed by Deb Kinnard
7/5/2006

Unlike most of the other reviewers, I have not read the first two books in the Elect Trilogy. I had not even read anything by Shelley Bates before. That did not keep me from thoroughly enjoying this book. Many series are impossible to follow if you haven't read the previous books, or leave the reader feeling stuck on the outside of a private joke. Not the case here.

I connected right away with the heroine, Claire Montoya. Though trusting, devout, and naive, she is nobody's fool. The author approached the subject matter thoughtfully and honestly to allow the reader to empathize with characters on both sides of the table.

Wonderful writing. Interesting storyline. Well-drawn characters. I will definitely look for more from Shelley Bates.

I liked all the books in this series, I think these are quick reads but really thought provoking. It is nice to read about other religions.

Shelley Bates, the author of POCKETFUL OF PEARLS and GROUNDS TO BELIEVE, finishes her Elect Trilogy with A SOUNDING BRASS, a competent, enjoyable read. It wraps up the story of the legalistic lives of members of the Elect, a cultic Christian group in Oregon that requires its adherents to wear black, seek permission for any big life decisions, and stay away from anything "worldly."

As the story opens, the Elect in Hamilton Falls, Washington, are in turmoil. Their leader, Phinehas, a former senior Shepherd of the flock, is in the county lockup awaiting trial for raping women who believed they were supposed to have sex with him in the name of their religion. Everything the Elect believed about its leadership is now in question.

Claire Montoya, a single bank employee who has just lost her job because of her association with the Elect, finds a new work home at the KGHM radio station as a bookkeeper. She's ready to succumb to the charms of the charismatic Luke Fisher, an evangelist and popular disc jockey at the station, whose good looks and winning ways over the airwaves are taking the locals by storm. Luke is also ready to help the congregation of the Elect to embrace some modern ways of thinking and reach out to the unchurched through financing a new conference center.

As Luke whips up enthusiasm and support for the project -- and the radio station rakes in more and more cash --- investigator Raymond Harper of the Organized Crime Task Force smells something rotten. As Ray cozies up to Claire in order to find out about Luke, he realizes he's interested in her for more than just her proximity to the boss. But after her change of job and the changes going on at church, Claire is reeling. "Between the teachings of the past and the changes in the present, she needed to find her balance. And that was turning out to be harder than she'd expected." She's attracted to both men. But Ray is an outsider --- and Luke is a member of the Elect. Or is he? And Ray is conflicted about his own lack of faith. "What he had was an emptiness he was trying to soothe with work and socializing and friends, covering it over with a cynical outlook on life so people wouldn't see it."

Claire is tired. Tired of letting others dictate where she lives. Tired of wearing black --- even down to her pajamas, which are black flannel. Bates gradually lets Claire come to grips with her disillusionment about her legalistic religion, while still keeping the core of her faith. Through Claire, Bates does a great job showing the perils of religion as practiced by those who love power and control, rather than embracing the true freedom of faith.

Readers of the earlier books in the series will be glad to catch up with Dinah Traynell and the resolution of her story. No particular earth-shaking plot twists or turns occur in the novel; the reader will have a good idea of where things are headed from the earliest pages. But that makes this story no less enjoyable. Bates is a good writer, and her characters are interesting ones who the reader will empathize with. (I would have enjoyed seeing even more about the bookseller and Claire's landlady, Rebecca Quinn, who makes some cameo appearances throughout the book.) There's some good discussable material here about the role of religion and choices in contemporary culture, and a reading group guide included in the back is a nice addition for book clubs.

Readers who enjoyed the Elect Trilogy will want to look for Bates's next book, OVER MY HEAD, which will be published in May 2007.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby. Contact Cindy at phrelanzer@aol.com.

Shelly writes of a true "church" one of which I was a part of for 20 years. Although she does an excellent job describing the cult, her writing skills, in my opinion, need some polishing.
I don't know how many know of this cult but it goes by "The No Name Church" "The Conneyites" "Convention Church" "The Truth" "The Way" and can be found by googleing the first two if you care to know more about the real thing.
Shelly, like myself, was able to get out but I was not born into it and had no problems like her characters.
However, many did and do to this day. It's made headlines and tried to be hushed, like many Catholic Priests' mistakes, but thankfully some are finding their way out.
The church worships a 'system of worship' rather than the main focus of Christianity, and follows the "workers" (what many would call pastors) without question. In fact, if you do question, they are not pleased.
Good for anyone to find out about if they are true truth seekers and cult exposers.