Emergency Care
Linda Owen, 2014
Westbow Press
290 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781490814001
Summary
In Mexico, Hurricane Bertha flattened tobacco crops and coffee bean fields and demolished entire villages. Then suddenly she turned northward—a surprising act that had not been foreseen by meteorologists.
After twelve hours, the winds that had reached 180 miles per hour would slow, and the storm would die. But before that, Bertha would terrorize the unsuspecting residents of a South Texas hospital and the bank robbers holding them hostage.
It is a toss-up whether nurse Sidney Shelton is more afraid of the thugs or the hurricane. For hours the captors threaten and brutalize the hostages. Sidney wonders whether they will be dead or alive when the robbers leave. What can she do to protect her six-year-old son and friends from harm? God sends her unexpected help from a Mexican policeman and a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—San Marcos, Texas, USA
• Education—B.S., Southwest Texas University; M.Div., Perkins School of Theology
• Currently—lives in San Antonio, Texas
Linda Owen has had thousands of articles published. She is a regular writer on faith, retirement, travel, and general interest subjects for a variety of newspapers and magazines, both secular and Christian.
She received a Master of Divinity Degree from Perkins School of Theology (SMU) and served briefly as the pastor in churches. Linda teaches a weekly Bible study and has written Bible Study Curriculum for the United Methodist Publishing House. For five years she edited www.saworship.com, a Christian magazine. She is also the author of Lady President, a romantic suspense.(From the author.)
Visit the author's website.
See article on Linda.
Book Reviews
If you like your suspense fast paced with non-stop action and surprise twists, then check out Emergency Care, the debut novel by Linda Owen. With a definite edgy tone, this novel is a quick read that packs a clear spiritual message.
Four dangerous men make their way to a small Texas town near the Mexican border trying to elude the police after a murder and bank robbery. An accident puts them in the ER of the local hospital along with a small holiday staff and a hurricane bearing down on them. They take the patients and staff hostage and try to ride out the storm, but events are soon out of their control.
There are a number of surprises in store for the reader of Emergency Care. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, Owen throws a curve ball to ramp up the adrenaline.... As I said, this is an edgy novel. Never graphic, it does contain some violence and adult situations, but no profanity. A good choice for fans of Brandilyn Collins or Steven James.
Beckie Burnham - By The Book
Discussion Questions
1. What was unique about the hospital setting and how did it enhance or take away from the story? Was the hurricane relevant or not?
2. What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think she is trying to get across to the reader?
3. Do you think the Lone Ranger motif relates to the character of Perry? Why or why not?
4. Several characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story. Which one was your favorite? What events trigger such changes?
5. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way?
6. Did the author lead you to a new understanding or awareness of God’s role in your life?
7. What made you want to read this book? Did it live up to your expectations? Why or why not?
8. Discuss the book's structure. Does the author use any narrative devices like flashbacks or multiple voices in telling the story? What do you consider the climax of the novel? Would you have preferred it to end then, instead of showing the effect of the horrific experience on the survivors?
9. Do you think suffering makes people closer to God or causes them to distance themselves from Him? What has been the pattern in your life?
10. Were you satisfied with Sidney’s answers to Jamie about God and her illness? (See chapter 24.) What else would you have told the girl? Have you seen God working through human beings to accomplish His plan? When?
11. Do you believe in the healing power of God? Even if there is no healing miracle, where do you see God at work?
12. Were you in agreement with Ruby’s explanation to Jim about suffering in the world? She cites Rom. 8:28. Do you have a Bible verse that you prefer?
13. Do you agree with what Pastor Charles says about taking another person’s life? About God’s forgiveness? If you were in Sidney’s place, would the clergyman’s counsel have helped you?
14. How effectively does the author portray the presence of spirituality in the characters' lives? Does the author succeed in presenting prayer in a way that feels relevant? Are there specific characters whose beliefs resonate with yours?
15. What do you see as the major message of the novel?
16. What does Jesus say about forgiveness that relates to your life?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)