Scott Nicholson's new novel "The Red Church" gets it right. The book will engage and involve a reader in the plights of such protagonists as Ronnie Day and Frank Littlefield as it works to create a nightmarish atmosphere.
The book is full of weird happenings and scary situations. But fully-realized characters with well-developed thoughts and feelings and not just a string of terrifying episodes are at its core.
The plot opens with 13-year-old Ronnie and his little brother, Tim, discovering a near-dead victim in a graveyard next to the red-painted church that stands mere miles from their home. Frank is the local sheriff who is tortured by the memory of his brother Samuel's death as he investigates the murder with his skeptical, ambitious Detective Sheila Storie.
At the center of it all is Archer McFall, a mysterious Bible-thumper who has returned to the mountains from California. His plan is to restore the red church where his great-great-grandfather preached before being hung by the townspeople in 1864.
It seems as if Archer has already collected a number of zealous followers -- including Ronnie's mother, Linda -- who believe that he is God's second son and that only through him can they be saved. Only he intends to show them the path to salvation with violence and sacrifice rather than with the peaceful forgiving of sin that has long been associated with Jesus. Of course, Archer's will is a malevolent one, and he must somehow be stopped.
The story simply thrills more than it utterly shocks or horrifies, though "The Red Church" features a good amount of murder, ghosts and general evil floating in the mountain breeze. There are plenty of genuinely bone-chilling moments. To the credit of its writer and the benefit of its readers, however, the book is more than just a scary and disposable read.
Through his characters, Nicholson examines the nature of faith in God and Jesus. Protecting himself and Tim from the church's "Bell Monster," Ronnie wonders whether God is testing him. David Day, Ronnie's father, asks Jesus for help and guidance in his struggle to pry Linda from Archer's increasingly sinister clutches. Frank blames God for taking his brother away prematurely, while Mama Bet McFall sees God as a trickster who impregnated her with Archer.
Each person has a different relationship with God and Jesus, whether it is one of belief or of doubt. This aspect of the novel is one of its greatest aspects and is a major reason why "The Red Church" turns out to be such a worthwhile and fulfilling read.
Nicholson is brave enough to tackle these issues of religion and faith while keeping his story chugging along at a steady pace. Even as he brings such weighty themes into the picture, he never loses sight of the development of any of his characters. After the climax of "The Red Church" has come and gone, the people are left to learn whom to trust, in both the human and heavenly sense.
