What does a Mormon look like?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a worldwide membership of over 15 million people, meaning there's no one answer to this question.  In general, though, LDS people strive to be clean, both on the inside and the outside.  We're taught that our bodies are sacred, God-given temples and should be treated accordingly.  We adhere to a health code called The Word of Wisdom, which cautions against the use of substances that can be harmful to the body (alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, too much meat, etc.).  From infancy, we're advised to keep our minds and souls pure, avoiding pornography, graphic movies, profanity, etc.  Likewise, we're told to maintain a clean-cut, well-groomed outside appearance.  Multiple piercings, extreme hairstyles, revealing clothing, and tattoos are discouraged.  This creates a tidy homogeny that has been widely criticized, but is nonetheless recognizable throughout the world.  What happens, then, when someone who looks different from the norm not only joins the church but also becomes one of its most recognizable spokespeople?  It can create a bit of a stir.  Just ask Al Fox Carraway.

Despite growing up less than an hour's drive from Palmyra, New York, where the LDS Church was formally organized in April 1830, Carraway knew nothing about Mormonism.  It wasn't until she met two very persistent missionaries that her interest in the religion was piqued.  Once ignited, her desire to know more couldn't be extinguished.  Carraway was soon baptized despite strong opposition from family and friends.  Feeling alone, the new convert received powerful spiritual promptings to move closer to the Church's hub in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Terrified of moving so far away and starting over in a foreign place where she knew no one, Carraway made the trip anyway.  Not realizing how much her colorful tattoos would make her stand out in Utah, let alone at church, she was shocked by the reactions she received, especially from other Mormons.  As Carraway struggled, she clung to her faith, which allowed her to see beyond the pettiness of people's judgments to the one thing that truly mattered—her relationships with God and Jesus Christ.

In More Than the Tattooed Mormon, Carraway recounts her conversion to the LDS faith as well as all she's learned because of it.  Told with her trademark humor and bubbly optimism, her story rings with warmth, authenticity, and truth.  Her enthusiasm for the Gospel is infectious, her faith inspiring.  Carraway's struggles taught me some great lessons about following the Spirit, trusting the Lord, withholding judgment, and never taking the Gospel for granted.  I loved this approachable little book, which touched my heart while simultaneously breaking it and warming it.  It's a stay-with-you story, beautiful in its simplicity, but profound in its power.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

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(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for The Girls She Left Behind, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, Winter at the Door.  As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)

Lizzie Snow has only been in tiny Bearkill, Maine, for a few weeks, but she's already making a name for herself as the new sheriff's deputy.  For a dead-end town on the edge of the Great North Woods, the hamlet requires a surprising amount of work from its minuscule police department.  Once a booming lumber town, the place retains a faded charm, but that's not what's keeping Lizzie there.  An anonymous tip hinting that her niece, who's been missing for nine years, might be in the area is what's keeping the former homicide detective from sprinting back to Boston.

In the meantime, Lizzie's got a slew of problems right in her own backyard.  The forest fire raging just outside of town worries her.  As does the disappearance of 14-year-old Tara Wylie.  Although the local teen has a habit of taking off without bothering to inform her single mother, a disturbing text indicates something sinister has happened to the girl.  Tara's mother is frantic, but she's also lying to Lizzie.  Why?  The escape of Henry Gemerle, a man being held in the psych ward of a Connecticut forensic hospital after he was discovered holding girls hostage in his basement, is making everyone edgy.  Has Tara been abducted by the monster?  Or are she and her older boyfriend just off partying somewhere?  Why is Tara's mother misleading Lizzie and her team?  As shocking connections between the two cases come to light, Bearkill's new deputy will have to race against time, a deadly inferno, and a demented foe to protect the people of the tiny village she reluctantly calls home.

The last thing Lizzie needs are complications, but that's all she seems to be getting.  And not just from Peg Wylie.  Dylan Hudson, a Bangor detective who once shattered Lizzie's heart, wants another chance.  Then there's Trey Washburn, a handsome local vet, who's never been shy about his interest in Bearkill's newcomer.  Above all, Lizzie only cares about one thing—her niece.  With so much else going on, is she letting valuable clues to Nicki's whereabouts slip by?  Lizzie's got to keep her head in the game in order to save her niece, her town, and, ultimately, herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed Winter at the Door, the first installment in the Lizzie Snow series by Sarah Graves.  The second, The Girls She Left Behind, is just as riveting.  Although the reader knows many of the mystery's answers from the beginning of the novel, it's still a taut, engrossing read.  Lizzie continues to be an understated heroine who impresses with her tough demeanor and quiet devotion.  Bearkill becomes a character in its own right and not a romanticized one—Snow paints it as a desperate, down-and-out dwelling place, one that's as complex and compelling as each of its residents.  Personally, I'm eager to see what will happen next in the unpredictable wooded hamlet.  Surely, Lizzie has many more exciting adventures to come.  I can't wait.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves and of the Bell Elkins series [A Killing in the Hills; Bitter River; Summer of the Dead; and Last Ragged Breath] by Julia Keller)

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