"I Will Be Your Friend" attracted me because of relational issues I have recently encountered in my own life. As I've entered my thirties, my desire to improve my current friendships has increased, since they have sustained me through a number of tough times. I want the ability to properly edify, encourage, and even rebuke my friends for the benefit of their character, and our relationship. In addition, I'd like to gain skills on forming solid new friendships, which is sometimes difficult for an introvert like myself.

So, when I came across this book I knew it was one I needed to read. And I'm glad I did. Michael illustrates a number of truths he's learned over the years about friendship. He touches on such topics as setting boundaries, accountability, the importance of being vulnerable, mentoring, and servanthood. Michael shares a lot from his own personal experiences, and it's refreshing to see that he even records his own relational missteps. Even better, his insights are tied to Scripture, and he is clear that God is the source of whatever wisdom he has.

I particularly recommend this book to men, since we seem less capable than women (or at least less willing) when it comes to forming deep friendships. It's important that we cultivate this ability, since the benefits are many and the alternatives are definitely less than God's best.

The time for the choosing of Jeremiah's successor is now at hand. There are two candidates, his about to be eighteen-year old sons sired with different mothers. Jeremiah plans to test both of them to determine who is worthy of replacing him. David has lived his entire life with Jeremiah, but he is behaving like a rebellious American teen instead of the son of the Prophet. The other candidate is David's half brother Thomas raised by Jeremiah's enemies Steve and Laura Delaney-Wallace. Jeremiah sets the apocalyptic contest in motion when he sends a packet to Thomas containing information about the lad's background previously unknown to the teen.

The third tale in Michael A. Smith's modern day theological thriller is an exciting conclusion to a fast-paced trilogy. THE INHERITOR is entertaining and fast-paced. Though the heroes and villains may have aged, they continue their global rivalry that sets the stage for the successor to be anointed. The tale is exhilarating and the charcaters seem more complete than in the previous two novels. Still, Mr. Smith opens the door to a new novel starring the next generation prophet. This will please thriller fans but leave other readers asking if this series will one day become the literary equivalent of Halloween 20?

Harriet Klausner

Michael Smith's Marginal People is a dark, urban noire thriller about the greed and ultimate self-destruction that lurk in the hearts of seemingly normal men and women. A down on his luck aspiring actor, his emotionally scarred artist girlfriend, a single mother barely surviving on a subsistence wage and a criminal kingpin are among the unwary who become involved in manipulative ex-con's kidnaping and ransom plot. The efforts of these marginalized people to survive and free themselves from the plot's ruthless machinations will transform some of them, and cost others their struggling lives. Grim, shadowy, sinister, and entrancing in its literary power of engagement, Marginal People is not to be missed.