I Am In Here by Creston Mapes
Series: a standalone
Publisher: Rooftop Press on September 2, 2022
REVIEW BY GWEN M. PLANO
I Am In Here by Creston Mapes is a Christian suspense thriller. Riveting and fast-paced, the book dives into themes close to the heart through a family broken by devastating circumstances. The story held my attention to the very last page.
The protagonist, Hale, an eighteen-year-old paraplegic who can neither speak nor move in any willful way, is the primary narrator of the story. Because of a traumatic brain injury, this young man cannot communicate through typical means and is wrongly assumed by some to be a vegetable. Visitors speak freely in his presence, unaware that he can hear everything – clearly. And therein lies the source of the mounting tension.
Douglas, the father of the young man, struggles with his faith. Here’s one of his reflections.
I had mistakenly viewed God as the great cosmic vending machine.
If I am faithful to do A, God rewards me with B.
I found out the hard way that it is not the way life works.
Creston Mapes, I Am In Here
Cancer took Douglas’s beloved wife, and a horrendous accident took his two sons – one died, and the other, Hale, hangs precariously to life. Strapped financially because of the ongoing medical expenses associated with Hale’s care, Douglas makes several wrong and deadly decisions.
Well-written and thought-provoking, I Am In Here draws a reader into the home of an ordinary family faced with extraordinary challenges. Multiple themes intertwine – right and wrong, hope and despair, love and hate, God and emptiness – and through it all, readers face themselves and their potential choices. What would any of us do in similar circumstances?
Creston Mapes brilliantly captures truths through an unlikely protagonist. His approach exposes the value of life and contrasts it with notions of burden. Even though Hale cannot speak, readers hear him and fight for him as the story unfolds. We experience the preciousness of his life, and secondarily our own.
Great spiritual depth resides in this thriller. Though explicitly Christian and targeting a young adult population, the story addresses universal and ageless concerns. For these reasons, I recommend I Am In Here to people of all ages and beliefs.
I purchased the Kindle version of I Am In Here.
The Well Read Fish 
I appreciated your thoughtful review, Gwen. I’m a fan of Creston Mapes, especially his approach to edgy topics. I snagged a copy and look forward to the read.
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Thank you, Grant. I had not heard of Creston Mapes before reading I Am In Here, but now I’m hooked. I really like his writing style, and this particular story blew me away. 😊
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I stumbled on his book, Nobody: A Homeless Las Vegas Murder Mystery Thriller, and that story got me to thinking about how writers can create an edgy story and still convey spiritual truths.
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Thank you, Grant. I’m going to check out Nobody. It sounds intriguing.
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I’ve not heard of this author, but I do love a good suspense story. Adding it to my TBR list. I have a feeling my list will get even longer now that we have this new site.
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I hadn’t heard of him before reading this book, Joan. It was a shot in the dark. A very fortunate one!
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Great review, Gwen. I am intrigued and will go check it out.
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Thank you, Denise. I’m still haunted by some of the scenes in the book. Mapes is a great writer.
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