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A young man honing his strengths will face many challenges in this well-told tale by author Senadenos. Indiana Thompson, known as Indy, is the son of a determined father, Sam, who has prepared him well for life’s ups and downs, having battled them himself. Indy becomes a champion footballer, and after marrying his school sweetheart and fathering an adorable daughter, he heads for Marine boot camp. There he will make fast friends like Buck and Teddy and tolerate Big Red, a short-tempered bully. Together these young men will toss grenades, do numerous pushups for minor infractions, and fight it out with one another when necessary.
Indy’s strong Christian faith touches Big Red, who is drawn to visit a church after a skirmish during which Indy speaks of Jesus. Together in a foreign country, the group must act when they see an innocent young woman being molested. When Indy later finds himself injured and alone, the same young woman will care for him and will receive an unexpected, significant reward from him.
Senadenos is a fiction writer who demonstrates here his strong sense of plot and personality, moving the reader through Indy’s trials and triumphs in vivid, credible settings, deftly portraying the courage that is a crucial endowment for a young man who must save others or vindicate himself when called upon. Also sweetly depicted are Indy’s wife and child, for whom he is willing to make all sacrifices necessary to ensure that they are safe and well cared for. The novel wraps neatly around two family Christmas celebrations where Santa Claus puts in an appearance, featuring special surprises for Megan and Winnie and deep inner satisfaction for Indy. Readers will identify with and want to know more about these engaging characters and will undoubtedly hope for future books featuring them.