Feast for Thieves-A Book Review

The year is 1946, and former Private Rowdy Slater, a war veteran with a dishonorable discharge and time done in military prison, is drifting. No job and past debt to a jail cellmate, makes him easy prey to Crazy Ake, the cellmate, who tracks him down.  Crazy Ake plans to get his money back, using Rowdy to assist him in a bank robbery. In the ensuing skirmish with authorities in Cut Eye, Texas, the two separate and escape.  Rowdy ends up with the booty, encounters God in the local mission and decides to turn in the money to the local sheriff. Rather than going to jail, the sheriff offers Rowdy the choice to be town preacher for a year.  He will take over the struggling congregation which has been temporarily under the charge of the sheriff's daughter who has future plans to be a missionary.


The scene is set for the bumpy ride of proving himself to parishioners, meeting needs in the community, winning over the ill-reputed who frequent the local bar, and wondering if the interim preacher and Rowdy will have a future together. With Crazy Ake still on the loose and not about ready to give up on his money, there is bound to be trouble ahead. The narrative is told first person and Rowdy's speaking is written in the dialect and attitude of a Texan native of that day.

To make the strides and accomplishments that Rev'rund Slater makes in a years time seemed a bit unrealistic, and the story has more pages of telling about events than it does of drawing the reader into action. After the exciting start of the bank robbery, I had to read quite a few chapters before I found my critiquing giving way to 'getting lost' in the story.  However, the story is well written and made for a good, enjoyable read. The author upholds good moral standards throughout the book. The plot is not a common fiction theme, and I liked that it was hard to predict how things would turn out. I now have interest in reading more of Marcus Brotherton's writing.

After the epilogue, the author adds a note about his extensive study of World War II heroes, and in particular the Band of Brothers who jumped as paratroopers into Normandy and fought their way across Europe. The book is based on the little known information about one of these men.  Also, included in the last pages of the book, is a history and examples of the dialects the author drew from.
I would suggest reading these areas before starting the first chapter. It gave me a perspective that I think would have helped me engage with and appreciate the story much sooner.

I received this book from Moody Press in exchange for my honest review.