This is the third volume in the "Kevin Kirk Chronicles." We pick up the story with Kevin and his family continuing their successful mortuary business, with Kevin having to grow up fairly quickly as life throws different challenges in his way. In the earlier volumes, Kevin seems less courageous and willing to take chances than he does in this book, a sign that he is growing up.

In the first volume, we met Marcy and her boyfriend, soon to be husband, Marshall. The Kirks have adopted them and brought them into their business; they're just like family. Then, one day, a visitor arrives, announcing herself to be Ruby, Marcy's mother. Marcy hasn't seen her mother for more than a decade, so this is quite a surprise for her.

But Ruby turns out to be an unpleasant character, to say the least. And as she works to turn the members of the family against themselves, the tension threatens to break apart some important family ties. Her actions are often inexplicable.

In this volume, Kevin and his friends begin attending Seminary. Those who have shared this experience will appreciate some of the ways Wiles describes the meetings. There's lots to smile about here.

But there's also a lot of sadness in this book. Once again, the author is not afraid to confront life head-on. Yes, there are pleasant aspects to life, and we should enjoy those aspects for as long as we can. But tragedy does come, and as it enters Kevin's life, we see the Lord working through those tragedies as he works through them to an ultimate triumph.

I had a thought as I read through this book. Reading these books with your children might be a good way of getting them to ask questions about life, death, love and God, within the context of Kevin Kirk's fictional existence. There's lots to talk about, and plenty of room to use the characters in this book to motivate children to explore these vital issues.

I was happy to see the author make some attempt in this volume to explain the characters and how they fit into the story. In my last review, of Volume 2, I was critical of Wiles' lack of context, leaving readers a bit bewildered if they hadn't read the first book in the series. She does much better in this book. I'm very glad for it.

Will there be a fourth volume? I hope so. I like Kevin, and I like his family. They're flawed, like the rest of us, but they embody the kind of nobility that is so needed these days, and the writing is so darned good. Thank you, Patricia Wiles, for bringing Kevin Kirk and his family into our lives.

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Jeff Needle
March 28, 2006