I've made it through the whole series.  Karen Kingsbury's 9/11 series is made of of a three book trilogy.  One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, and Remember Tuesday Morning.  All three books were captivating.  I read and reviewed the first book last year.  I can't believe I waited so long to read the next two, but once I got started, I couldn't put them down.  I have read both books in one week.  If you haven't read any of these books yet, read them in order.  While many of Karen Kingsbury's books can be read alone even though they are part of a series, I recommend reading these three in order.  Each books builds on the previous one.

One Tuesday Morning introduces the reader to the main characters in the series.  Jamie Bryan is married to Jake Bryan.  They have a 4 year old daughter, Sierra.  Jake and his daughter go to church together but Jamie doesn't share their faith.  One Tuesday morning, on September 11, 2001, terrorists attack the Twin Towers in New York City.  Jake dies in the attacks.

Beyond Tuesday Morning takes you to 2004, 3 years after 9/11.  Sierra is 7 years old and is starting to forget things about the daddy she adored before the towers fell.  Jamie is keeping Jake's memory alive and honoring the life he lived by volunteering at St. Paul's Church.  Soon after Jake's death, Jamie began to read Jake's Bible and the journal he left behind.  She now shares Jake's steadfast faith in Jesus.  One morning, Jamie is headed to volunteer at St. Paul's when a group of young men hold her at gunpoint.  A man, Clay Michaels, is standing nearby.  He is visiting from California.  He sees the gun in Jamie's side so he and his friend, Joe, step in to save her from her predicament.  Could he be the one to lead Jamie out of the place where she still hangs on the past and into the place where she will find love again?

Image Credit:  Abundant Family Living (Tina Truelove) - Collage Created in Picmonkey

Remember Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury

Remember Tuesday Morning introduces the reader to new characters while continuing Jamie's story in the background.  Alex Brady's father had been a FDNY firefighter.  He died on September 11, 2001 when the Twin Towers were attacked by terrorists.  Alex has spent the last 7 years trying to rid the world of bad guys.  The more bad guys he can get off the streets, the fewer families have to suffer the loss of a loved one.  Alex left his home in New York.  He left his faith, his mother, and the only girl he had ever loved to move to California to work for the LAPD as a K9 police officer.  With his faithful and loyal dog, Bo, at his side, Alex cares about nothing but ridding the world of evil. 

In Los Angeles and the surrounding area, there is always the threat of summer wildfires.  This year, the threat is elevated even more with threats of arson from an environmental terrorist group.  They threaten to burn down high end housing developments which, according to the environmental terrorist group, represent extreme materialism with little or no appreciation for nature.

Soon after Alex had come to California, his former girlfriend, Holly, had come to see him as one final attempt to reach the deep, soft area of his heart and save their relationship.  Alex turned her away.  He assumed she had gone back to New York, married, and perhaps had started a family.  Alex didn't know that Holly had chosen to stay in the Los Angeles area.  She worked as a real estate agent for a development company which was in the process of developing a high end neighborhood - Oak Canyon Estates, the development that the environmental terrorists group is threatening to burn down.

Will Alex find out about Holly's whereabouts in time?  Will she finally be able to break down the wall Alex had built around his heart for the past 7 years.  Will Alex's faith in the God he once trusted be restored?  What about Jamie's family?  Will they be able to help Alex move forward after suffering his greatest loss since September 11, 2001?

Well, you'll have to read the book to find out the answers to all those questions.  I admire Karen Kingsbury's talent.  Her ability to wrap one story around another, resulting in tales of trials and triumphant faith is a gift that only God can give.

These stories pulled from the ashes of September 11, 2001 brought me back to that terrible Tuesday morning.  I remember it very well.  I can still see the images of the burning towers as people jumped to their deaths as I watched on live television.  Then, suddenly I was horrified as I watched one tower fall.  I was horrified again a little later as I watched the other tower fall.

Many years before 9/11, my family had visited New York City.  I had seen the Twin Towers standing in their place in the New York City skyline. I still struggle to explain all the emotions that welled up inside me as the events of that Tuesday morning unfolded before my very eyes.  A few years later, I visited New York City once again.  I walked slowly by the holes left where the towers had once stood.

As I read all three of the books in Karen's 9/11 series, I could imagine every event.  The story she writes in this trilogy is a fictitious one but this is a story that could have unfolded on September 11, 2001 and the 7 years after.

You will want to read all three books.

 

Read more book reviews here.

This post is linked up at Let's Have Coffee Wednesdays.  Hop on over and read lots of other great posts from lots of great bloggers!