Review of :  The Trustworthy One

Shelley Shepard Gray.  Gallery Books, $16.00 (304p) ISBN 978-1-9821-0093-3

Bestselling author of more than eighty novels, Gray brings readers the final installment in the Walnut Creek series featuring the Eight, a tight-knit group of friends from varying backgrounds, most of which are Amish [p. 1 ff].  In the Trustworthy One, readers meet the Troyer sisters, Kendra and Naomi, who reconnect back in Walnut Creek years after each of them left their abusive childhood home [p. 29].  As the eldest sibling, Kendra bore the brunt of their father’s anger and mother’s neglect, and while she has obtained an education and created a new life for herself, she finds she must still deal with the internal scars that prevent her from fully trusting the kind attention of handsome Nate Miller [p. 16 ff].  Naomi, the youngest of the Troyer clan, idolizes Kendra but struggles to make friends at school [p. 113 ff].  When she finds out that her sister has a hidden past [p. 184], Naomi’s dreams are shattered.  In order to save their relationship and be able to allow other people into their lives, both must learn the meaning of forgiveness and faith.  Gray’s tale is woven with biblical themes that will appeal to Christian readers; however, the incorporation of an additional storyline about another childhood tragedy told through Kendra’s journaling was disjointed and extraneous.  Readers should begin with the first in the series to familiarize themselves with the cast of characters. 4 stars.