Until I Return by Kenneth Nowell

Until I Return available on Amazon

reviewed by Jody Rakis

After finishing Kenneth Nowell’s apocalyptic thriller Until I Return, I looked back and felt it was a very complex story. The content is very involved as a suspense novel should be. It is very faith-based and inspirational in many areas; but it is also suspenseful and disturbing at times. Good and evil play equal rolls in the book, and maybe that is my problem with wanting good to always be stronger.

The author does an excellent job with footnotes and references, which makes it easy to check on text that you might want to understand more fully or learn more about. Yet this in no way takes away from the flow of the story.

It is a very Catholic based, inspirational story in many parts. I learned facts about my religion that I had never heard before. In fact, that is where the references and footnotes helped me to verify truth from fiction, and traditions of our faith. I felt the book was very well written. Areas that were beyond my technical knowledge were detailed, yet very understandable and believable. I was inspired by, and enjoyed, the words of the Apostle John and how they were so well chosen for the situation. A great deal of the book is about faith in God and how we live our lives. Sometimes, in reading, I wanted to forget the suspense part, and the evil part, and just enjoy the scripture and storylines of certain characters.

But, a great deal is also about evil. The sins of power and ambition are very strong as demonstrated by several characters. Angela Concepcion, caught up within the grips of evil from birth, then power and pride as an adult, struggles at times with doubt. The suspense part of the book, the underlying story, is very cleverly written and evil is almost detailed as much as good. The writer does an excellent job with incorporating content that is faith-based and inspirational, and then also does an excellent job of writing about the power of sin and its influence in the world. It’s almost two different extremes. I will not spoil the book by discussing the ending. All I will say is that it was very much a surprise; it brings all storylines together and is dramatic. Maybe it’s not the ending I was expecting, or thought I wanted to hear, but, then again, it was the author’s story to tell. The characters keep your interest and it is hard to put down at times. I think most readers will enjoy it very much.