When Crickets Cry

Author : Charles Martin

Genre : Favorites, Fiction

I’ve read all of Charles Martin’s books. This is my all-time favorite, one of the best I’ve ever read. I’ve given a dozen copies away to friends and family. Most of his books have a redemption theme in them. I like watching someone who is hardened by life completely transform because of what comes into his life unexpectedly that he can’t turn away from.

The story is about a man with a painful past, a child with a doubtful future, and a shared journey toward healing for both their hearts. It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. But the little girl’s pretty yellow dress can’t quite hide the ugly scar on her chest.

Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he’s restoring at a nearby lake. He understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives. Before it’s over, they’ll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry . . . and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.