Divine Fury – An Enzo Lee Mystery

I am not usually a big fan of mysteries, but this one hooked me in. It begins with a man planting a detonator while children sing hymns nearby. Right off the bat, tensions are high as there is the worry that he will harm the children. When it is revealed that he is only practicing, there is a sigh of relief, but the threat is still present. In the next chapter, that threat is realized as a man is murdered half a country away. Finally, chapter three opens on our protagonist, reporter Enzo Lee, as he is assigned a story that will lead him to connect the dots between the murder, the detonator test, a prominent gay politician, and an influential televangelist group.

The threat of violence permeates the book, especially the parts told from the perspective of the militant Christians. At one point, the reader is presented with snippets from online discussions about minorities and abortion clinics. I actually felt nauseated reading the messages of hate. Luckily, however, the book also displays a lot of the good in people. There are moments of intense bravery in the face of danger. Multiple romantic plots avoid being overly sweet or out of place in the midst of murder and instead act as a reminder of love and goodness. Divine Fury goes beyond the normal plot of a mystery to explore humans’ immense capacity for good and evil as well as important political issues. Despite taking place in two thousand four, everything in this book (except for a passing reference to Barry Bonds) feels very current.

Featuring compelling plot lines, engaging characters, and a level of detail befitting Lowe’s journalistic past, Divine Fury has a lot to say about America and human nature, but the overriding theme is hope. Not only is it thrilling, but it is also beautiful. I have not yet read Project Moses, the previous entry in the Enzo Lee story, but I plan to.