In Amy Harmon's novel “The Law of Moses,” readers meet 17-year-old Georgia, who has been captivated by 18-year-old Moses ever since she was a child. With piercing eyes and dark skin, he’d never be overlooked in a crowd. Of course, being the only African-American in the small town of Levan, in Utah's Juab County, Moses was always noticed.
But it is his past that makes most people pay attention to him. As a newborn, Moses’ cocaine-addicted mother abandoned him in a laundromat. Although his childhood deserved sympathy, it is his present that interests Georgia. While others are repelled by his eccentricities, Georgia is smitten with Moses and continually puts herself in his way, vying for his attention.
“The Law of Moses” is a romance with a supernatural suspense twist as it follows the pair into their 20s. Moses’ abilities to tap into the unseen world of the dead and depict his visions with paint make him feared by many. But when he channels his gift with a different purpose, he discovers friendships and a love he never thought possible.
It is not surprising this book has been named a 2014 Whitney Award finalist. It's one of five in the general fiction category of the awards that recognize novels by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Harmon has a rare gift with words. Her book has personable characters and emotions that can jump out of the page and into readers’ hearts. Thanks to the romantic love scenes, heart-rending tragedy and pulse-pounding suspense sequences, “The Law of Moses” can be extremely difficult to put down and, once finished, can leave readers aching for more.
“The Law of Moses” is laced with profanity, has nongraphic sex scenes and deals with serious subjects such as mental illness and the unsolved murders of a serial killer. There are only two instances of generally described mild violence.
Harmon is a small-town Utah girl who, after a brief time in Las Vegas, has returned to her Utah roots.
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