Review – Double Minds

Parker James has found a great deal of success as a Christian songwriter yet she longs for a singing career. She visualizes the day when her big break comes and she’s able to perform her songs before crowds like the ones her best friend Serena draws. To work toward her goal, the mild mannered Parker works at Colgate Studios as a receptionist for the accompanying perk of free recording time.

When she takes a rare night off from manning the front desk, and the substitute receptionist is gunned down, Parker struggles to come to terms with the murder. Her brother Homicide Detective Gibson James takes charge of the investigation but Parker isn’t satisfied to sit around and let the new detective solve the case. As the investigation proceeds, Parker begins to wonder if she was the intended victim and if her life is in danger.

With Parker’s life at the studio in turmoil, she longs even more for that big career break. When friend Serena receives the opportunity to branch out from Christian recording to a mainstream label, Parker rejoices with her friend. That is until she learns there is a price to be paid. Serena will not be allowed to sing Parker’s song lyrics as written. Serena asks Parker to rewrite the words and Parker must decide if she will take God out of her songs. The decision becomes even more difficult when Parker’s own break hinges on her decision.

Double Minds takes the readers on a great suspense ride with the twists and turns in the plot. Blackstock has done a wonderful job of keeping you guessing until the very end, which comes sooner than you think because you are unable to put the book down and go to bed. Along the way, Blackstock provides you with a realistic look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Christian recording business.

And of course, as you would come to expect in a Terri Blackstock novel, the spiritual message in Double Minds is strong and will ring true with Christian readers. We can easily relate to Parker’s dilemma as our lives are filled with decisions like Parker has to make. Perhaps not at the same level, but we must be diligent to not write God out of our lives in favor of getting our heart’s desire.