Lee Strobel, former atheist-turned-Christian, best known for the chart-topping, nonfiction “Case” series on faith, belief and Christianity, moves into the fiction arena with “The Ambition,” an edgy debut mystery. He draws on years of real-life experience as an investigative reporter for The Chicago Tribune to write an insider tale of political greed, corruption, gambling addiction and payola that opens with a mob hit on an unsuspecting bookie.
When the naïve bookie pulls into the dim two-car garage, he’s grateful no one knows about his half-brothers house on the outskirts of Chicago’s “Cook County.” The Bugatti brothers suspected he held money out when he paid his “street tax.” He had to admit he’d stiffed them a little, but he was sure they wouldn’t notice or miss it—however they had. Now he needed to lie low long enough to figure out his next move and he had to stay out of sight until he did.
He walked toward the house anticipating a “cold one” from his brother’s fridge when he saw “out of the corner of his eye…a blur streaking toward him…” Seconds after the hollow-point bullet struck, his lifeless body was flung “…sprawling into three plastic trash bins along the garage wall…”
The moonlight illuminated mobster Nick Moretti’s tight smile, evidence of his delight at an uncomplicated, clean job. Moretti couldn’t know that the single kill shot would figuratively ricochet and entrap a corrupt judge, a power-hungry pastor, a gambling addicted reporter on a mission for the Pulitzer and a secret tape that could shatter the lives of each.
Strobel’s extensive nonfiction experience, his unusually crisp and confident writing style is displayed throughout. In an exciting debut mystery of mega-churches, mobsters, murder and mayhem, especially with his portrayal of Tom Sullivan, an attorney who owes the wrong people favors.
His well-developed, multi-dimensional characters engage readers who come to care about them. Whether it’s a pastor in search of power, a judge on the take, an attorney fighting an addiction or a rocky romantic relationship with a partner who draws an un-crossable line, readers are drawn in.
The dialogue is authentic and character specific with a storyline that carries a strong, but realistic Biblical worldview without preaching. His portrayals of the church, the members who lead and attend, are genuine and realistic as they fight to overcome common faults.
This fast-paced tale begins with a bang, slows a bit in the middle and picks up the pace as it speeds toward an unexpected climax in a compelling tale of suspense, corruption and political intrigue. It’s an excellent debut work from an award-winning author I hope to read more from soon.
Back Cover Copy:
A desperate quest for redemption in a world of corruption…
A routine mob hit lights the fuse on an explosive collision of ambition and deception inside the Windy City’s corridors of power. Drawing on his years as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, bestselling author Lee Strobel reveals an insider’s tale of power, politics, and payoffs ripped from today’s headlines.
When a down-on-his-luck lawyer must bribe a judge to fix an upcoming mob trial, he secretly tapes the exchange to protect himself. After the dirty judge becomes a finalist for an open U.S. Senate seat, the incriminating tape isn’t the only thing standing in his way. Pastor-turned-politician Eric Snow is determined to use his suburban mega church as a launching pad for securing the Senate appointment. And newspaper reporter Garry Strider threatens to uncover both candidates’ secrets in an investigation that may cost him his life.
Strobel weaves these edge characters into an intricate thriller set in a gleaming suburban mega church, a big-city newspaper struggling for survival, and the shadowy corridors of political intrigue. The unexpected climax is as gripping as the contract killing that punctuates the opening scene.
