Candace Calvert brings back some characters from her Grace Medical series in “By Your Side,” which takes place in Sacramento, Calif. Deputy Fletcher Holt has moved there from Houston to help keep an eye on his mother, Charly, who is a crisis care chaplain battling leukemia.
Macy Wynn is a trauma nurse at Sacramento Hope ER, battling wounds from her past. A former foster kid with a mother who died young, a father who never really wanted to claim her, and a foster sister in drug rehab, Macy must learn to let down her guard and learn to trust others — and more importantly, trust God.
Fletcher and Macy are quickly thrown together after a sniper-caused accident on the freeway, and what follows is an intense, action-packed story. Calvert writes an intriguing story, one which you’ll find hard to put down. The characters are fun, yet relatable. Both Fletcher and Macy must deal with their own “demons” and learn to not only trust in God, but to trust in His plan — to let go and let God. As Charly points out to her son at one point: “A ‘fair’ outcome isn’t promised. Despite that, faith requires trust.”
“By Your Side” is filled with great secondary characters — little, tap dancing Annie Sims, a foster kid who was hurt in the freeway accident; Dr. Andi Carlyle, an ER doctor who proves great things come in little packages; Taylor Cabot, a widowed nurse and chaplain trainee; Seth Donovan, a widower and California Crisis Care chaplain; and Elliot Rush, Macy’s financial advisor and “friend.”
This book is a great read, but can also be hard or uncomfortable to read at times (but in a good way), as it makes the reader ask himself: “How would I react in similar situations and circumstances? Would I reach out to God’s mercy and grace?” So even though “By Your Side” is a fast-paced thriller and a great fiction read, it truly makes the reader think of the greater picture and ponder God’s greater plan.
It is a story of faith and trust and hope and mercy and forgiveness and stepping aside and allowing God to work in the way He needs to work.
I can’t wait for the next read!
Five stars out of five.
Tyndale House Publishers provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.
“By Your Side” (a Crisis Team novel) by Candace Calvert