Greater Miracles

As spiritual gifts go, the one that has defined Gabriel Woods ever since the car crash that killed his mother-and nearly took his own life-is a real doozey. The problem is, Gabriel doesn't want it. Not only has this unwelcome "gift" turned his young life upside down, he's hardly the kind of saintly person someone with such powers should be.

On the run after being "discovered" yet again, Gabriel hitches a ride with a grizzled, over-talkative trucker who, after another deadly encounter on the highway, leaves him stranded in the small town of Chiloquin, Oregon, where an Army ammo plant dominates the local economy. Outside the plant he stumbles into an enigmatic woman perhaps a decade older than he-Lane D'Arcy-who was both physically and emotionally scarred by an explosion on the assembly lines two years earlier. Inexplicably, Lane turns out to be immune to Gabriel's unwanted gift. Suddenly he envisions a new life on Lane's secluded ranch where his miraculous power will remain undetected, and he can resume something approaching a normal life.

Unfortunately, events in the half-Anglo, half-Native American community dictate otherwise. Gabriel and Lane are immediately swept up in preparations for a looming strike that threatens to divide Chiloquin, mostly along ethnic lines. Worse, the local BLM lieutenant seems hell-bent on uncovering the secret he's sure Gabriel is hiding, including the possibility that he's some kind of union activist, or maybe even a terrorist.

A takeover of the ammo plant by a handful of native Maqlaqs-joined by Lane's former lover-follows on the heels of an incident that exposes Gabriel's powers once more. And when the old trucker reappears at Lane's ranch to return some of Gabriel's belongings he'd driven off with days ago, the blissful new life Gabriel dreams of not only goes up in flames, his very survival is now at stake.

The novel's fiery climax and epilogue will leave you satisfied-and ready for a sequel!

Note: A Study Guide follows-designed for both individual readers and group discussion-to inspire further reflection on the themes and issues raised in the novel. Readers will also find pages for note-taking, along with a fascinating author interview about the writing of Greater Miracles.