Karen Kingsbury, Sunrise

Sunrise

Karen Kingsbury

Tyndale, May 2007, $13.99

ISBN: 0842387471

In Bloomington, Indiana, Katy Hart and renowned actor Dayne Matthews are planning their upcoming marriage as she knows she will soon move out of her apartment above the garage on the Flanigan estate overlooking Lake Monroe. They have plenty to do but his biological family the Baxters are there to support him so he believes anything can occur; even keeping the overly zealous paparazzi (an oxymoron) away as he does not want another incident when they caused his near fatal accident (see FOREVER) Katy struggles to balance the nuptials with a possible acting career and the fate of the Christian children's theater that she has fully supported.

Clear Creek HS football coach Jim and his wife Jenny Flanagan are at the hospital praying for Cody Coleman, whom they brought into their home to help the teen, but he has become an alcoholic; he passed out from too much liquor for his body to metabolize. To Jim's dismay, his three team captains Tanner Williams, Jack Spencer, and Todd Carson also like the booze; as does much of the rest of the players. Will everyone learn from this potentially deadly lesson caused by overindulgence and driving under the influence or will it take another tragedy like the third stringer who committed suicide three years ago too late for counseling and intervention?

SUNRISE is a transition novel as the focus begins to spin from the Baxters being the hub to the Flanagans becoming the center. Thus the audience sees Katy and Dayne happily preparing for their wedding while Jim and Jenny cope with teen drinking problems. The storyline smoothly switches the spotlight as readers will see first hand the excessiveness of alcohol on the body and the impact of DUI on the lives of more than just the alcoholic. This is a terrific tale as the aptly named book begins a new Hoosier SUNRISE.

Harriet Klausner