I have received a First Place Award for fiction from Reader Views for my novel:
The Price of Redemption.
Richard D. Thielmann
Infinity Publishing (2006)
ISBN 9780741432155
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/07)
In this fictional account the reader is introduced to a behind-the-scenes-look at Christian Television
Broadcasting. The author has generated a cast of characters that become a composite, even caricatures, of
well known TV evangelists, and their followers, past and present. These characters are exposed in a way that
reveals greed, deceit, and manipulation, orchestration, and persuasiveness. This is a story of how something
good can deteriorate to become evil. It is a tale of things gone wrong and the cost and toll it takes on the lives
involved. It is the story of “The Price of Redemption.”
Thielmann has a unique way of blending the core beliefs of the genuine Christian with the unscrupulous power hungry egotist. In describing Betty and Del, he writes: “Theirs became a life of shared strong values and religious convictions and beliefs fundamentally captured by the Holy Scripture of the Bible.”
Struck by lightning, Del suffered a loss of normal speech and produced instead an unrecognizable pattern of sounds and syllables much like “gibberish.” Confused but convinced by her pastor, Randy Stone, that Del’s affliction was to be a vehicle to promote God’s message, Betty was easily duped into believing him. “You are inspired,” she whispered to Reverend Stone, “You have received the Word.”
Murder, adultery, blackmail, and fraudulent scams are at the core of this haunting tale of deceit. But the
element of repentance, forgiveness and redemption are the main thread throughout. Unexpected plot twists,
flashbacks, and dialog move the plot forward to a dramatic conclusion.
The reader is confronted with the age-old question regarding the cause of evil. Is it “sin” or “is it merely a
matter of human frailty and the subsequent desire for redemption?”
Inspector Mitchell expresses his feelings to Fred, a victim of blackmail this way. “I believe in certain
principles…guidelines...about the behavior of people in this world. Deceit is decadence…reason for
judgment by the Lord. You have been deceitful, Fred, and I think you should pay.”
Richard draws from his own life experiences and breathes into his story the pathos and feeling of his characters. He understands the people, the thinking, and the reactions of the native of Northwest Ohio, the setting for this book.
Richard D. Thielmann is a natural and gifted storyteller. In a simple, straightforward language he has created
a fast moving narrative in “The Price of Redemption.”