Derailed

DERAILED

. . . What’s it going to take to get him back on track?

After marrying Estelle, the love of his life, ex-cop Harry Bentley’s apartment feels too cramped, especially since he’s now raising his grandson. God seems to provide the perfect solution—a two-flat that would also provide an apartment for his elderly mother. But when plans go awry, Harry has to go back to work as a detective, receiving a bizarre undercover assignment that sends him across the country by train and raises suspicions about his own son’s involvement in a major drug cartel.

It feels like God keeps switching signals—left, right, stop, go? Each time Harry thinks he’s following God’s leading, his plans get derailed and he’s left frustrated, wondering why God isn’t helping out.

Perhaps the only thing going right is he and Estelle are getting to know their new neighbors . . . but discover a block so disconnected one woman almost died unnoticed. Determined to make a difference, Harry and Estelle begin reaching out to their neighbors one plate of cinnamon rolls at a time.

— Welcome to the Neighborhood —

Second in the Windy City Neighbors series, Derailed intersects with Grounded (Book 1) as the Jacksons employ their innovative storytelling technique of “parallel novels.” Though each book follows its own drama and story arc, the characters’ lives become intertwined and affect one another. Derailed transports you to Beecham Street—a typical, isolated American neighborhood that might just be a place of hope.

Neta and Dave Jackson, husband-and-wife writing team, are the authors or coauthors of more than 120 books that have sold over 2.5 million copies. They are best known for Neta’s award-winning Yada Yada Prayer Group series and their forty-volume Trailblazer series. They live in the Chicago area, where this novel is set.