Indemnity by Paula Wiseman

Indemnity by Paula Wiseman is the second book in a Christian fiction trilogy, The Covenant of Trust.  I read and reviewed the first book, Contingency, last month and was eager to continue the story of Bobbi and Chuck Molinsky and their family and friends.  In Contingency, Bobbi and Chuck work through the ramifications of adultery.  Chuck has had an affair with a co-worker and Bobbi finds out through what seems to be a stray email.  The Molinskys thought they were a committed couple, one that went to church and tried to raise their boys with a secure home, teaching them right from wrong.  What they find is that sometimes it is easy to stray from your original goals - to lose sight of the end purpose and become complacent.  Marriage is not a static thing.  It needs tending and pruning and care.  Contingency tells the story of a couple working very hard to put their lives back together.  And they do.

Seven years later, Tracy Ravenna, Chuck's former co-worker returns to St. Louis and once again enters the world of the Molinskys.  Bobbi is an elementary school teacher and when she gets her class list for the new school year, a child's name is hand written on her list, Jackson Charles Ravenna.  She is startled because she knows that Ravenna was the last name of the "other woman".  Surely this child is not connected to that person.  After a little investigation, Bobbi finds that Tracy Ravenna has specifically asked that her son, Jack, be placed in Bobbi's first grade class.  Could this possibly be Chuck's child?  Why has Tracy returned and, more importantly, why has she requested this class assignment?

Indemnity continues the story of a couple who has come through a very rough time in their family life.  They will be facing another bumpy road and looking to God and their church family for help dealing with the knowledge that Chuck's infidelity produced an innocent child.  Chuck struggles with his guilt and knowing that his son needs a father.  Should he sue for custody and risk having to face and deal with Tracy on a regular basis?  Bobbi is suspicious of Tracy's motives in returning to St. Louis and she also is uncertain that she can open her heart to Jack.  Will he always remind her of Chuck's mistakes?  This time, they both want to be completely honest with each other, sharing their questions, asking God why and what can possibly be the purpose to yet another season of growth for their marriage.  And what about the precious little boy that needs a stable family - can their other children accept this unexpected brother?

All these questions are answered in Indemnity.  I found this book just as absorbing as the first one in the series.  I enjoyed catching up with the characters, seeing the growth of their children and learning about where their faith journeys had taken them in the seven years.  The author shares themes of trust and forgiveness again, but also illustrates the concept that God is in control, and we don't always get to see the complete "big picture" while events are occurring.  Sometimes, it takes a while to look back and say, "Ah, now I understand why this or that happened in just that way."  What we do know is that God always loves us and has our best interests at heart.  And sometimes He asks us to step out on faith - which isn't easy.

Paula Wiseman has a third book in store for readers, to be published later in 2011.  It is called Precedent and I'm very much looking forward to the conclusion of the Covenant of Trust series.  If you enjoy inspirational fiction and family stories, I suspect you would like this series.  It's one I can recommend.

Thanks to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book for seeing that I received a copy of Indemnity.  I appreciate it very much!  Other tour stops can be found here.