True Believer follows Jeremy Marsh, an investigative journalist from New York, who receives an intriguing letter about mysterious lights appearing in a North Carolina cemetery. Naturally, his curiosity is piqued. His plan is a simple one: fly to Boone Creek, debunk the myth that ghosts walk through Cedar Creek Cemetery, write the documentary, and be done with it. He didn’t count on meeting the local librarian and granddaughter of the woman who wrote him the letter.
Prior relationships have taken their toll on Lexie Darnell. Her heart was broken twice before, and she’s not about to let that happen a third time. She’s content – if not happy – with her life in Boone Creek. And nothing is going to change it. Not even an overconfident, big-time, journalist from New York.
The chemistry between Jeremy and Lexie explodes off every page and had this reader glued to her seat. Indeed, all of Boone Creek’s inhabitants have endeared themselves to me. I don’t know what Mayor Gherkin was so worried about. I’d move to Boone Creek in (pardon the pun) a New York minute!
To think! I nearly returned True Believer, unread, to the bookshelf. I found the first twenty-three pages dry – not at all as I had remembered his writing to be – finding myself closing the book at each line break. For me, the story truly took form when Jeremy received Doris’ letter. So my advice would be: if, when you first begin, you notice yourself wondering why you picked up this story in the first place, just wait until you reach page twenty-four. You’ll be so glad you did.
True Believer, at its heart, is a love story. Isn’t that what we expect when we see Nicholas Sparks’ name emboldened on a cover? But it’s also a mystery, and a good one. This one’s staying on my bookshelf so that I can enjoy it all over again.
The Ink-Stained Page 