The Lines Between Us

 

Back Cover

Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, Gordon Hooper and his buddy Jack Armitage have stuck to their values as conscientious objectors. Much to their families' and country's chagrin, they volunteer as smokejumpers rather than enlisting, parachuting into and extinguishing raging wildfires in Oregon. But the number of winter blazes they're called to seems suspiciously high, and when an accident leaves Jack badly injured, Gordon realizes the facts don't add up.

A member of the Women's Army Corps, Dorie Armitage has long been ashamed of her bother's pacifism, but she's shocked by news of his accident.  Determined to find out why he was harmed, she arrives at the national forest under the guise of conducting an army report...and finds herself forced to work with Gordon. He believes it's wrong to lie; she's willing to do whatever it takes for justice to be done. As they search for clues, Gordon and Dorie must wrestle with their convictions about war and peace and decide what to do with the troubling secrets they discover.

Review

The Lines Between Us is an interesting read into a different piece of history surrounding World War II - the conscientious objectors during that time. They were treated by many as outcasts of society.  Many family members were ashamed of any who dared become a conscientious objector, which lead to bruised hearts and estranged relationships. And that's where we find Dorie and her brother, Jack. Jack being the black sheep of the family, and Dorie embittered against him (and his friend, Gordon) for their choice to not enlist in the war effort.

As the story begins, Dorie isn't the most likeable of characters. She's brash, sporting a "devil-may-care" attitude toward society and its strictures, is willing to colour the truth and lie in order to get her way, and is rather mean towards her brother. Jack comes across as the antithesis of Dorie: the quiet peacemaker, always stepping in to settle rifts between his fellow smokejumpers. Gordon, while struggling with demons in his past, admires Jack's ability to calm even the toughest of situations, and his unwavering bravery as they parachute out of planes into the midst of wildfires. When Jack is involved in a terrible accident, two unlikely partners are thrown together to figure out what happened and why. Through Dorie's pluck and determination, and Gordon's unwavering search for truth, they step into a web of secrets and get caught in more than one dicey situation.

This was a thought-provoking story into the complexity of relationships and beliefs that can divide us. Amy Lynn Green provides an interesting group of characters with an even more intriguing storyline that really captured my attention. I look forward to reading more books by Ms. Green!

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.