Murder and Intrigue in the HOOD

Dominion by Randy Alcorn

Credibility keeps me from claiming that this is the best of Randy Alcorn. Somehow I may have already said that about Edge of Eternity and Almost Home. But in keeping with the rest of his body of work, this one is completely different than anything else and just plain fantastic.

Dominion is a mystery first , and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting to find out whodunnit and why. Then it is about relationships, as Clarence Abernathy, an Oregon columnist and suburban middle-class black, finds himself involved in a world of inner-city gangs, violence and and drugs. But finally it is about how an educated black man views himself and the black and white world around him.

I live in a racially mixed (mostly black) neighborhood. My neighbor (black) across the street once told me: “I know that some white people I meet would rather kiss their dog on the mouth than shake my hand.” Alcorn has somehow been able to convey that kind of understanding about the black experience. If I interview Randy Alcorn someday, my first question will be how he knows these things. I am reasonably qualified to say that he is accurate in his depiction.

Be prepared, if you aren’t black, to get new understanding of your black friends and associates. Be prepared, if you are black, to maybe see through a mirror more clearly.